The Beauty of Darkness is the third book in Mary E. Pearson's riveting Remnant Chronicles. There's a lot of pressure usually on the third books in Trilogies, because usually the third book in a trilogy is always the worst. (Mockingly, Allegiant)  I had high hopes for this novel because the second book, The Heart of Betrayal, was even better than the first one. Unfortunately, The Beauty of Darkness fell into the bad luck of Trilogies. It was a bit of a disappointment. 
Throughout the first two books, all the main characters were strong and you could see their motivations and really understand them. While, in this book Lia really grows into her own person and into a spectacular character, Rafe and Kaden seem to have been thrown to the side. That is probably my biggest complaint about the book, while there were other, smaller issues, the thing that most upset me was that Rafe and (especially) Kaden's characters just... weren't nearly as strong and compelling as they were in the first two books. They just seemed a bit like empty shells of themselves, which was (obviously) disappointing, especially since Kaden happens to be my favorite character. 
Warning, this part of the review is spoiler free for the Beauty of Darkness, but it is certainly not for the previous two books. If you have yet to read The Kiss of Deception, and the Heart of Betrayal, I recommend you don't read any further until after you pick up the first two! (Which I highly recommend that you do.) 
I'm sorry in advance for any of you not Kaden lovers out here (how could you?). For the first two book reviews, I'm fairly sure my reviews basically revolved around Kaden. This one probably won't be too different. 
The plot in this book was not nearly as exciting and intriguing as the first two books'. The final battle-- the thing that the whole book had been leading up to, was rather disappointing (more on that in the spoiler section), and everything just felt all too convenient for the characters. Still, I'm not over how some of the main characters were just cast aside. Also, the relationships were just kind of thrown off in the wind as well. Some of the best parts about this series were the complicated relationships between all the characters-- while, for the first little bit of the book it was a good as expected, it just kept get worse and worse after that. 
The saddest part is that this book had so much potential, and there were so many things in it that could've gone in great directions, but ending falling flat. By the end, I was just glad the book was over. I noticed in another review it mentioned that there was a lack of character interactions and reactions to things. I also noticed that during the story. Actually, I was just waiting for Lia to talk to Kaden or to Rafe or to anyone, really, about what she was feeling or whatever. Or maybe even just think about it? But no, sadly most of the book was just about the actions, not the interactions or reactions. Seriously, in the last third or so of the book, there was hardly any interacting between Lia and Kaden-- like they were together a lot, but it never actually showed any interaction between them. Actually, there wasn't much interaction between Lia and Rafe either. It was all rather disappointing. 
Though, Pauline did become a strong character. I guess this book was more for the female empowerment or whatever, which of course I enjoy reading about, but it was too much. And it just made me miss Kaden more. 
The four point of views this book is told from are Lia (mostly), Rafe, Kaden and Pauline. Literally all Kaden's point of views are just about the events going on and there is almost no reactions of emotions about them. They're just things that are happening. 
Also, it basically ignored the fact that Kaden had the gift. Actually, that just circles back around to Kaden's character being tossed out the window, and him being an empty shell of himself in this book. *Sigh* I had such high hopes for that darling boy. 
While most of the review so far has been ranting, I can tell you that it's not all bad. I just usually have a tendency to point out the negatives and not bother to mention the positives. I did enjoy some of the book, I don't want you to think it was all bad. There were some very satisfying and exciting moments in it, they're just mostly overshadowed in my mind by the negative parts. 
There were also some relationship things that really aggravated me, but I will talk more about that in the spoiler section. 
Something I did really enjoy reading about were Rafe's friends, Tavish, Orrin and Jeb. They each had such interesting characters and they were loyal friends to the Prince. I wish we got to see more of them, who they are apart from Rafe's friends and apart from their own separate skills. 
This book also seemed to toy a lot with my emotions. There were parts where I actually began to feel hopeful about things that I'd given up on, only to feel crushed later. Then there were parts that I cheered about and yet still felt a pang of sadness for how it affected the characters. 
Even though it is a rather long book (688 pages) and yet sometimes it felt like things were happening too quickly. It's rather confusing how much time is actually passing by. Sometimes I felt like a few weeks had passed by in between a few paragraphs, but other times it felt like it was the same day for several chapters. All in all the time aspect of the book had me very confused. 
I would give The Beauty of Darkness 7/10 stars. I enjoyed parts of it, but ended up being pretty disappointed. I had such high hopes for this book and was very much anticipating it, which I guess makes it all the more disappointing. Like I said before, it did have some good parts, but they just got overshadowed in my mind. The ending of the book actually left me feeling rather empty and sad. It seemed like it wrapped up too quickly, as is the case with many trilogies. It's very hard to fit everything into three books-- sometimes it works out, but usually the ending of trilogies feels hasty and just all crammed together. That's how the ending of this book felt. 
I'm sorry again for the less than positive review, I really did love the first two books, this book just wasn't as great as its predecessors. 
(If you're wondering why I had the book a couple of days early, I'm just going to thank Barnes and Noble for never actually putting books out on the right release day :) 
Here's the synopsis: 

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

Wow. They  changed the synopsis online from where it is in the book. The book synopsis spoils that yes, Kaden is indeed alive... This one doesn't. Sorry if I upset y'all greatly! 

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS
Okay. This is going to turn into a venting therapy for me in a second, but let me just talk about the Komizar for a minute before I start on the venting. He was just this fantastic antagonist, and a great and looming threat throughout the second and third book. I was expecting him to be more of an issue, but instead he actually died off very quickly after you see him again-- it was a very quick and rushed feeling death. As was the battle. I already knew the battle would be a little rushed because it only had about 100 pages left when it began. Arg. The whole book worked its way up towards that battle and it hardly took any time for Lia and the gang to overcome the Vendans. Sure, Jeb died and that made me sad, but no one actually important died (like Lia, Rafe, Kaden or Pauline.) I know, I'd be complaining if one died as well. There's no real great way to please a readers. I had actually come to terms with Lia dying, and thought it was actually a good idea for the ending. Yeah. Lia didn't die. 
Also just quick laugh for me. As an avid ACOTAR fan, I was rather amused by Rafe becoming Tamlin-y for a minute there (not nearly as bad, though) and then the baby was named Rhys. Hehe. That baby has a bright future. 
A lot of the beginning of the book was dedicated to showing how loyal Rafe was to his country and how he'd choose it over basically anything else. I actually enjoyed that part, and not just because it caused problems between Lia and Rafe. I appreciated seeing how both Rafe and Lia were willing (reluctantly) to sacrifice their love for each other for their love of their countries. But then Rafe literally just goes back home, and basically just turns around to find Lia again. UGh. If he was going to do that, he may as well have just gone with Lia in the first place. 
Now let's move into the ranting/venting shall we? KADEN. KADEN AND PAULINE. No, just no. From the very first book I knew that Pauline and Kaden got along well. While reading it I remember actually being a little suspicious of that, but then everything else happened and I wasn't worried about it. Then in this book as Pauline and Kaden got closer, I just started going NO NO NO NO. I knew they were becoming a thing when he helped her give birth to her baby. It all just went downhill from there. It's not even that I'm made that Kaden and Lia didn't end up together, Pauline and Kaden's romance just felt forced and wasn't something that I really fell in love with like Kaden and Lia. It just wasn't a very convincing romance is the point I am trying to get to. It just felt like a little bit of a cop out since Kaden and Lia weren't going to end up together. Oh, about that. By the end of Heart of Betrayal I accepted that Kaden and Lia weren't going to be a thing, but the beginning of this book got my hopes up. Only to turn into no interactions between Lia and Kaden and them just to suddenly feel like their relationship was purely platonic. WHEN THE FUDGE DID THAT HAPPEN. It was made pretty clear in the beginning that Kaden was still in love with her... So that just faded away, I guess BUT WE NEVER GOT TO SEE IT SINCE ALL KADEN'S CHAPTERS WERE BASICALLY EMOTIONLESS. That kind of made me want to punch something. Also, at the beginning of the book I got the impression that Kaden was determined to kill Lia-- I thought he was just maybe pulling a bit of a con on her like she had on him in the beginning. But no. As soon as he saw her or something he changed his mind. But we didn't really get to see that mind changing because you know, we didn't actually get to see Kaden's thoughts. 
Okay, I could go on forever on my Kaden rant, so let's end it there before I start just typing gibberish. My last thing to comment on is the ending. I don't know about how it made you feel, but The ending just seemed to wrap up all too quickly and it seemed a little too perfect. Like it never really explained what was going on in Dalbreck and while it did give the message that everything was going pretty well, not many details were given. Like Lia and Rafe, are they going to have a long distance relationship or something? Who knows. 
I'd just like to close off this slightly (very) ranty review by saying I loved this series-- the world, the plot, the characters etc. I am very grateful to Mary for writing such a riveting and intriguing story, and I'm glad to have read it-- all of it. Even though I was disappointed in the last book, I would just like to say this is a good series. It's unique, well written and just a fun read. My point here is, I still greatly appreciate the author and the fantastic story she has created. 
Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll be having a lot more reviews popping up soon, so keep an eye out. :) 
-Anj

How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading. 
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book. 
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast. 
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more. 
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one. 
Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing. 

This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with. 
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?) 
Here's the synopsis: 
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing. 

Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come. 
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II. 
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series. 
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet) 
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book. 

Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year. 

Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good. 
​Released March 29, 2016.

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!) 
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun. 
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016

P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out. 

A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am. 
release date: August 30, 2015
No cover released yet. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015. 

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books. 
Release date: April 5, 2015

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute. 

Never Always Sometimes: 

Never date your best friend.

Always be original.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

first and Then: 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done! 
​
Here's the synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.

Synopsis: 
Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released) 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers. 

release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released. 

The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. 

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book.  Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!) 
Release date: August 2, 2016

Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy.  Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...) 
Released: February 23, 2015
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess.  I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it. 
Released: May 24, 2016

Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
​-Anj

THIS BOOK WAS/IS FREAKING AMAZING. I LOVED IT. The plot, the characters, everything was amazing. Well, there was one part I found a little irritating but... I can't really talk about it in the non spoilery section. Heart of Betrayal is the second book in the Remnant Chronicles. The first is Kiss of Deception and I LOVED that book when I read it last fall. So obviously I couldn't wait to read this book, and Heart of Betrayal did not disappoint. I was seriously intrigued by page 6. This part is spoiler free for Heart of Betrayal, but not Kiss of Deception. If you haven't picked up the first book, don't read past this paragraph. I highly recommend you do pick up the first book, though, because it's a great story. Full of mystery, romance and action. Check out my review for Kiss of Deception if you're interested. 
Lia is a good protagonist. Sure, she did a few things I didn't approve of, especially *cough* messing with someone's feelings. But mostly Lia is a protagonist that I like and respect. She courageous and clever. I really enjoyed reading the book from her perspective. This book is a lot like the last book when it comes to the perspective/ point of views/ narration of the story. The main point of view is Lia's but occasionally it shows Kaden and Rafe's perspective. 
I like both boys. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't favor one. And yes, I favor Kaden. Rate/Jaxton is a good guy but I just feel more for Kaden. He has a more interesting back story and he's sweet. Y'all must think I'm crazy, calling the assassin sweeter than the prince. He's sacrificed so much for Lia. You could argue so has Rafe and yeah, both boys have sacrificed a lot. But Kaden.... I don't know, I just prefer him. Both Kaden and Rafe are expect fighters. It's always fun to see the two of them fight. Kaden, one of the best assassin's there is and Rafe, the well trained crown prince. Their log fight in Kiss of Deception was one of my favorite parts. There is another fight between the two in this book and it was equally as exciting. 
I found Kaden and Rafe's mutual dislike of each other amusing. Though, Kaden does have the upper hand in this book since they're in his hometown slash homeland. And Kaden is the Komizar's Assassin, second most powerful figure in Venda. 
Speaking of the Komizar, let's talk about what I think about him. I found his character fascinating. He's a brilliant evil bastard. A lot younger than I thought, but he's still quite interesting. He knows just what to do to get under Lia's skin. I found him interesting but very very angering. Like, I was hoping for a cruel death for him the entire book. His evil needs to be ended. 
Oh, I also just remembered that Pauline has a few point of views in this story too. They shed some light on some... interesting subjects. 
Kaden: I never liked you.
Rafe: I'm wounded. 
Haha, the dislike and drama between these two boys was priceless. 
The Heart of Betrayal was and is an intensely fun and intriguing read. If you enjoyed Kiss of Deception, why haven't you picked this book up yet? Why?

8/10 stars. This book is fantastical. 

SPOILERS BELOW FOR HEART OF BETRAYAL
I'm confused, how could the Vendan's have gotten Walther's sword and stuff. I'm pretty sure I remember her burying his sword and stuff with him... 
I actually guessed from very early on in the book that Kaden was not actually Vendan. It hints very subtly towards it when it says he has other reasons to despise the gift and that he was the one who taught the Komizar Morrighese. 
Yeah, if I was Lia I'd be pretty pissed at both Kaden and Rafe for lying to me. Rafe because it seems like he was using Lia and Kaden, well, I don't really need to explain her anger at Kaden. He did kidnap her. Though, he told her it was because he couldn't kill her, which I thought was pretty cute. Yeah, books have a way of messing up normal people's versions of cute. 
Okay, I get that Jezelia always seemed to fit Lia more but personally I like the name Arabella more. 
When Kaden said "She'll stay in my quarters." I started laughing because, oh, Rafe must really be loving that. And then the Komizar had Lia choose between Rafe and Kaden which was a very smart move. He's a cunning guy or should I say he was a cunning guy? And then Lia kissed Kaden in front of everyone. aha. Rafe must've really wanted to kill Kaden. 
This whole book I felt so bad for Kaden. He's made his feelings for Lia evident and she uses it against him. How  could she do that? It's just cruel and that was my only problem with Lia in this book, Her using Kaden's feelings against him. It really pissed me off. Especially when he told her about his vision of the two of them and she used that against him, too. I really wanted to punch that girl in the face. 
But when it was revealed Kaden had the gift I was like WTF?! Really?! Mary E. Pearson couldn't help but slip in that plot twist. These books always have good plot twists, (haha I say that after reading two books) okay the reveal that Kaden was the assassin and Rafe the prince was hinted at and rereading the book I could see it but it was still bit confusing but I still count that as a good plot twist. 
Pauline's point of view opened up an interesting question in my head. Is Lia's mom evil and or up to something ? I have a feeling this will come into play later in the book but for now... I really want to know what's up with her mom. 
Kaden and Rafe fighting shoulder to shoulder was slash is revolutionary. It's amazing that they're fighting together. 
My biggest question for the next book is WHAT THE EF HAPPENED TO KADEN?!!!! He better be okay. But of course he's not fully okay, he knows Lia's been playing and betraying him the entire time... Poor Kaden. I hope he doesn't turn on Lia and hate her... 
I seriously can't wait for the next book. 

Sorry for the delay in reviews, I've just had a really busy life recently. Like Alice in Zombieland, the second two books have ridiculous names but are astoundingly good. I immensely enjoyed these action packed novels. Through the Zombie Glass and Queen of Zombie Hearts are the second two books in the White Rabbit Chronicles. It's one great series, so if you haven't started them yet, what are you waiting for? Get started! If you'd like to see my review of Alice in Zombieland, scroll down a couple reviews. I'd give Through the Zombie Glass a 9/10 stars while Queen of Zombie Hearts earned a 9.4/10 stars. Great books. I can't stress that fact enough. 
The only problem I think I have with this series is that the ending seemed rushed. Like many trilogies out there, the last bit of the third book is hurried to get over. To any author out there writing a trilogy, your fans don't care how long the ending is! We want it to be longer! 
I absolutely loved the beginning of Queen of Zombie Hearts, well, I didn't love some things that happened but I seriously enjoyed how it just jumped into the action with little to no forewarning. It was great. 
There are a couple new characters introduced in these books such as Gavin and Veronica. You'll meet them pretty early on. Then we got to know some characters better such as Mackenzie, Trina and Jaclyn.  l really adore the characters in these books. They feel so real, and I know that's weird since these books are about zombies (not typical zombies but they're called zombies so...). These characters think realistically and are easy (some of them) to connect with. Sure, I'm no zombie hunter, but I could connect with Alice's feelings. 
I'm not sure which book is my favorite in the series, they were all pretty spectacular, it'd probably have to be either the last or the first book. Don't get me wrong, the second book was great, but I found myself getting annoyed at a certain aspect of it that I would't talk about right now. I don't have much else to say that I didn't cover in my Alice in Zombieland review, so go check that out. 

SPOIlERS BELOW FOR THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS
The phrase 'mind molested' I found especially entertaining. Gavin is definitely one of my favorite characters in the books. His sense of humor was very dirty and perverted but somehow I found it cute and funny. There's definitely something wrong with me, haha. Actually I just know there's something else there besides a man whore, and there was. Veronica I had a hard time liking (as I was supposed to) but at the same time I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I mean, she does just get Cole back to loose her to Ali. 
Cole's reaction to Alice getting the vision with Gavin Sucked with a capital S. Just like  Ali said, he needed to have more faith in her and their love. Never the less, Kat made Cole ditching Alice a bit funny: 
Telling me 2 stop following him 
Telling me he knows what I'm doing and getting ticked when I ignore him 
Walking away as I flip him off 
Telling Frosty to control me (like that's really possible) 
haha I love Kat. She's so confident and funny. She kinda reminds me of one of my friends, just a lot more confident in herself. 
Then there was the classic old person getting slang wrong such as the WTF (well that's fantastic). Nana and her slang never ceases to make me laugh. 
For a while, while Cole was a acting funny and spying on his fellows, I thought for some reason he'd been forced to work for Anima. But nope, he was just looking for the culprit who was working for Anima. Every time Alice was like hmm... I wonder how Anima is getting this info I was just like COLE IS ACTING UP. But then it wasn't actually Cole so then I was just like.... awkward, sorry, bro. 
I loved Mackenzie and Trina's support for Alice after Cole dumped her. Like Trina already liked Alice but I loved how Mackenzie and Alice's relationship took a 360 turn and they actually turned into really great friends. That does actually happen in real life, it did for me with one of my friends. 
So, I don't know about you, but I thought it was pretty obvious Alice was becoming a Zombie, I was just confused at why it was slower than the rest of them. I also don't know about you, but when Alice ran from battle I was uber embarrassed. Like I got multiple doses of embarrassment for her there.
The dinner where Gavin was there. And then Cole showed up. And then Justin showed up was hilarious. I was laughing so hard at that part. Though Justy didn't stay for long, which was too bad because I really did start seriously liking him in this book. 
Annnnndddd I guessed Ethan was the spy and guess who was right? Actually if you actually read the book you would't have to guess. Him having a bloodline around his house was just too suspicious to not have been noticed. Sorry, Reeve, but your boyfriend was almost obviously the spy after we followed him around a bit. Though, I actually thought Ali might be the spy for a bit. Like seriously, she had this evil part of her, so there was a big chance she could've been the spy. It'd be especially great if she was because no one would suspect her- not the readers because it's first person and she wouldn't realize it herself and not Cole because Cole's blinded by his love for her. 
That talk where Alice is like who have you slept with to Cole was awkward to extremities. Like seriously Ali, we get you're brave, but we're getting ultra embarrassed from this talk. But the part where Kat says she threatened Cole by saying she'd set Ali up with her cousin Rick was great enough to wash away all that embarrassment.  
Okay the moment I found out Jaclyn wasn't dead I was like HUMPH! AND I FELT BAD FOR HER. I thought that because I thought Jaclyn had faked her death to make her brother kill Cole or Ali. The minute I found out she was in bad condition I was like, oh, never mind. 
Kat's line "He won't let anything happen to me or us. Mostly me." Was great and made me laugh so hard. Everything Kat in this book was just great and laughable. 
I didn't really get how she lost everything in this book? Like at the beginning she says she lost everything, but she did't really. I mean I guess she did in the middle for like a chapter, but not really...
SPOILERS BELOW FOR QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS
I'll start out by saying that Lucas and Trina's death made me seriously sad. Like even now when I think back on it, I feel like their deaths came too soon. But death is like that. Sometimes it just happens, just like that. And you don't even get to say goodbye. Sorry, one of the reasons I was busy this week was because my friends parents died suddenly. Check the news, any channel really. It's the thing that happened in Lower Moreland that was gruesome and shocking. I don't really want to get into that right now...
I knew Frosty or Kat was probably going to die from the beginning. I was just hoping I was wrong, but more on that later. 
Okay so Collins and Cruz don't especially stick out for me, so their deaths made me sad, but at the same time I was glad it wasn't Justin. 
I could also tell that Helen was her mom from the minute Alice had that memory about the little girl with Helen. Especially since they looked like, exactly alike. I'm surprised Alice hadn't picked up on that sooner, being the smart girl that she is. 
I love when people are fighting together and they count how many kills they have like a competition. I know that sounds morbid and in real life, it would be, but in books and movies it's hilarious. Such as in Lord of the Rings. So the zombie kill count I found funny. 
When Gavin was mad at Jaclyn I just laughed. They're a good couple, yeah? Though Gavin and Mackenzie would be pretty good too. 
The moment when I really knew that Kat would die was when Frosty and Bronx had that vision where Bronx had to drag Frosty away from something. Then my mind was just like...oh crap. This is too sad. No. No.. No. 
Kat's 'poem' Roses are red, violets are blue, I have five fingers, the middle's for you. Was the best thing ever. Like I'm seriously considering using that one in my life. 
I really liked River. And I really liked Camilla for a while there, too. 
"If it were easy, it'd be your mom." 
"My mom is your mom." 
"So? I never liked her." 
Camilla was funny and it was fun to read about her. That is, until we found out she was one of the spies. Of course, I still couldn't fully hate her, because she was only trying to protect her brother. But at the same time I'm still mad at her. 
"But you're a girl. The braver species." Preach it, Frosty. 
The rest of the book was pretty predictable. Yes, Kat's death was horribly terribly sad. And it was increasingly annoying when Alice was like slayers are bad. And it was rushed. But the ending was still pretty good. Then again THANK THE LORD GENA IS WRITING ANOTHER BOOK. Gena, you're seriously awesome. 

This book was so amazing, I loved it! It's well, deceiving, exciting, romance-y and action-ish! I need the next one, Mary! I can't wait until July! Lia was a great strong protagonist and both the prince and the assassin were dashing and very swoon worthy. I actually thought the prince was the assassin and the assassin the prince for a lot of the book. I like them both. Lia whoever you choose, I'll take the other. So this story is about Lia. She's a princess in the land of.... Idk how to spell the name, but she's a princess in an arranged marriage. On the day of her wedding, she flees before she even meets the prince. Along with her handmaiden, she works to make a new life in a far away land. Little does she know, she has two pursuers. One, the prince whom she never met and the other an assassin sent from a distant land to murder her and sent the land into chaos. Both the prince and the assassin eventually find her in the village and meet her. Not realizing who they are, Lia befriends them both and ends up falling for one. But who is the prince? and who is the assassin? 
here's the official synopsis: 

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among tI  I he common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

SO GOOD. My rating would be an 8.5/10 stars, I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all y'alls. (psst it made it to my favorites shelf) This book was just filled to the brim with tension, romance and anxiety. Meaning, I LOVED IT! Go read this book then we can discuss it together :) 
SPOILERS FOR KISS OF DECEPTION BELOW


I didn't realize that we'd get to read from the Princess, the Prince AND the Assassin's POV. It was great, seeing their perspective on everything. Like I said before, I thought Rafe was the Assassin BUT after Kaden beat him on the log I changed my mind. 
I was laughing so hard when Rafe (I forget his real name) said what the note said 'I should like to inspect you before our wedding' It was just funny because of how Lia's mom had reacted when she said she wanted to inspect him and then how Rafe talked about it. 
I decided this would be a high rating really soon into the book, and was squealing of excitement before they even met (Rafe and Kaden). I never thought that the two boys would be roommates, I found that concept hilarious. 
The whole power of presumption or divination thing kinda confused me, it never went into full detail of what that was, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. 
Lia's meeting with Walther was just so heart touching and cute- I loved it. I was really saddened when he came to her and was crazy and then I was REALLY sad when he died and Lia had to watch. That was just depressing, though it seemed a little rushed. Did anyone else think it was odd that the crowned prince had to be a soldier? Wasn't it funny how Rafe and Kaden both thought Walther was her lover? Seriously, shouldn't they know who the crowned prince is though? 
I was laughing so hard when Lia was talking to Rafe about how deception was horrible, he totally thought she'd found out about him. 
I still really like Kaden, even though he kidnapped her, he saved her life and he's actually a really nice guy. I like both of them, and I'd like the prince even better if he cut his hair. I don't like long haired boys tbh. 
"May your horse kick stones into your enemies feet." 
Anyway this ending was horrible- JUST GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK! 
Sorry for the short review I've been really busy lately.