Review: The Girl With Borrowed Wings

The Girl With Borrowed Wings by Rinsai Rossetti
Release Date ~ July 19, 2012
Dial Books ~ Penguin
ISBN13: 9780803735668
ARC received from Penguin Canada for review
Goodreads Synopsis:
A stunningly written tale of an isolated girl and the shape-shifting boy who shows her what freedom could be--if only she has the courage to take it.

Controlled by her father and bound by desert, Frenenqer Paje’s life is tediously the same, until a small act of rebellion explodes her world and she meets a boy, but not just a boy--a Free person, a winged person, a shape-shifter. He has everything Frenenqer doesn’t. No family, no attachments, no rules. At night, he flies them to the far-flung places of their childhoods to retrace their pasts. But when the delicate balance of their friendship threatens to rupture into something more, Frenenqer must confront her isolation, her father, and her very sense of identity, breaking all the rules of her life to become free.

The description for this book is what initially drew me in; it sounded so different, and entirely unique in a setting I'm always interested in reading about - the desert. But I was surprised at how different this book ended up being- both from others I've read and it even varied from my expectations.

Many of the details are odd and rather strange, but if you can get past that you'll uncover a story that is touching in the way it deals with brokenness and broken people. And it has so much to do with self-discovery.

1. A unique fantasy setting:
   
   I LOVE desert settings; it was one of the reasons I was initially drawn to this book and knew it was one I had to give a shot. It wasto read about the Free people, and this strange oasis land with its own culture so different from the ones I'm familiar with. And it really played an important role in the story, as the setting was crucial to Freneqer's situation and her sense of isolation and feeling trapped.
2. A beautiful story about broken people:
   
   The description makes it sound like a love story- and to an extent it is about love, but not fully in the way you initially think of love. It's more about Frenequer's journey to discover what love really means - in a life filled with broken, bitter, cold people. This is what made the book so amazing, in my eyes. To show how much bravery it can take to act in love towards those who have hurt you, to be courageous yourself and learn what love means later on in life. Thisfined to the desert or to a fantasy book- it's one that exists in all of our lives in one way or another.

The problem was it wasn't until later on in the book, well into the second half of it, that I finally started to feel connected to the story. And the world, while unique and fascinating, simply didn't have enough answers or explanations for me to really grasp the story. I had so many questions regarding Free people, and barely any were answered.

And Frenequer's background and past itself was rather hidden- for a purpose, I think, but I had really hoped for a fuller explanation by the end which I found lacking. It's fairly glossed over and I found the ending to be rather rushed in terms of quick changes for a drastic turnaround.

There are definitely some issues - the story and characters are VERY odd at times, and it can be hard to relate to a world so different from our own and without much explanation to better understand it. But it was still an extremely beautiful yet dysfunctional story overall.

Purchase Links

United States	Canada	International
Amazon	Amazon Canada	The Book Depository
Barnes & Noble	Chapters Indigo

Blog Tour: Fall For You

Fall For You (The Jane Austen Academy #1) by Cecilia Gray
Release Date ~ February 10, 2012
Self-published
ISBN13: 9781938268007
E-book received from author for review
Goodreads Synopsis:
The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. Please. They need to stay focused on something that lasts much longer: an acceptance letter from an Ivy.

But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it's about to turn the Academy--and the lives of its students--totally upside down...

To say Lizzie and Dante are polar opposites is the understatement of the century. He's a snooty Exeter transfer with more money than Google. She's a driven study-a-holic barely keeping up with tuition. It's obvious that Dante thinks he's way too good for Lizzie. And Lizzie knows Dante is a snob with a gift for pushing her buttons.

But things are changing fast this year at the Academy. And when Lizzie's quest to stop those changes blows up in her face, taking her oldest friendship with it, she has nowhere else to turn but to Dante, with his killer blue eyes, his crazy-sexy smile, and his secrets... Secrets Lizzie can't seem to leave alone, no matter how hard she tries...
Today's the first day of the Fall For You blog tour! Enjoy this review, and I hope you stop by the other tour stops to see what other things you can learn about this new series from Cecilia Gray! And enter to win one of 10 e-books of Fall For You at the end of this review!

View the full tour schedule here.

Books like the Fall For You from the Jane Austen Academy series are one of my guilty pleasures in reading - I LOVE fun, light, fluffy books (I think of them as marshmallow reads) that are quick and easy reads but just so enjoyable.
A lighthearted read inspired by Pride and Prejudice, there are a number of other characters alluding to other famous works by Jane Austen, including Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion. But what impressed me the most is how well Fall For You is able to give its readers a general feel of Pride and Prejudice in such a short story! Very much like a young Jane Austen-inspired books in contemporary settings for young readers.

1. A good sense of many of Pride & Prejudice ideas:
   I really loved that Fall For You kept many of the same character qualities and attributes of Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy (Lizzie & Dante, respectively), and used this inspiration to create a whole new world and story- one that is particularly applicable to teenagers, and I found it to be overall a rather fair modernization of an old classic.
2. A storyline easily applicable to highschool & teens:
   
   Lizzie faces some real dilemmas, ones that are particularly applicable to high school scenarios. I'm such a sucker for those boarding school plots, and Fall For You was no exception. The pressures of college applications, changing friendships, and finally learning to take a stand for what you believe in are all central to the story, ones that nearly everyone will be able to relate to.
3. A touching plot, rather than silly:
   
   I was slightly wary at first, thinking that a book taking place in a boarding school literally called "The Jane Austen Academy" would end up being cheesy more than anything; but I appreicated that there was a reason behind this, and a real story to it rather than just a literal idea of inspiration and it wasn't nearly as silly as I had anticipated it would be at first.

Fall For You is clearly a setup for the next book, and it's obvious after reading it that each book in the series is a part of a series rather than working well as a standalone. They HAVE to tie in together, in order to piece together the whole story. I was a little disappointed with how many threads were left hanging, but I could see why as they mostly revolved around other secondary characters who will presumably take on a greater role in the next books.

I also found it to be a tad too fast-paced and short; it was remarkable how it didn't feel rushed in so few pages for a romance to develop, and for some problems to be introduced and then tied up, but I still felt like some of the relationships could have been fleshed out a bit more, particularly in regards to Dante and Lizzie. I think the next books in the series will benefit greatly from the advantage of having more history and time behind them to support the backgrounds to the relationships.

But Fall For You was such a light and enjoyable read; one that I could see many fans of contemporary YA books would enjoy, and this could be a great tool to introduce hesitant readres of the classics to some of Jane Austen's very basic storylines and characters because of how well it captures the feel of those characters and ideas.

The trailer for the whole series is available now too:



Purchase Links

United States	Canada	International
Amazon (Kindle)		Smashwords
Barnes & Noble	Kobo

As part of this blog tour, there are TEN e-book copies of Fall For You up for grabs! All you need to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter :) Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Wild Ink

Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market (Second Edition) by Victoria Hanley
Release Date ~ May 22, 2012
Prufrock Press
ISBN13: 9781593638641
Review copy received from publisher

Goodreads Synopsis:
What do you need to know to break in to the flourishing young adult (YA) market? With humor and a solid grounding in reality, author Victoria Hanley helps readers understand the ins and outs of the YA genre, how to stay inspired, and how to avoid common mistakes writers make in trying to reach teens. This book includes unique writing exercises to help readers find their own authentic teen voice and dozens of interviews with YA authors, blogging experts, editors, and agents to give inspiration and guidance for getting published. Chapters include writing exercises and self-editing techniques tailored to YA, along with encouraging words on dealing with self-doubt, rejection, and lack of time.

I normally don't review non-fiction books, but when Sourcebooks contacted me regarding Wild Ink, I thought it would be a good fit for Esther's Ever After seeing as it directly relates to Young Adult books. So many readers and fans of YA are writers themselves; so I'm happy today to share a rather non-conventional review of this non-fiction book from Victoria Hanley today, as well as a guest post from Victoria on outlining and the writing process.

First of all, Wild Ink deals with the YA genre in general; and actually has sections on both fiction and non-fiction writing and books. The goal seems to be to help writers figure out what the YA market is like, and if it's right for them.

YA is tricky because it's supposedly for teenagers- but the thing is that so many other age groups are reading YA books, and it's currently growing in popularity. It's no longer narrowed to a specific age group of teens- it's beloved by a large (and growing) number of readers. Victoria Hanley points to a few facets of YA books which make it so appealing; ideas like exploration, transformation, and passion which make it so enjoyable for readers of all ages. And as well, she tackles a number of subgenres under YA; paranormal, horror, sci fi, etc. It's a great resource for those trying to navigate the rather confusing world of subgenres within the YA category, and as much as I appreciated her straightforward explanations, I could see how this could feel somewhat suffocating if the definitions were taken too literally in terms of what these subgenres feature.

I think it's important to note that Victoria also deals with market trends, and stresses that it's most important to write about what you love; what you're passionate about. That passion and excitement will come across in that writing- it's why some books will do very well, even if they don't fit the current "trend".

There's also a great chapter on obstacles and writing - one of the best I found in the book. Victoria deals with a number of struggles people who write (or those wanting to write) struggle with, and gives some tips on how to overcome them.

But one of the best things about this book, I found, is how much I learned just from reading it. Unlike most readers/bloggers, I have a desire to write but I really don't write anymore. I haven't written a story in YEARS, and I'm unsure if I ever will. I also don't have a strong desire to be published- but I learned so much about writing and the process writers go through, and even about YA books themselves, that I believe will help me when I'm reading and REVIEWING YA books. Because part of being a reviewer is understanding books, and trying to pick them apart on different levels. Figuring out what I liked and disliked about a book and why I felt that way- then trying to express that to others. And I especially took note of how applicable this was to me in Victoria's chapters on writing dialogue and characters.

It was also great to include a number of Q&A sections from experts involved with the publication process, in a number of areas.

I do think there were some chapters that could have dealt a bit more in depth with what happens after your book is actually written - for example, I thought more details could have been given on the chapter dealing with marketing your book. I think a number of people are well aware of exactly what a blog tour is and how it works, but there are also a number who simply just don't know what it is or entails, and more information on things like that would have been helpful.

And now, Victoria also included a guest post she wrote on outlining your novel, for all of you aspiring writers!

To Outline or Not?

Here’s a question I often hear from people interested in writing a novel: I can’t come up with an outline. What should I do?
You may have heard of “pantsers” vs. “outliners.” The term pantser derives from “flying by the seat of the pants.” Pantsers jump into their stories without outlining in advance, completely caught up in the characters and unconcerned (at first) about the plot. For a pantser, the experience of writing is one of immersion in a fictional world. The plot reveals itself along the way. Trying to outline up front would only bring on discouragement and a sense of futility.  But once the first draft is done, outlining can be helpful to a pantser because an outline will identify tangents or redundancies that need to be trimmed or plotholes that require new pages.

Outliners plan ahead: They can’t imagine sitting down to write a book without having an idea of where the story begins and ends. Outliners take courage in knowing the bones of a novel before they begin to flesh it out. Often, they’re not attached to specifics, adapting well when characters change and grow and events take new turns as they write. But to an outliner, plunging in with no sense of direction would only bring on discouragement and overwhelming doubts.
So it’s helpful to know whether you’re a pantser or an outliner. When you understand your style, you’ll quit thinking you “should” be approaching things another way. All approaches are valid so long as they get you to write!
Finding what works for you is the big golden key. This seems to be true for everything from diets to exercising to picking out shoes, so it’s no surprise that writers often need to experiment before discovering what will help them get ‘er done!

Wishing you well on your quest,
Victoria

Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us some tips, Victoria!

If you're interested, you can check out the second chapter of Wild Ink here; which will give you a taste of what to expect from Wild Ink as it deals with the first section on novel writing.

Stacking the Shelves {10}

Welcome to another week of Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga!

As Tynga explains, all you have to do is:

• Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!
• You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!
• I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.
• Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!
• Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

So today my post is going up a little bit later than usual because I was attending a book launch earlier today for Joanne Levy's debut, Smart Medium at Large from Bloomsbury! It was a lot of fun but I knew I'd be coming back with some books so I put off doing this post until afterwards.
This week I received:

•  Review copy of The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (TBR ~ July 17, 2012) received from HBG Canada - really curious about this one since it looks so neat and is written by Glee's Chris Colfer! :)
• ARC So Close to You by Rachel Carter received from HarperCollins US (won in giveaway)
• Last Rite (Personal Demons #3) by Lisa Desrochers (from Wendy @ A Cupcake and a Latte ~ Wendy had a copy she was ready to pass along to someone, and this is the only one I was missing!)
• ARC Entice (Embrace #2) by Jessica Shirvington (TBR ~ September 4, 2012) Wendy also had an extra copy of Entice, so she kindly passed it along to me as I loved Embrace :)

This picture shows what I received from the Small Medium at Large gift bag that Joanne put together for the attending bloggers! This was absolutely amazing, and I can't even tell you how cool it was that she did this for us :) There were 2 books included (they were all Penguin books ~ I ended up trading my copy of Cold Fury for Frostbite since I already have Cold Fury) But isn't this just amazing?! SO MUCH swag! They're all from 2012 debuts :) And a delicious, red velvet cupcake! <3

• SIGNED Small Medium at Large by Joanne Levy (purchased at the book launch)
• ARC Rift by Andrea Cremer (TBR ~ August 7, 2012) this is actually my second copy of the book, so I'll be passing this one along at some point to another reader
• Frostbite: A Graphic Novel (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead (I haven't read VA yet, but I keep meaning to and I like the graphics in the graphic novels so I traded my copy of Cold Fury for this one!)

So much swag I can't even handle it! I'm kind of a swag hoarder, so even if I do give away a whole bunch of this, I'll STILL end up with some for me hehe. It was such a great week though, and Joanne did a great reading from her book. And as always, it was so nice to see the other Blogettes! :)

Must-Read Summer Books

I'm a firm believer that summer is the perfect time for reading- no matter what you're doing, everything just seems to slowww right down. School's out, people go on vacation, the days are longer, and staying up late doesn't sound like such a bad idea.
But there are SO many books out there, and only so much time - which ones are perfect for this lovely summer weather?
I'm sharing just some of my top picks for summer reading today, and while my list is by no means exhaustive or complete, here's a few that I think are totally worth picking up this season. Let me know which ones you've read, want to read, or even ones you think I missed!

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Perfect for: devotees of Sarah Dessen. People who need to get their contemporary fix, and enjoy thoughtful books with sweet summer romance. Bonus points for this book actually being set during the summer break.
Read my 5 star review for My Life Next Door here to find out more!

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Perfect for: fairy tale enthusiasts. People who grew up with Peter Pan as a child, but want to see the story as a darker, more mature version. Readers who don't mind slow storytelling in exchange for dreamy writing and meaningful prose.
Read my 4 star review for Tiger Lily here to find out more!

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Perfect for: old & new readers to fantasy books; gripping storytelling, a world bursting with creativity at the seems. A different kind of fantasy pick since much of it is inspired by Russian culture/mythology, and a world in the midst of evolution/transformation.
Read my 5 star review for Shaow & Bone here to find out more!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Perfect for: people who want a book that will change them, and potentially make them cry (or at least tear up). A truly moving story centred around the devoted friendship of two girls during World War II.
Read my 4 star review for Code Name Verity here to find out more!

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Perfect for: classics fans, who are interested in trying out something a little bit different. Or, readers who aren't overly familiar with the classics, but want to test out if it's the kind of story that might grab their interest. This one's a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion in a futuristic, yet semi-historical, sci fi world.
Read my 5 star review for For Darkness Shows the Stars here to find out more!

Thief's Covenant & False Covenant (Widdershins series) by Ari Marmell
Perfect for: fantasy lovers & those who are curious about trying out fantasy. Witty, clever writing and some of the most terrifying, spine-tingling villains I've EVER read about- definitely something out of a horror novel (without actually BEING a horror novel, but instead more fantasy based).
Read my 5 star review for Thief's Covenant (Widdershins #1) here to find out more!
Read my 5 star review for False Covenant (Widdershins #2) here to find out more!

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
Perfect for: paranormal fans who want something a little bit different - with FIVE swoonworthy guys. Plus, it's a brilliant blend of paranormal with a distinct contemporary feel to it. Lots of action & kissing that will keep you turning the pages.
Read my 5 star review for Storm (Elementals #1) here to find out more!

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
Perfect for: those stormy, dark nights when you need something pretty creepy and scary to keep you up at night :) And I love the creepy science fiction feel to this one about 3 teenagers who discover some disturbing happenings on the moon.
Read my 5 star review for 172  Hours on the Moon here to find out more!

Review: Chosen Ones

Chosen Ones (The Lost Souls #1) by Tiffany Truitt
Release Date ~ June 12, 2012
Entangled Publishing
ISBN13: 9781620610008
E-galley received from publisher for review
Goodreads Synopsis:
What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Chosen Ones is a rather ambitious book as it seeks to tackle a number of questions and ideas, while introducing readers to an unfamiliar, disturbing future world. This is an ugly, bitter place to live in, particularly for women. And in this setting, Tiffany sets out to explore some fascinating concepts.

But I found the book to be perhaps TOO ambitious, so that it fell short for me as the first book in a series. I had really hoped for a stronger presentation in regards to themes and dangerous adventure, and found it lacking in a few too many areas and its strengths didn't make that up for me.

1. An incredibly twisted, unique post-apocalyptic world:
   
   The setting of Chosen Ones truly horrified me, as it was supposed to. It's in the midst of complete transformation, as "real" humans are gradually dying off with no means to reproduce, and have become inferior to the "new and improved" humans (a.k.a. chosen ones) who are essentially manufactured people, created by scientists and extremely advanced technology. Books like these are everywhere, but this is a world that I found to stand out among the rest as a very unique (and scary) idea. And because women are unable to reproduce, intimacy of any form between males and females is looked down upon and almost shunned to an extent. So the girls (like Tessa) seem to be fairly naive, which leads to some really creepy and disturbing moments.
2. Challening ideas and thoughts:
   
   There are so many struggles within this world, and I was pleased to find that many of them are ideological struggles. It's a battle of IDEAS primarily, and I can tell that Tiffany is very intelligently trying to present some thoughtful questions and to challenge her readers. Humanity versus science. Creator versus the created. Freedom versus choice. What does faith mean? How do you challenge the norms and those in power? How far are you willing to go to fight for what you believe in? These are just as applicable to us even now, and there are no easy answers.

But this is what I mean by the book really being too ambitious; there was so much potential with where this book could have gone, and I didn't feel that it got there. It seemed like we were trying to have this strong, opinionated and thoughtful book with questioning ideas, and adventure and drama, and some good, tragic romance. And while trying to cover all these bases, I ended up feel like each area was lacking.

I had a very hard time following most of what was happening in Chosen Ones. The world was so far off and so detailed (yet riddled with secrets) that it was hard to follow what was happening and why it was happening. And nobody really seemed to question any of this; it's glossed over that, in Tessa's lifetime, women were suddenly unable to reproduce anymore. They just stopped. And I'm not clear on this, but it doesn't appear to be a generational thing either and yet no one really questions it. No one seems to find it suspicious or beyond odd- they just accept it and realize that life sucks, and so during Tessa's lifetime women are suddenly blamed for everything. There are a lot of IDEAS but they come across so forcefully instead of being subtlely woven within the story itself. And it seemed like the setting and character were being used as tools to promote an idea, rather than show the implications and results of an idea.

My friend Christa @ Hooked on Books wrote a very thoughtful blog post discussing why it seems that in future worlds, most books seem to feature a society that looks down on and even hates women. I'm sure for most it's a plot device to feature strong, brave heroines but I had a hard time buying into this idea that within the span of 12 years, women went from having children, and families were there, to suddenly being unable to reproduce and so they're taught that they're weak and emotional and will all seduce men if they're not careful and die because they'll end up pregnant. And birth control is black market, apparently. I just couldn't follow this without more background information, and I'm fairly certain we're being set up for a big reveal later on in the series. But it doesn't make sense for this book.

The other problem I had wtih this book were the characters. It seemed like there were so many, and they weren't very well fleshed out so I kept forgetting who a person was when a name was mentioned. The story itself is really about Tessa, and it seemed like the secondary characters were there as decoration more than anything. And the dynamics between them reminded me far too much of The Hunger Games in a number of ways. The story itself is drastically different, but the relationships in it? Definitely more than a few similarities. You have a cold and jaded heroine, who distances herself from just about everyone (who is also very important for the political struggle, for some reason). A younger sister she, at times, feels the need to protect from this ugly world (now, that one's usually a given in any sibling relationship). Two boys the heroine is close to - one a childhood friend with a strong desire to fight back agains the establishment, at just about any cost, and a new one who wants to protect her. Plus, a dead father and a useless mother. And I likely wouldn't have picked up on this at all, except that there's a scene where Tessa is watching another character be punished for a crime and she ends up screaming out that she volunteers to take on some of said punishment. That part really reminded me of the Reaping. But the character dynamics just weren't strong enough to make me really care. Without understanding Tessa's motivation, she's just a very aloof character that I couldn't connect with or understand why she acted in certain ways.

The book is also pretty heavy on the romance, which I didn't entirely buy into. It's far too on and off, and Tessa is such reacts so immaturely and just doesn't learn from the past at all. It felt a little too rushed and chaotic for someone as cynical and cautious as Tessa. And the story really does revolve around the love story. But I do have to say there are a couple of really sweet, totally moving scenes between the two characters. VERY touching moments at times, that I couldn't help but love a little bit. So much swoon!

There are some pretty great twists by the end too, although the action was completely ignored unfortunately. But I predict more great twists and reveals in the later books.

But ultimately, I found myself far too frustrated with the majority of the story. I was hoping for there to be something to shine through, but ended up left with very little to show for itself.

Purchase Links

United States	Canada	International
Amazon	Amazon Canada	The Book Depository
Barnes & Noble	Chapters Indigo

Teen Review: The Reckoning

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3) by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date ~ April 6, 2010
Doubleday Canada ~ Random House Canada
ISBN13: 9780385665360
Paperback purchased personally
Note: there are some spoilers for the first two books in this review. You can find reviews of The Summoning here & The Awakening here.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I'm on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We're hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We'll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we'd left behind and take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.
I really, really loved the first two books in Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series, so I was excited and also a bit sad to come to the end of the trilogy.  It took me a little bit just to get into the book because I wanted to make it last as long as possible.  When I came to the end of the novel, I was sad but also very pleased with how it all ended.

1. Chloe's acceptance of her powers:
   
   Throughout the whole Darkest powers series, Chloe has been very apprehensive about her newfound power.  She refuses to use it(not even for practice), so she is basically left defenseless, acting as the damsel in distress.  By the time the third book rolls around, she is still scared about using it, but she comes to an acceptance of it.  She finally comes to realize that it's okay for her to use her power.  The change is gradual, but I really liked seeing just how much Chloe has come along from the first book.
2. A twist!  A twist!:
   
   I really think that Kelley Armstrong writes twists well.  While they are not the most unique plot twists there are, I do fnd myself genuinely surprised when I come across them.  There have been plot twists in the previous two novels, but I really liked the ones in this particular book.  I thought that they made a lot of sense to the plot, and they added to the overall story very nicely.  There aren't too many turns, so you don't become tired of them easily.  There are enough, though, to keep a strong interest in the book.
3. The Open Ending:
   
   This book has one of those endings that you will either love or hate.  I just happened to love it.  Many of the loose ends are tied up at the end, but there are still a lot of questions that are left unanswered.  I liked that the ending is left so open.  We get to imagine where the characters go next, and how their lives turn out ourselves.  Although I usually dislike this kind of ending, everything that I was hoping would happen, happened.  So I was happy with that.  It also left a space for another novel if the author did decide to write another book-even though this is only supposed to be a trilogy.

Again, a couple of times Chloe did get a little bit annoying because of her refusing to use her powers, so she was basically useless.  I was really glad that she did evolve a bit so she was not half as useless by the end of the novel.I think that fans of the Darkest Powers trilogy will really enjoy this novel.  If you haven't read the Darkest Powers, I highly reccomend you do so.  I'm sad that this trilogy is over, but I'm really glad that I finally gave in and read it.

Purchase Links

United States	Canada	International
Amazon	Amazon Canada	The Book Depository
Barnes & Noble	Chapters Indigo