Fire with Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series: Burn for Burn, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley/ARC
Source: Edelweiss/Borrowed – thanks Riya @ The Teen Book Guru!
Buy: AmazonThe Book Depository
Goodreads Website (Han) Website (Vivian)

Read my review of Burn for Burn HERE

When sweet revenge turns sour… Book two of a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...

My thoughts upon finishing this book were made pretty clear on twitter: HOLY MOTHER OF EFF. Fire with Fire was a thrilling follow-up to Burn for Burn, and unlike other series with second-book-hate-itus, I LOVED this one. It’s been a while since I’d read Burn for Burn, so I was worried that I would forget what had happened in the book. Turns out, I didn’t have to worry! Everything came rushing back to me and I realised that I was a fool for not picking up this book earlier. After the eGalley expired I was devastated. I’d only managed to get through the first couple of pages and it had disappeared. Luckily, a fellow book blogger had a copy and lent it to me, and since then it’s been waiting on my shelf, longing to be read. It’s only now, after exams, when I finally decided to pick it up and put it (and me) out of misery. I really regret not reading this earlier because WOW that was a rush.
Previous to this series I’d read Jenny Han’s Summer series (other than the final book), but I’d never read anything by Siobhan Vivian. A pity I haven’t read more by these two amazing authors because their collaboration is absolutely stellar! I fell in love with Burn for Burn and this was just a whole lot more amazing. I can only imagine how much more awesome Ashes to Ashes, the final book of the trilogy, will be, because it seems that each book just gets better and better.

I can’t really remember what I said about the characters in my review of Burn for Burn, so I don’t know whether my views on them have changed or not. My favourite character out of the trio is definitely Kat. She’s got a wicked sense of humour, a mouth that could only lead to trouble, and is a freaking bad-ass. However, I would definitely say that in this book, the most interesting story line would have to go to Lillia. The plot for revenge definitely centers around her involvement with it, and there’s a lot uncovered in this book. Mary on the other hand, sometimes I would love her character, other times I would hate it. She constantly moons after Reeve, and it gets a little annoying at times, but holy crap the twist at the end?! That’s something in her story that I absolutely did not see coming.
As for the guys in the book, we see another side to Reeve, which leads to some pretty confusing feelings – both for me and Lillia. Alex is still a sweetheart as he was in the first book, and I wish that one of the girls would just end up with him already *Team Kat*.

The book takes place just a few days after the last book, and so we can see the aftermath of what happened at the Homecoming Dance. Rennie becomes a complete bitch to Lillia, and her role in the story becomes a very complicated one that twists and turns, and it’s very difficult to pinpoint how exactly you feel about her in the end.
Speaking of the end: THE. END. WAS. AMAZING. Holy hells. If you’ve read the last book, you know that this is a contemporary book with a hint of the paranormal. Just... wow. I didn’t see that coming and by the time I wrapped up reading the book, my jaw was slack and my eyes were wide, because I don’t think anyone would have seen it coming. I remember seeing the reactions on twitter, so I thought that I would be able to guess what was going to happen at the end, but nope. Not even close.

Fire with Fire has topped its predecessor, as this bittersweet revenge story only brings more shocks and thrills to the table. Han and Vivian have co-authored an entrancing novel, one that seduces and bites with every twist, and leaves you hanging desperate for more with an astonishing ending that only promises more vengeance, justice, and fire.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Week 113

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s to spotlight upcoming reads that I’m DYING to get my hands on!

This week’s WoW is:
Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

*Warning: Contains spoilers from previous 2 books*

New Year's Eve ended with a bang and Mary, Kat and Lillia may not be prepared for what is to come.

After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.

Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?

September 16, 2014 ● Goodreads

After finishing Fire with Fire recently, my mind has been repeating the same line over and over again: HOLY MOTHER OF EFF. I mean, what?! I was blown away by the end of the second book in the trilogy and of course, now I’m desperate to see how it all ends.

What are you waiting on?

Book Blast: Essence by Lisa Ann O'Kane


Essence by Lisa Ann O’Kane

Release Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Buy: AmazonThe Book Depository B&N
Goodreads

Autumn escaped a cult, but now she realizes she's fallen into another.

Growing up in San Francisco’s Centrist Movement, sixteen year-old Autumn Grace has always believed emotions—adrenaline, endorphins, even happiness—drain your Essence and lead to an early death. But her younger brother’s passing and a run-in with a group of Outsiders casts her faith into question.


Ryder Stone, the sexy, rebellious leader of the Outsiders, claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic -- and he can prove it.


Autumn follows Ryder to his Community of adrenaline junkies and free spirits in Yosemite National Park, and they introduce her to a life of adventure, romance, sex, drugs and freedom. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realizes the more she risks in search of the perfect rush, the further she has to fall.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Ann O’Kane is a young adult author and former vagabond who once camped out in Yosemite National Park for an entire summer, an experience that inspired her debut novel ESSENCE.

Her background is in zookeeping and environmental education, and she has been kicked, cornered, bitten and chased by nearly every animal she has ever loved. She currently resides in Florida, and she is now a huge fan of shooting stars, indoor plumbing and keeping both her feet planted firmly on the trail.

Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads


Giveaway Time!

3 Winners will receive an E-book Copy of ESSENCE by Lisa Ann O’Kane.
1 Winner will receive Two collectible buttons and a handmade Yosemite National Park vintage map.

Open Internationally!
Must be 13+ to enter.

Enter via the Rafflecopter below:


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Thanks to Book Nerd Tours for having me along!

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Release Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: AmazonThe Book Depository
Goodreads Website

Some secrets are too good to keep. 

Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she’s changed, and they’ve dropped her flat. 

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. Joe, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive an actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else’s boyfriend.

Just when Tab is afraid she’ll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe. 

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she’d ever go on her own.

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

From the get-go, I knew this one would be different. I mean the title – Life by Committee. Peaks your interest, doesn’t it? A secret “society” with assignments for a secret is definitely not the typical contemporary. Personally, I would not see the appeal of trading secrets for dares aka tasks related to the secret, but this definitely sounded pretty cool and I was intrigued to see where this would lead.
The cover made sense later on in the book. I was really confused about it before reading the book, because it didn’t seem to relate to the book at all. At first I was like, “Ooo cute shoes... but wait, what does that even have to do with the story...” but it turns out that they do play quite a part in the novel.

Tab – short for Tabitha – was someone I could relate to and empathise with. She had perfectly normal reactions as a teenager, besides the LBC thing of course, and I could see why her character didn’t want to give into her former friends. I love her fascination with marginal comments in books, and I too LOVE The Secret Garden (but have yet to read A Little Princess – I really liked the movie though!). She’s into romance movies as well (so am I!), and so it’s clear to see, other than the whole risk-taking thing, I enjoyed being able relate so closely with the character.
Ugh Joe. I didn’t like him right from the start. I mean, if a guy constantly keeps focusing on the fact that you’re hot, and doesn’t talk about the other amazing qualities a person might have, a little bit weird and suspicious right? But then again, I could see how she could be completely blind to this in the “relationship” they have. I mean, if a hot guy said he wants to be with you, I get that she would be swept away in the idea of a fairy-tale romance. But nope! No go, Joe. No go.

On a side note, the story reminded me a lot of the TV show Awkward. A girl in a secret relationship with a popular boy (who is a jock no less), young parents who had her when they were teenagers, changes that lead to complications with friends– there are quite a few similarities! I only saw it after though, which was good, otherwise I would have pictured the actors with the characters, and thus gotten confused with the story, mixing it up with the television plot line.
There’s (of course) a twist at the end of all of this. Something to do with the last person I would have ever expected things to happen with, and it really does come together and make sense. The ending was kind of like a cliché high school movie from the 90’s (think She’s All That), but it was sweet and I liked it.

Life by Committee was riveting and remarkable, and Corey Ann Haydu’s gorgeous novel kept my eyes glued to the pages. I haven’t read OCD Love Story yet, but it sounds original, just like this one, as I’m sure will her other books to come. Looking forward to more from this fantastic author!

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