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Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)
by Wendy Higgins
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: May 1, 2012
Source: Bought from FullyBooked
Author's website | Goodreads







 

Demanding Ransom by Megan Squires
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published June 2013

Goodreads / Amazon USA

Sometimes life takes things away from you.

In nineteen-year-old Maggie Carson’s case, it’s taken more than its fair share.

Determined to move forward, Maggie embarks on her first year of college, hoping to finally put her past behind her, exactly where it belongs.
But that’s hard to do when the present is just as difficult. And even harder when someone like Ran, the gorgeous paramedic that keeps crossing Maggie’s path, challenges her to face things head on, rather than bury them like she always does.

Ran hasn’t had a perfect life either. But there’s something different about him, and something different about the way he makes Maggie feel. Maybe meeting Ran is life’s little gift for Maggie—a sort of consolation prize for enduring everything she's had to go through.

But things don’t come easy for Maggie. Why should love be the exception? And just when everything starts to settle, it’s all turned on its head once again.

If there is one thing Ran has taught Maggie, it’s that you can’t sit on the sidelines of your own existence. When life takes something that’s yours, you have every right to demand it back.

Only for Maggie, that is easier said than done.

Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer – though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep.

Chameleon (Supernaturals #1) by Kelly Oram
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Published June 25th 2013 by Bluefields

Goodreads / Amazon USA / Barnes & Noble

For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.

As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.

Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

The Warner Grimoire Book One: Bad Apple by Clay Held
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published: May 1st 2013 by Clay Held

Goodreads / Amazon USA / Bookwire / Kindle

Meet Simon Warner, a fourteen-year-old who drowned. Death was just the beginning. Dying awakens an angry and malevolent force inside Simon–magic, and before he can comprehend his mystical transformation his adopted father is kidnapped during a mysterious fire that destroys their home.

Within hours Simon is violently yanked into the supernatural world, where the real trouble starts: he is the descendent of an evil sorcerer, and the magical community isn't exactly welcoming of him. Making matters worse, Simon finds himself on a collision course with the forces of the deranged Silas Darrow, a charming yet xenophobic warlock who fears humanity will one day eradicate all magic. In order to protect "his" people, this false messiah intends to strike first.

Magic--it may have saved Simon's life, but it may have just doomed the world.

I'm Clay Held, a refugee from wild world of video game testing, currently a project manager passing my days in the wild (and very flat) plains of Central Illinois. Once upon a time I was the editor for Grassroots Literary Magazine at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where I earned my Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing. Today I help make sure software ships on time, and at night I'm busy making things up and writing them down.

In my spare time (what is that again?) I like to read and cook and play with my cats and maintain my blog at www.clayheld.com. When the weather is right, I go storm spotting. Illinois is good like that.

Ink (Paper Gods #1)
by Amanda Sun 
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Expected publication: June 25th 2013
Source: review copy from publisher
Author's website | GoodReads

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Picture this: you're in your incredibly tedious geometry class, drawing random doodles at the back of your notebook. Angles be damned as your imagination takes over, taking your head to every place imaginable. Ink pours out of your pen as you mindlessly create stroke after stroke, and then something happens- the hummingbird you drew starts to peel away from your blue-lined notebook, looks at you, and flies away.

Katie already thought that Shizuoka was an incredibly weird and foreign place, but when Katie picks up Tomohiro's sketch book and sees the drawings move, her life starts to get weirder and weirder. Her usual routine of house-school-cram school-house gets hijacked by mysterious boys, kendo warriors, yakuza mobs, paper gods, and drawings that take on a life of their own. Nothing a blonde girl can't handle, right? But when these things start to threaten Katie and Tomohiro's lives and the safety of the ones they care about, will they be able to the right thing, even if doing so means letting go of each other?

I loved the mythology and fantasy aspects of Ink. It's plot is probably one of the most interesting, thought-provoking, and unique ones I've ever read and the fact that I didn't lose myself in translation is a huge bonus. Yes, there were a lot of factors behind Ink's subplotting and world building, but I didn't feel overwhelmed at all! Speaking of the world building, the book is set in Japan and it made the story even more magical. Reading Ink was like travelling to a whole different country, and Amanda Sun's vivid descriptions of everything Katie saw and experienced made everything feel incredibly real. Definitely cheaper than air fare!

Ink was originally planned as a contemporary YA, but I wasn't much of a fan of the contemporary aspect of the book, or the romance for that matter. It wasn't exactly insta-love because their relationship started out slow at first, but I think that their relationship escalated too quickly after that and basically lacked foundation despite having a lot of sweet moments. I didn't like Katie that much either. I enjoyed reading about her her relationships with her aunt and classmates and the times when she got introduced to japanese traditions, but sometimes I just wanted to punch that girl. She's brave and reckless and acts like a normal teenager, but she assumes things too quickly and rushes in head on without thinking straight and was pretty much useless Bella Swan-like character. There, I said it.

And then there's Tomo. I couldn't quite wrap my head around this incredibly good guy who pretends to be a troublemaker. With the air of mystery and danger surrounding him, I definitely understand why Katie got interested in him. Tomo is strongest character in this book. His soul is so tainted and broken, but he still manages to put on a facade of normalcy. And that, I think, makes him incredibly brave. However, my favorite character in Ink is Jun. I LOVED THAT BOY SO MUCH. He was this refreshing breath of fresh air, and I just wanted to hug him for that. There were a lot of secondary characters but I feel like they weren't developed enough, much like the secondary characters in animes who are only there for comedic relief  and single-faceted roles.

Ink's paper gods, yakuza fights, and flying dragons made me gasp in awe, but the weak romance and multitude of cliches made me compare it to anime-fied Twilight.  It's no secret that Ink was one of my most anticipated reads of 2013, and with Amanda Sun's swift and breezy prose combined with the book's unique story line, high adrenaline action scenes, and vivid world building, Ink is a definite must-read for fans of japanese culture and shoujo manga. 

THE NUB AND GIST: 3 STARS