Review - House of Night Boxed Set

The House of Night is a thrilling, New York Times bestselling book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she is "Marked" by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the "Change" into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Broken Arrow, OK, and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledgling vampyres like her.

It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. Although Zoey has awesome new powers, it's hard to fit in when everyone knows you're "special." As Zoey tries to make new friends and maybe find a hot boyfriend (or two), she comes up against all kinds of evil, from the perfect-looking, super-popular girl with not-so-faultless plans, to the mysterious deaths happening at the House of Night and all over Tulsa. Things at the House of Night are not always what they seem. Can Zoey find the courage deep within herself to find the truth and embrace her destiny?



House of Night Boxed Set by P.C. Cast
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Why do I continue torturing myself? Yep, that is how I’m going to start this review. Now most people will probably have already read a lot of other reviews before mine. If you haven’t now is your chance. 



Waiting...waiting...waiting... 



Ah, I see you have returned. Or did you never leave...? Oh well. Continuing: I decided to review this because I was cleaning my room. Yes. I cleaned my room. It’s shocking isn’t it? I was going through my cupboard (or my mum was, she was looking for my sisters phone. She thought I took it. And just so you know I didn’t. That was a one time thing. And she got her phone back. So don’t be looking at me all funny-like). So back to the cupboard. Someone was going through my cupboard when I found a stack of these books (the 8 house of night books to be precise) and I wonder. 



Why are these not in my bookshelf? Then I remember they were shockingly awful. And you know what? I can’t even remember why. Yet, I read the whole series and all I can remember is a base plot line. 



I have no idea why I did. I mean I liked the first one, but the rest just went downhill. I remember I ended up skipping through most of the book and for the later books. Only reading the parts Zoey and Stark were in (hopefully together).



My advice. Don’t bother. I know people are saying all this stuff about the books. Top 3 things I gathered from reviews.

1. Zoey is a ho. We have a love pentagon going on here.

2. The book is wonderfully written, very teenager like.

3. The plot and story behind the story is just so fascinating.

I disagree with all of this. Except the first. So Sita’s Advice is DON’T BOTHER! You are wasting your time!




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Review - 13 Reasons Why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. 

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. 

Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. 
From the Publisher (Penguin)



Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The back story: I have no idea why I bought this, I remember buying it at a 6 books for $50 sale and I needed one more book to make 6, I saw this one and I remember that it had been on my to-reads list for a while, so I thought “I’ll get to it eventually.” So, several weeks later I can’t sleep it’s around 11, I decide to read and I need to read something that will probably make me fall asleep, yep you heard me I was looking for a boring book. This book was not a boring book. I was up until 4 reading this and when my mum came in to check that I was sleeping (yeah, my parents still do that. I am probably the only teenager with a 10 o’clock bedtime), I read it under the sheets, using the light of my I-phone; I just couldn’t put it down. This morning I woke up (after I had finished it) and reached for the book, I realised that I had finished it. The book was over. I was suddenly really sad, I also had to pee. But after my feelings disappeared (I went to the toilet), I realised…I didn’t really realise anything, I went and had breakfast, then I went to Netflix and a bit of Scrubs, then vampire diaries. And now I am here writing the review. So onto the real review:



What the book was about: This book was about Hannah, she recently committed suicide, but before she died she recorded a bunch of tapes, she sent them to the 13 people that caused her to kill herself. The way she sent it is like chain mail, you read it then you pass it on to the next person mentioned in the tapes. The next person to receive the tapes is Clay, Clay listens to the tapes and throughout the night he well you know does stuff, I’m not going to say any more in case I ruin the book, but the beginning, the end and the middle, wow. Just wow. You have to read it to get why I said that.



Your thoughts: I’ve had a full day to decide what I’m going to say about the book and I want to say so many things and my brain can’t organise them, so I’m going to give dot points. Yep I’m going to give you my thoughts on the book in dot points.



• So, dot point 1: When I finished the book I was speechless, literally.



• The writing was amazing, it was exactly what a teenager would say (in my opinion) and I liked the format and how it was told from Clay’s point of view, but the book was also told from Hannah’s. That may not make sense, but the author pulled it off.



• The characters, there is so much that I can say here. Clay, I spent a lot of the book in suspense like you. Trying to figure out why Hannah died. Hannah, I have no idea what to say and because unlike a lot of the reviews I’ve read, I am not someone who has ever considered suicide, so I don’t know if that is what someone in your position would feel or if the author was just over-exaugurating. But for me it seemed real, and the book had me tearing up at parts.



• The book was beautiful.



• The plot was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It was done amazingly and the concept, such a great idea and the author pulled it off.



Recommendations: I am super glad I read this and I recommend it to YA lovers and I know it sounds like something strange or just a general sob story. It’s not; it’s an amazing, beautiful story of a girl explaining why she killed herself. Personally, I would recommend this to everyone, because it grabs you off the first page and keeps you interested the whole way and isn’t that a good book?




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Review - The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

Cruel Intentions meets Macbeth in this seductive, riveting tale of conscience and consequence.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this ages ago when I was at the coast with my Mum (and her friend) and my two younger sisters (and their two friends) My friend who was supposed to come had bailed on me (she was sick) so I was in for a week of spending time with 4 kids under the age of 11. It was a painful experience. We were in Big W and I was bored, as a normal person would be. We were looking for something and my mum kept finding stuff she liked. 

So I convinced my mum to buy a few books for me. This was one of them. I think I am giving it such a high rating because I was bored as hell when I read this and it was a few hours of taking my mind of the real world. I briefly remember what the book was about, but I can't refresh my memory by re-reading it, because my friend Tegan has my copy. 

What I do remember?

Popular bitchy girl (who used to live in a trailer park) wants to be prom/homecoming queen sorta thing (different name in the book), so she does a few bad things, one of them is killing one of her competitors, that was up for the crown. 

Her and her boyfriend hide all the evidence, but it kinda drives them crazy and she ends up jumping off a waterfall (also the place she lost her virginity). She has a flashback where one moment in her life flashes before her eyes and then it's over. We get the epilogue.

The book was actually pretty interesting. It had an interesting plot, characters and I actually enjoyed it more than I did the fallen series. But you know I was bored when I read it. So I may have made it sound a lot better than what it really is. I'll let you decide ;)

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Review- The Burnt Stick

When John Jagamarra was five, he was taken away from his mother and his home in an Australian aboriginal camp. John was half-white, and the law said he had to be educated in a mission school. But John never forgot his real home -- or his mother, who darkened his skin with a burnt stick. A poignant tale of painful separation, abiding love, and enduring memory. "An exceptional and very emotional novel that will stay with readers long after they have finished it."--Horn Book



The Burnt Stick by Anthony Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's actually been a while since I read this but I still remember the plot and what I thought of it. I was in year 5 when my teacher read this to the class, it was the day that Kevin Rudd said sorry to the stolen generation. That was a huge day and over the course of the following week we learned so many things about Aborigines and the stolen generation. One of the things we did was read this book.



This book is about a boy who is going to be taken away from his Aborigine family because his father was white. His mother comes up with a plan that when the people come to take him away, she will rub a burnt stick on his body when they come to check. 



The story does not end well, but it is very, very beautiful and it is hard not to like it. The writing, the characters and the plot all come together amazingly in this story. 



I recommend this to primary school children, not so much older people because it is a quick, short read and is probably better suited for younger people. I'm not saying that older people won't enjoy it, except younger people will probably enjoy it more.


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Review - Stay With Me

An urban romance that will capture your soul, break your heart, and restore your faith in the human spirit

Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.

From award-winning writer Paul Griffin, Stay with Me is both heartbreaking and uplifting, filled with characters (both dog and human) that will forever change the way you look at the world.



Stay with Me by Paul Griffin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I’m gonna start this review by apologizing, I am sorry I didn’t love this book like I wanted to and I’m sorry I couldn’t even finish it.







That's seriously how I felt, or maybe I still feel bad for faking sick to get out of going to this persons house. My mum comes home and says "their 16 year old daughter would have really loved to meet you, your practically the same age. You would have liked her. But no Sita you were sick" she said quoting the air to emphasise the sick. I mean who's mum does that to them? Okay enough of my guilt...onto the review.



I probably would not have read this if someone hadn’t recommended it to me ( I kind of feel like I have to read the book the person recommends because they took the time to recommend it), saying that they were reading it and it was a good book. I thought “what the heck?” And I read it, or at least I tried to. 



In theory this sounds exactly like the type of book that I would love. It is told from both the main characters point of views, it is a young adult romance and both the characters sound believable and realistic. When you actually read the book, you find that is not so much the case.



Book in a sentence: Mack meets Cece, she is a good student with a little bit a lot of emotional baggage, he is a kind hearted boy who dropped out of school and loves taking care of dogs, they work together and (very) soon start seeing each other, about two weeks into the relationship they realize that they are in love, then it happens...I seriously don’t know what it is because I wasn’t able to finish the book. Someone feel free to tell me. I’m actually curious as to know how it ends.



I really can’t say whether I liked the book. I guess I liked the idea of the book and the idea of the characters a lot more than I did the real thing. One thing I did love about the book was the writing. It was the sort of no bull shit writing that I love. It was short sentences that were straight to the point, neither of the characters wasted any time.



Am I glad I read it? I can’t say that I am. The book really wasn’t that great in the end, and I guess I had high expectations, because after finishing the book I was really disappointed. I had just expected more.



Because I didn’t finish the book I can’t say I would recommend it to anyone, but if I had to I would say YA romance lovers who are looking for something different.




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Review - Providence

In the old world shadows of Providence, Rhode Island, Nina Grey finds herself the center of a war between Hell and Earth. 

Struggling with her father’s recent death, Nina meets Jared Ryel by chance…or so she believes. Although his stunning good looks and mysterious talents are a welcome distraction, it soon becomes clear that Jared knows more about Nina than even her friends at Brown University. When questions outnumber answers, Jared risks everything to keep the woman he was born to save—by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect. 

When her father’s former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father is not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. Searching for the truth behind her father’s death, Nina stumbles upon something she never expected—something Hell wants—and only she holds the key.



Providence by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really don’t know how to describe this book. I picked this up because I loved Beautiful Disaster and I mean LOVED! I read it so many times it was a little ridiculous. Near obsession. Back to this book… I actually had to go on a huge search for this one; I could not find it anywhere. Not in the shops, not in the library, not online. I ended up buying it on I-tunes, to read on my I-phone. Let me tell you now, such a pain! My hands hurt by the end of finishing each chapter and the screen kept moving, from landscape to portrait and it’s taken me forever to actually finish the book. But boy am I glad I read it!  Don’t let my whinging about where I read it actually put you off the book itself, which is easily going to become on of my favourites.


Providence is about... a lovely couple; it is about Nina Grey and Jared Ryel. This lovely couple faces many terrible things, one of them being a mafia-like-crime-gang-dirty-police sort of thing,


That's the evil police for you ;)


If that is not bad enough they also happen to face of a bunch of angry angels. And the everyday problems that come with being a Guardian Angel (yep that’s you Jared) and their siblings (that’s you Claire). Oh yes they also face their undying attraction.





Which strangely and much to my disappointment neither ends up submitting to until the last half of the book.


What did I think of the plot?


And just to prove that I can bring Glee into anything...




Holy Moly! I loved it! I loved the new take on angels; I loved the fact that they were battling a few things. I loved the fact that was a tad bit of an idiot (that award goes to you Nina), whom I wanted to slap most of the time. But that has nothing to do with the plot. So back to the plot, I generally loved. Not much else to say, I think now is the right time to shove in one of my favourite quotes “Because you’re worth it.” He looked at me as if I should know that already, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I think that’s already been trademarked by L’Oreal,” I said. It’s just so sweet, by the way, that’s not from Jared it’s from Ryan *sigh*.


Onto the characters. I am strange, but hopefully you already knew that. That was a random change in topic. Back to the book. Now that we have already discussed my strangeness, let’s discuss Ryan. I loved Ryan, sure I liked Jared, he was pretty cool, and I mean he’s a guardian angel for goodness sake. I’m still trying to decide if I want one of them, but if it was like Ryan, actually if I had one like Claire, hell yes. I loved Ryan because he was totally sweet, he was charming and was destined (they were going to get married) for Nina, but Jared got in the way and un-destined that. If you read the book you will see why I fell in love with Ryan and not Jared.


I just want to warn you, I’m not a crazy or anything, but Claire. Will you marry me?





Claire has got to be the kick-ass side character in the history of kick-ass characters. She was rude, obnoxious, she was hilarious (I loved when she was talking), and the way she accepted everything that happened to her. And she could kick some ass! So I ask again, even though I kind of like guys I am willing to make an exception for you Claire. Because as Ryan said to Nina “Because you’re worth it.”


The writing, sure there were a few typo’s, or maybe that was just my copy. Can we really trust I-tunes? But they were far and few and the super amazing story kinda makes up for them.





Overall, it was a fun, wonderful, enjoyable read. That I loved. I liked the fact that it was a whole different take on the angel thing, it was refreshing and I really didn’t expect that when picking up the book. I recommend this to lovers of the YA genre, romance and paranormal romance. This is actually a bit of a side note, but I was actually avoiding PR as of late, because I just couldn’t finish any books with it as a main theme. This book was different, good different. I really loved it, and I can’t say that enough. Here’s to another quote. This one cracked me up. “So…if I’m cramping…” Jared closed his eyes and nodded. He clearly didn’t want to dwell on the subject. I giggled in disbelief. “That hurts you?” He could feel what she was feeling, just really toned down.



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Review - Born Of Ice

In the Ichidian Universe, the League and its ruthless assassins continue to keep rule. But at what cost? Welcome back to the future…and a whole new world.

Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those politics, he became a Runner—someone who makes sure planets get the weapons, medicine and supplies they need to survive. May the gods have mercy on any who get in his way, because he definitely won’t.

Alix Garran is a woman on the run from a past she can’t escape. Signing on to work for Devyn as a System’s Engineer, she finds a cause she can fight for—and a man she can respect. But as Alix’s past catches up to her, and Devyn’s old enemies turn lethal, they have to fight together…or fall alone.

Born of Ice by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved and I mean loved the first two books in the League series. Born of Ice was no exception. I really enjoyed this one and boy did I fly through it. It is tiny compared to the other books. So small that I flew through it in one afternoon.

This story centres around Alix and Devyn. I liked them both, but I'm sorry as a couple I liked Syn and Shahara so much more.They were just way more likeable and sweet together. But enough of them. Let's get back to you. Alix is a Slave (her mother was a slave that her father owned. To save her mother and sister she has to turn in Devyn) and Devyn is the lovely offspring of Syn and Shahara (he's not a physco-path). Cutting a short story short, they fall in love and everyone and I mean everyone including the supposedly bad guy gets their happily ever after. Not that that's a problem. I think it's sweet.

I liked the plot, it was way shorter than the other two. But the plot was nice, it was short and sweet and had just enough twists and turns to keep me interested. And the characters supported the story well, I believed it. The writing. It's Sherrilyn Kenyon, enough said.

Overall, if you have read the first two in the League series I recommend reading this one. It is nice and we get to see all the characters that were introduced in the first two again. We also see a whole heap of new characters, and for that alone I would have read the book. Also the new and improved and blue Vik was in it. Vik was and always will be my favourite character out of the league series. He's just...awesome.

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