There are times when Heather, Aly & I finish a book, but don’t have time to write a full comprehensive review… or even a shorter “flashbulb” review. BUT we still want to share our thoughts with you on what we’ve been reading. That’s why every Saturday we’ll be featuring 3 “snippet” reviews — short, sweet, to-the-point reviews that we’ll try to keep to 2-5 sentences. So we hope you enjoy these!!
Author: C. J. Redwine Title: Defiance Series: Defiance (Book #1) Published: Aug. 28, 2012 by Balzer + Bray Format: Hardcover, 403 pages Website: www.cjredwine.blogspot.com Source: purchased My rating: Blurb: Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan–the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her. Read more…
Defiance is another wonderful example of dual narration done well. I love the scholarly, but extremely capable Logan, and I thought what Redwine does with Rachel’s character is pretty different and interesting. She’s a wonderfully spunky, complex, conflicting heroine. And the chemistry between Logan & Rachel? Fantastic.
The plot is fast-paced, with heart wrenching twists and turns. World is intriguing, not overly detailed, but you know what you need to and the vagueness proves compelling.
Overall, a definite page-turner. 
Author: Ally Condie Title: Reached Series: Matched (Book #3) Published: Nov. 13, 2012 by Penguin Format: 512 pages; hardcover; ebook Website: www.matched-book.com Source: purchased My rating: Blurb: After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Read more…
I’ll be honest, this story had me worried for a long time. Most of the book, I wondered, “Now Ally, how are you gonna get us outta this one?” But I should’ve had faith. This final installment of the Matched trilogy really wrapped everything up beautifully, put a big bow on it and said, “Here, dear reader, bawl your eyes out and then love me!” The growth of characters and final resolution to this dystopian series was gorgeously done. The resolution of the love triangle was wonderful and fulfilling. I didn’t leave feeling dissatisfied as I so often do at the end of a series. I felt it was a wonderful completion to an epic journey. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Author: L. A. Weatherly Title: Angel Series: Angel (Book #1) Published: Oct. 1, 2010 by Usborne Pub. Format: 512 pages; hardcover; ebook Website: www.angelfever.com Source: purchased My rating: Blurb: Angels are all around us: beautiful, awe-inspiring, irresistible. Ordinary mortals yearn to catch a glimpse of one of these stunning beings and thousands flock to The Church of Angels to feel their healing touch.
But what if their potent magnetism isn’t what it seems? Read more…
I am a sucker for angel stories, so I really thought I’d love this one. While I did enjoy reading it, it just wasn’t one of my favorites. There were some inconsistencies (nothing major, but just enough to kind of bug me). I plan to read the rest of the series, so it wasn’t enough to turn me off entirely.
The main characters had moments where they were really complex, but sometimes they felt a little two-dimensional. Overall, I’d recommend it, but if you have limited reading time, you might want to skip it.
Happy Reading!
