Review: Tainted (Broken #2) by A.E. Rought

Title: Tainted

Series: Broken #2

Previous book in this series: Broken

Author: A.E. Rought

Genre: YA, paranormal, retelling

Publication date: October 2013

Published by: Strange Chemistry

Source: For review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis:

Alex Franks believes the madness is behind them. With Ascension Labs under his direction and the forces threatening Emma's life overcome, they have a chance at a normal life, and keeping his secrets safely buried. But a shadow rises from Alex’s past, and she wants him back. Criminally brilliant, Hailey Westmore will stop at nothing to claim the boy she was meant to be with.

Without warning, Emma Gentry finds she cannot trust anything. Not her mind, her memory, not even herself. Tragic events and unexpected deaths stalk Alex and Emma, testing them in ways they would never imagine, and may not survive. Alex carries a new secret, and a horrifying guilt that Hailey uses to her advantage.

Emma’s life and sanity hang in the balance, and Alex may have created a monster...

My rating: ★★★☆☆
I remember really loving Broken, the first book, so I was very excited to start this! But, unfortunately, this ended up being kind of meh.

Review: The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

Title: The Weight of Souls

Author: Bryony Pearce

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, Egyptian mythology

Publication date: August 2013

Published by: Strange Chemistry - ANGRY ROBOT Ltd

Source: The publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)

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Synopsis:

Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn’t make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…

She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she’s bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she’s not going crazy.

But then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn’t know who killed him, so there’s no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave… and where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death.

Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him?

And what happens if she starts to fall for him?

My rating: ★★★★★
This book was pure awesomeness! And I found myself to be pleasantly surprised with it :)

Review: Student Bodies (Poltergeeks #2) by Sean Cummings

Title: Student Bodies

Series: Poltergeeks #2

Previous book in this series: Poltergeeks

Author: Sean Cummings

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: September 5th 2013

Published by: Strange Chemistry

Source: The publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)

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Synopsis:

Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy? For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn't give a damn if you've found true love for the first time in your life. There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity.

After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus are in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks. All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates.

If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.

My rating: ★★★★☆
I probably don't need to say this, but just to make it clear I LOVE WITCHES! They are my most favorite supernatural creature EVER! And you know what, I (for some reason) didn't think there would be a sequel to Poltergeeks because it wrapped things up so nicely. But I'm glad there was a sequel because I really liked it!

Review: Broken by A.E. Rought

Title: Broken

Series: Broken #1

Author: A.E. Rought

Genre: YA, paranormal romance, retelling

Publication date: January 8th 2013

Published by: Strange Chemistry

Source: the publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)

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Synopsis:

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

My rating: ★★★★★
Man, this book was just the sweetest thing ever! A little creepy, too. This book, you could say, is a modern retelling Frankenstein with some romance thrown in. I have not read the original, but I LOVED this book!

Review: Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Title: Poltergeeks

Series: Poltergeeks #1

Author: Sean Cummings

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery

Publication date: October 2, 2012

Published by: Strange Chemistry - Angry Robot

Source: review copy from publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)

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Synopsis:

15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

My rating: ★★★★☆
This book was a very enjoyable read! I thought the story line was very interesting...of course, me loving witches, magic, and ghosts! The story was very action-y, suspenseful, quite funny, and overall cute!