For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars #1) by Diana Peterfreund

Synopsis:
It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

My Rating

 -4/5-

This book can defiantly be confusing if you don't pay attention. Though if you do pay attention it is a really good book. A lot happens like so much it's hard to know where to begin.

Warning: I do a horrible job at describing how good this book was!

Elliot lives in this world where you are either one of three people. 1. Reduced who are apparently dumb, they don't understand much, they hardly talk and they can only do simple tasks and they must be supervised. 2. Luddites, they are basically the top of the line, they own everything and Elliot is a Luddite. 3. Post, Post-reduction, or CORs Children of reduced; basically they come from reduced but they are born normal, like the Luddites, they can do harder stuff and they understand more. Also no Post has a child that isn't a Post, and one out of about 20 kids is born a Post. But Posts are treated the same as Reduced, like slaves more or less.

As a kid Elliot was friends with a Post named Kai, and when Kai decided to leave Elliot choose helping run the estate then to go with him. For 4 years Elliot helps her Father and sister run the estate. Helps take care of the Posts and Reduced. She cares for the people lower then her she cares if they have enough food. How they will survive the winter. She takes a lot of time and dedication into the estate.

Soon Kia comes back into her life as Malakai Wentforth. Elliot loved him before she left and she still loves him. Kia, though he hates her, he doesn't even glance at her. Won't talk to her. Says she doesn't care about her works. He even shows interest in another girl. This tears Elliot apart. She can't stand to be around Kia, she offten avoids him and focus on her work.

Though out all that Kia has to deal with other problems like trying to make sure everyone on the estate gets enough to eat over the winter. She has to choose if breaking the Luddites protocol on everything is for the better. She has to deal with her grandfather leaving dying and leaving his estate to her. She has to deal with her family basically using her. Plus more. It's a surprise Elliot even holds together. There is basically so much in this book that goes on it's hard to write it all down.

Now to the characters. The characters are great there was a lot to the characters like Elliot, Kai, Elliot's family, and many others.  There wasn't much to Ro and Dee but that was more of the point of those characters which was awesome. All the characters were more or less really good for this story. Elliot's dad and sister and even cousin where mean and horrible but had their moments. Kia was smart and strong, and stubborn, and not willing to give Elliot much of a chance. Elliot herself was lady like always keeping her composure. She hid things very well, she was extremely cautious and weighed her options. She was amazingly selfless to choose the estate over her own happiness so many times. I loved Elliot's character.

Okay I am not giving this book justice in this review. I mean there is just so much that goes on and it's all so complicated and there is this love aspect to it but it's just so hard to describe or put into words. It's a wonderful book though with a wonderful ending. The only thing that I didn't like about is it can be confusing. Everything was so nicely done. I just have to say go pick up this book and read it.

Oh a few other things I want to mention. The tittle is beautiful. Also I love Elliot's name it was such a nice name to choose. 

Dark Inside (Dark Inside #1) by Jeyn Roberts

Synopsis:
Since the beginning of mankind, civilizations have fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs...and now us. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening: An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it's turning everyday people into hunters, killers, and crazies. This is the world Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael are living in--or rather, trying to survive. Each is fleeing unspeakable horror, from murderous chaos to brutal natural disasters, and each is traveling the same road in a world gone mad. Amid the throes of the apocalypse and clinging to love and meaning wherever it can be found, these four teens are on a journey into the heart of darkness--and to find each other and a place of safety.

My Rating

-3.5/5-

This book follows four teens, Aries, Clementine, Michael, and Mason. None of the characters are near each other or know each other at the start of the book.
After Earthquakes happen all over the world. Phone lines drop, people start turning and killing people they have known all there lives. Hundreds of schools where bombed. All four main characters are lucky and manage to survive, but each and everyone has lost someone they loved. Soon after all tvs go out the internet doesn't work and the power is shut down. There isn't a single way to reach anyone. People run the streets some normal and others just killers. All the characters fight to survive, or even go in search for a family member even though it is almost pointless.

Michael and Aries both find themselves groups to stay in and become leaders of the groups. While Clementine and Mason, try to stay on their own and make it. Either way though they all come in close encounters with the Baggers (the people who have turned evil and crazy and basically try to kill everyone else. Zombies kind of.) They all are just trying to survive in this crazy situation they are thrown into.
I didn't exactly think I would like this book when I first picked it up because I don't really like 'zombie' kind of books. It turned out a lot better then I thought it would though and it was really done nicely. It was a great story that I actually enjoyed.

Things I didn't like though is the characters seemed to be kind of the same though. Aries and Michael both seemed to be leaders and everyone looked towards them. While Clementine and Mason both stayed alone most of the time and avoided people. Though they all had different thought processes so they weren't really alike a guess.
Also they all seemed to have been in almost the same kinds of situations. Well at least it seemed like that even though, there small differences made them a little less different. I just wish it was a little more.

Good book! 

Oh almost forgot most of the book is in third person. It follows around all 4 characters in third person. There are chapters though labeled 'Nothing' that are in first person. Who ever that is they never tell you who they are, but it's pretty cool I guess. Adds a little more to the story.  

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by Aimee Carter

Synopsis:
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

My Rating

-3.5/5-

This was a good enough book nothing really horrible about it.You have good characters and a good story.

Kitty (which is an extremely weird name) goes into prostitution pretty much so she can stay close to her boyfriend Benjy tell he becomes 17 and takes the test. The test basically test's what you know so you can be placed somewhere in society. The lower you are placed the harder you life will be. Also if you are placed to low you are sent to else where.

Kitty goes into prostitution but is instead bought by the Prime Minister and offered to become a VII. Since VII is the best she accepts the offer. Soon though she finds out why and has been transformed into Lila Hart. So then she is expected to be exactly like Lila. Live the life Lila lived like nothing is wrong. Basically during all this she is everyone's puppet and does what she is told. Other wise she would be killed or Benjy would be killed.

This book is defiantly interesting enough. No one seems to be who they say they are and all the time new secrets are being told and forced out there. 

You don't really get to know characters all too well which is not to great. Kitty though is very bold I think she makes a lot of choices that she knows will likely kill her. She also makes a lot of last minute choices which is interesting. Though I don't know how much different Kitty was or is from Lila and I wish they would have emphasized that a little more. 

In the book Lila is engaged to Knox and Kitty is dating Benjy. With Kitty needing to play Lila though she also has to pretend and act engaged to Knox. Though it seemed like a love triangle would develop out of that thankfully it didn't. I don't really like love triangles all that much. Though it seems like it would create a problem in the next book.

Overall it had it's flaws but it wasn't bad. I liked the book!

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis:
“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.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

My Rating

-5/5-

Such an amazing book. A friend just went on and on about this book and so I thought I would pick it up and see but I never thought it would be so good.
So much goes on during the story, it isn't like one major problem its like a bunch of different problems or things some that get answered some that don't. Also when reading this at the beginning you might wonder why the story tells you useless stuff that doesn't seem to matter at all at the time. Sooner or later though all the little details tie together though. I love books that do that mainly because it's just really cool when you discover the facts it just changes everything, for just about forever.
Reading the synopsis for the book makes you think it would be a lot different then it really is. Just read it to find out. They go searching for magic. With little problems and discoveries along  the way. It's also nice how this book doesn't just focus on one big topic and that's all there is to it. It's more how real life would be you're aiming for one goal and little goals at the same time and things come in and change your goal or get in the way of it.
The thing that I found the best about this book though and just loved is the characters. Each one just unique and amazing in their own ways. Also the bonds that they share.
Gansey, Noah, Ronan, and Adam all seemed really like brothers. They were there for each other all the time they worried about each other, but they also fought. They all seemed so different but they all worked really well together.
Blue was pretty cool herself. She lives in a house with her mother and a bunch of aunts who can predicted the future I guess. She gets stuck in searching for magic lines with the 4 boys. Since all her life she has been surrounded by magic so she is pretty cool at excepting all the weird stuff that happens. Though really all of them are.
Everything put together, the story, the characters, the way everything was beautifully written just made this an amazing story that is one of my favorites.

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

Synopsis:
WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

My Rating

-4/5-

After a couple chapters into this book I was so lost. Nothing made sense and I was really confused. I hated it. I'm not one to stop reading a book though because I dislike it. I kept reading and soon everything made so much sense and it turned out to be a really good book.

Aria lives in like a futuristic world. Which I guess is very protective and advanced. They keep everything unnecessary away like growth of fingernails. They have Realms where you can be somewhere else at any time. They also have ways to change DNA.

Perry on the other hand lives outside the advanced society in a tribe. They cook with fire. They hunt. Not advanced at all really.

Then the two come together and honestly it's pretty interesting. They both go searching for people they have lost and together they have a chance at finding them.

Aria and Perry have a unique relationship. They don't really hate each other but they don't like each other. More of they are just working together for the most part and most of the time. It's not where like extreme hate just turns into love, because there wasn't that much hate more like dislike.

I like both Perry and Aria they are good characters who would go really far for the people they love.

I also really liked other characters in the story like Roar. At first it was weird reading his name in the book but once you get past the weirdness of the name he is a cool side character in the story. Also Cinder was a pretty awesome characters.

Between the characters and Aria and Perry trying to find each who they are looking for it's a pretty good story. I'm glad I read it all the way though. Especially because it had a good ending.

I wonder if the next book is just as good.