Shadows in the Silence (Angelfire # 3) by Courtney Allison Moulton Review

Name: Shadows in the Silence (Angelfire # 3)
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: January 29th, 2013
Format: E-book copy
Buy the book on Amazon
469 pages

Summary:

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

Goodreads

My Review:

What a fantastic end to a great series!  This is one series that I think gets better with each book: I liked the first book, loved the second, and the third blew me away.  With a constant stream of action, romance, suspense, and even more action, there was literally never a dull moment in this book!


I loved the way that Ellie's character progressed throughout all three books.  At the beginning of the series she was really hesitant to fully leave her human life behind in order to become the archangel Gabriel and save the world.  However, by the end of the series she has accepted and even embraced her destiny.  She no longer finds herself interested in getting drunk and going to parties, and instead is more focused on saving the world; in other words, she really grows up.  Ellie certainly has a lot of sides to her character, and I love how Moulton is able to make her seems so relatable - so human - even though she is something more than just a human girl.  I did wish, however, that we had seen a little bit more of Cadan's development as a character.  He switched sides to fight for good rather than evil, but I think it would have been nice if Moulton had expanded more upon his change, which I can tell was not an easy decision for him to make nor an easy promise for him to uphold.


Ellie and Will's relationship is also another reason why I loved this book.  Not only were the two sweet and adorable throughout the book, but they also had to make some tough decisions and I loved watching them work things out.  This book picked up right where the last one ended, and after finishing the end of the cliffhanger, there was just so much more plot constantly taking place.  The battle at the end was a little predictable, but of course it was hard not to guess the way that it would end.  However, Ellie and Will had to travel so far - both physically and mentally - throughout the book, and while some parts were definitely sad to read, in the end I was so happy to see how far the two of them made it, both as individual characters and as a couple.

That being said, the epilogue was just an amazing way to end the series, and I don't think that Moulton could have done a better job!  I really enjoyed watching this series unfold, transforming from just one book that I thought was interesting into a wonderful series that I will never forget, and will definitely be rereading in the future.  If you haven't already read this trilogy you should definitely pick it up, especially this fantastic conclusion!

My Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday 85: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: April 2nd, 2013

416 pages

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If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? 

Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Doesn't this book sound adorably interesting?  Not to mention that I loved Smith's other book, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.  I have high hopes for this endearing book, and I would be thrilled if it was as cute of a read as her other novel.  I can't wait to pick this one up in April!

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Madly & Wolfhardt (Madly # 1 & # 2) by M. Leighton Review

Name: Madly & Wolfhardt (Madly # 1 & # 2)
Author: M. Leighton
Publisher: M. Leighton Books
Release Date: July 22nd, 2011
Format: E-Book
Buy the book on Amazon
323 pages

Summary:
Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants. 

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?

Goodreads

My Review:

I won a kindle copy of the first two books in this series and had no idea what the series was about (I'm glad that I did not know, though, for I don't think I would have picked up a book with such a description that sounded more like a little kid's book than a YA one).  I was quite disappointed with the first book, which was only 57 pages long.  There did not seem to be much of a plot and I found myself completely lost in a magical world of humans and mermaids that was hardly explained.  However, as the series continued on I found myself enjoying it a little more.

There is definitely a strong plot in this novel, what with Madly's home and the majority of her race being trapped due to a prison break.  Yet for some reason I find myself oddly detached from this plot line.  Everything just seemed predictable.  Even the characters (including Madly and Jackson) make obvious choices consistent with their personalities and never choose to do anything crazy once in a while; sometimes I just wished that something super exciting would occur to remind me why I was continuing to read the book.  Don't get me wrong, the characters and plot were not entirely unlikable; I just did not find them to be anything special.

The core of this novel, thankfully, is not the plot, but the love story between Madly, a princess betrothed to another man, and Jackson, the best Sentinel in the world who was assigned to protect her.  Fortunately this did not turn into a predictable love triangle; Madly's fiance, who also happened to be her best friend, quickly fell in love with another girl, leaving Madly free to be with whomever she wanted.  I loved the relationship between the headstrong Madly and the protective Jackson.  While their relationship certainly has its highs and lows, the couple has been able to keep a steady partnership because all the rulers have been trapped underwater due to the prison break.  However, I am quite interested to see what might happen if/when Madly's parents are freed; I am sure that they will cause trouble because of Madly's relationship with a man whom her parents have not chosen to be her fiance.

This series definitely takes some getting used to, and if you want to see Madly and Jackson's relationship progress, you really have to stick out this book and continue grinding through it, even when it seems uninteresting.  While these first two books were definitely not any of my favorites, I think that I will continue to read this series (though I may not dwell on it for very long) just to see what happens next!

My Rating:

Short Break!

Hi everyone! The next two weeks are going to be crazy for both Jaime and I with midterms and such coming up for school, so we are taking a SHORT break and will be back in the beginning of March! Don't worry guys..Catching Books isn't going anywhere :)

xxoxoxox

Sarah and Jaime

Unravel Me (Shatter Me # 2) by Tahereh Mafi Review

Name: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: February 5th, 2013
Format: E-Book
Buy the book on Amazon
461 pages

Summary:
tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Goodreads

My Review:
You know those books you read, the ones that you think about for days after you've read it and the words keep replaying over and over in your head? This above description exactly fits how I felt when I finished Unravel Me. This whole past day, all I've been thinking about is how jaw dropping Unravel Me was and how it took my breath away from start to finish.

Tahereh Mafi's writing style is so fantastic and brilliant, and really gets me swept into Juliette's story. The words are so poetic, and I really feel that I can actually feel what Juliette is going through when I read this book. This was the type of book that I stayed up so late in the night to finish because I had to know what going to happen next. The plot of Unravel Me was fantastic..it picks up right off where Shatter Me ended. It was interesting to see Juliette interact with different people then just Warner and Adam, and I liked seeing her go out of her comfort zone. Her whole life she has been afraid of being near other people and now she is around so many different people. Plot wise, Unravel Me was fantastic. The only thing that made me a little sad was that the ending was a cliffhanger!! Not as bad as Shatter Me's ending, but this one for sure will make the wait for the next book feel like forever.

Now onto the romance, literally this part of the book took my breath away. All throughout Shatter Me, I was always such a big fan of Adam. He is so sweet towards Juliette and puts his whole heart into everything for her which is so great. Warner, literally is the opposite of Adam. During Shatter Me I really really really didn't like him, especially after seeing all of the horrible things he had done. I didn't think I would like Warner at all during Unravel Me, but I was totally shocked. Warner goes through some major character development in this book and I really felt like he became almost a new character. I've definitely warmed up to Warner (just like Juliette has) in this book and I am excited to see where this love triangle will take us next.

Overall, this book literally was so brilliantly written, so earth shattering, that I still can't stop thinking about it. Tahereh Mafi is a fabulous writer, and probably one of the best YA authors out there. If you haven't read this series yet GO READ IT. It literally is such an amazing series and you won't regret it.


My Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday 84: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices # 3

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Name: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices # 3)

Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Book

Release Date: March 19th, 2013

592 pages

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If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I wish there was more of a summary on this book!  I started this series after I read (and loved) Cassandra Clare's other books, The Mortal Instruments.  My favorite thing about both of these series is the writing style - after all, the Shadowhunters can get old after a while, but Clare's witty and captivating writing never does!  While I don't love this series as much as the other, it is still quite good and I can't help but admit that (for once in my life) I am hopelessly in love with this love triangle.  I am definitely Team Will, but Jem is great too, and I cannot wait to see who Tessa ends up with!

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!