Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) 
Author: Lindsay Cummings
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Format: Hardcover 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books 
Published: June 10, 2014

Summary: 
Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.  
The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?
Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.


~~~
"Welcome to the Murder Complex.You cannot see us. You cannot feel us. But we are here. And we control your every move."

I was up in the air about this book. I don't read reviews on books I am going to read for the sole purpose that it is going to change what I think about the book when I read it. I was really excited for this book though and I went through some blogs and Goodreads to see how it was. I will admit, the reviews made me hesitant. But now that I read it, I do not regret it for a minute. This book was a blood soaked and an action packed thriller that will leave you wanting more! 

I enjoyed the characters in this book. Both were complex, tough and unique. I Zephyr grew up as a ward, basically an orphan from a young age. He works all day picking up the dead bodies from the Dark Hour, and watches out for his best friend Talan. Meadow grew up with her family, her mother having died when she was a young girl. When she turns sixteen she can take a test to determine if she can work. Meadow passes, and can now help provide for her family. I liked both Meadow and Zephyr they were both different from each other, having different goals for their survival. 
"Kill.
Destroy.
No escaping.
No turning back.
This is what we must do to survive.
Purge the Earth.
This is the Murder Complex."
I liked the Murder Complex idea. It was interesting and kept me turning the pages. Especially that Zephyr is unknowingly a programmed assassin, created by the government for the purpose to kill people by night and practically be a slave by day.The message (above) is something he hears every time he sets his sights on his target, it managed to give me that chills. But then there is a glitch and he sets his sights on the wrong target, that is when the book fully sinks its claws into you. 

This book was full of action. The world that Lindsay created is both bone chilling and terrifying. There was never a dull moment. I love books where the government controls the people, and this book is just that. This book was full of fighting, betrayal and shocking revelations that changed the course of Meadow and Zephyr's lives forever. 

What an ending! Talk about being on the edge of your seats!




 I stared at my book in shock, convinced for a moment or two that my book had to be missing pages. Sadly it wasn't but, I am really excited about the sequel to The Murder Complex. I already have the prequel on my kindle so I am going to dive into that soon! 



RATING: ★★★★








#TeaTime Rewind: Book Relationships (Episode #70)

Hey there, crumpets, and welcome to our first ever #TeaTime rewind blog post! For those of you who don't know, #TeaTime is a weekly (bi-weekly in the summertime) YouTube livestream with two of the most awesome girls from Epic Reads, Margot and Aubry. In addition to running the Epic Reads blog, they also take time out of their week to host the livestream videos where they cover all sorts of topics such as book boyfriends, books that changed your view on the world, and our personal favorite...Theo James Appreciation Day. 




This week on #TeaTime (Episode #70), the topic was BOOK RELATIONSHIPS. (You can watch the episode by clicking HERE!) Aubry and Margot brought up some interesting questions and topics, so here's what Amber and I had to say about everything! 


*Favorite opening lines in YA books:

Jessica: This is a hard one for me because I read so many books that I lose track of what line goes with what book, but I'll give it a shot. I know it sounds super cliche because The Fault in Our Stars is super popular right now, but it's always been one of my favorite books and I really do enjoy the opening line:

"Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death."

Eesh. What a way to start a love story.

Amber: Okay, I have to pick one. *stares at book shelf* There is one that happen to stick with me for a while now. Maybe because it involves food? Not really sure on that one. But I do love this book, here is the opening line from White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 


"There was a demon in McDonald's." 

Well then, that leaves your mind up to a million different possibilities! 



*Favorite graphic novels:

Jessica: I'm going to be a very bad book nerd and confess that I do NOT read graphic novels. >.< But if you guys have any good ones you think I should try, comment them down below and I'll check them out!

Amber: I never read them. But I had my eyes on some for a while now. I just need a break between ARCs and book tours to try some out! I am very excited though for the Legend graphic novel by Marie Lu! *fangirls because it is one of my favorite book seires*




*YA relationships and who's your book lover:

Jessica: As geeky as it is, I'm still in love with James Stark from the House of Night trilogy (*swoon*), but another suuuper hot book boyfriend would definitely be Warner from the Shatter Me trilogy. (Thumbs up to Aubry for agreeing with me!)

Amber: ....Lover? As in singular? Well I can't do that so I am going to list some. Kaiden Rowe (Sweet Evil Triolgy), Warner (Shatter Me trilogy) , Day (Legend trilogy), Dimitri (Vampire Academy), Adrian (Bloodlines), Thad (Nil), Aiden (Covenant series), Seth (Titan series), Roth (The Dark Elements), Dante (Dante Walker trilogy), Tod (Soul Screamers), and lastly Maxon (The Selection trilogy)


*swoons*



Question of the week: If you could pick a book to turn into an amusement park, what book would it be?

Jessica: For me, it's a tie between a Dorothy Must Die themed amusement park and a super-thrilling Dauntless themed amusement park. Seriously, how cool would either of those be?

Amber: Dorothy Must Die themed would be awesome. How about we take pieces of all our favorite YA and put them together? 


Yes, at a Dauntless amusement park you get to jump off trains!



Some of YOUR #TeaTime Rewind thoughts: 
anastasiagirl1342's #TeaTime Rewind (YouTube)
Bubbly and Bookish's #TeaTime Rewind (Blog)

(Psst...to have your #TeaTime rewind blog post/video for the week featured in the list, just drop the link in the comments down below!)

The next episode of #TeaTime is Wednesday, August 13th @ 3:45PM, so we hope to see you all then!


Cover Reveal: Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair

It's cover reveal time! The description of Louder Than Words was more then enough for me to be add it to my TBR shelf. But now that I have seen the cover I am really excited! 








What do you think of the cover? I am in love! 



Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson's life lately. Her dad's dead, her mom is numbing the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her so-called friends are slowly abandoning her. Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have been safe, shouldn't have led to an unwelcome seduction attempt, shouldn't have sent her running to the girls' bathroom for the final moments of her Junior year. Lesson learned. Best to keep all the sordid details of her life to herself.
Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky teen recently transplanted from New York and fellow summer camp employee. Though his quick wit and confidence draws her in, she's not letting him get too close, not til she's sure she can trust him. By the time Rex's charming persistence wears down her resistance, it's too late. He's put Ellen on the perma-pal shelf and shifted his romantic attentions to her arch-rival. Even worse, the teacher who tried to seduce her is still misbehaving with impunity. 
With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom night, Ellen must decide if she has enough remaining courage to speak up about her teacher and risk retribution, to tell Rex how she feels and risk heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside, the only safe place she knows.
Publish Date: September 16, 2014
Genre: Young Adult





Iris St. Clair is the pen name for a long-suffering cubicle worker by day, a Walter Mitty-like dreamer by night. (Her alter ego Tatiana Ivanadance also choreographs gravity-defying routines in those fantasies, but that's another bio.) No matter what genre she writes, she prefers witty, insecure heroines and kind, persistent heroes able to break through to the gooey heart inside. In high school she was voted most likely to win at Monopoly and Clue, but least likely to throw a ball anywhere near a target. Thank goodness writing
requires less hand-eye coordination, punctuation errors notwithstanding. Iris believes in the two-year "fish or cut bait" dating rule and has a 20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons as proof of concept. She lives, writes, dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.












Cover Reveal Organized by:


http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/

Review: Take Me On (Pushing The Limits, #4) by Katie McGarry



Title: Take Me On (Pushing The Limits, #4)
Author: Katie McGarry
Rating: ★ (5/5 Stars)
Published May 2014
Hardcover, 544 Pages
Add it to Goodreads!
Reviews of other books in the series:
Dare You To (Pushing The Limits, #2)

Summary: Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help. West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future. Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, Katie McGarry has done it again. This is the fourth installment in the Pushing The Limits series (and a fifth was just announced recently--eep!!), and I have to say, I'm in absolute love. Can I take West Young home and keep him forever? *heart eyes* 

A friend of mine recommended this series to me awhile back, and I decided to give it a try, and I never thought that I would fall in absolute love with it. In fact, two out of the four books in the series have been reviewed on the site (not entirely sure why I forgot to add reviews of the others), and both of them received five stars. If you're a common visitor to this blog you'd know that I don't pass out five star ratings often. I have to reaaaally be hooked on a book to give it the highest rating as I can give.

Haley's character was equal parts intriguing and annoying (but in a good way, I promise). She was living an incredibly difficult life, one I couldn't imagine having to live in, juggling between homeless shelters, her dad's struggle to get a job, giving up fighting, her rocky relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and living under the roof of her uncle, whom she calls The Dictator. 

Eesh. Hard life. The part that annoyed me--okay, not so much annoyed as much as frustrated--was the fact that she always closed herself off when things got too intense and would block out everyone (especially West) and hide in her own mind and drown in her own thoughts. Several times, I wanted to toss my book across the room in frustration, willing Haley to find the nerve to open up to West about everything.

I officially name Katie McGarry as the queen of YA contemporary romance novels. This series hooked me from the very first book, and I love the fact that each of the four books jumps perspective--we learn about different characters in each book, but they're all characters from the same story and find a way to tie into one another. Noah and Echo in Pushing The Limits, Beth and Ryan in Dare You To, Isaiah and Rachel in Crash Into You, and most recently, West and Haley in Take Me On.

Although, guess what--book #5 is going to be in Noah and Echo's perspective again!! YAY!! *Fangirl moment*

All in all, I really loved this book. Katie McGarry is a literary genius and I can't wait to read the next book in the series (which you can add to your Goodreads account by clicking here!), titled Breaking The Rules--until that book is published, I'll be sitting here, anxiously waiting.

Seriously can't get enough of this series. Another job well done, McGarry!

Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural 
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: April 2, 2013

Summary:
He makes good girls...bad. 
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days. 
Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

~~~

When I first met Dante: 


By the end of the book: 


I been after The Collector for a while now and my library never has it, and when ever I go to a bookstore I forget to look *face palm* Any way a few weeks ago I won a giveaway from Victoria Scott herself for a signed copy! You can only imagine my excitement! I finally read it and guess what? I loved it! 

I have never been able to relate to a book character as I have to Charlie. She isn't beautiful, (but that changes as you get to know her. I am not trying to be mean. This is how she is described.) she tries to see the good in everything, and people treat her like total crap. It broke my heart so many times when Dante and someone else would do or say something horrible to her. When Dante meets Charlie for the first time he manages to point out that Charlie has glasses, frizzy blond hair, a spray of pimples, and a stick figure that is so not attractive on a seven-teen-year old girl. Then compares her to a porcelain doll beaten a few times with an ugly stick. Well in a few pages Dante proved that he is a cocky and mean bastard. Fine then. 


But Dante wasn't all bad. He eventually proved himself. Yes, in the begining of the book all he cared about was himself but a long the way he fell in love with Charlie. For who she was before the contract gets signed and she becomes beautiful. But the progression of Dante falling in love and learning that there is much more to a person that looks is remarkable. And I loved that most about the story because it wasn't insta love (I know it is over a 10 day time period) but gradual. He wasn't crazy about her first and then by the end he was willing to die for her. 


The concept behind the Collectors and Liberators was awesome! I never read anything like this book before, sure I read about demons before but this way different. the Collectors are the bad guys, sent to mark someone when they sin, and eventually when their soul light is dark they get taken to Boss Man (Lucifer) Liberators are the good guys, where Collectors mark for sins, Liberators are able to remove sins so they can be taken to Big Guy. (God) 

I really liked this book and can't wait to get to read the other books in this series. I have a feeling that I am going to fall even more in love with Dante by the end of the series! 

RATING: ★★★★








Book Promo & Giveaway: Frostbitten by Heather Beck


Displaying Frostbitten Cover Art.jpg

Title: Frostbitten
Author: Heather Beck
Ebook Publication Date: June 23rd, 2014
Paperback Publication Date: September 13th, 2014
Add it on Goodreads!

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years. Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

Excerpt: 



Anastasia knew that her grandfather was being irrational, and it looked as if the situation would soon get out-of-control. In an attempt to prevent the impending fight, she hurried out of the car. Then suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks.
The most gorgeous boy Anastasia had ever seen was coming out of Rural Mart, carrying a bulging bag of groceries. He was tall – at least six feet – and very well-built with broad shoulders and a straight posture. His striking, chiseled features and unruly dark brown hair gave him a unique appearance that was rugged and manly. Nonetheless, Anastasia sensed that he wasn’t that much older than her, and with heightened curiosity, she watched as an expression of concern washed over his face as he hurried to Mr. Stone’s side.
“My past is none of your business,” Mr. Stone snapped, finally getting as angry as Mr. Lockhart.
“Maybe not, but your shady business practices concern me and Rural Mart,” Mr. Lockhart shot back.
The two men stepped closer to each other, but before anyone could throw a punch, the boy placed his hand on Mr. Stone’s shoulder and urged him back. The boy said nothing; instead, he gave Mr. Stone a serious look.
Mr. Stone stared silently at the boy for a few seconds and then returned his attention to Mr. Lockhart. “Get out of my way, Fredrick,” he seethed, before taking leave of the situation.
The boy followed Mr. Stone, but before entering a truck marked Stone’s Hardware, he stopped to look at Anastasia, as if noticing her for the first time. His gaze was intense and unwavering, like he was savoring everything about her, from her eyes to her lips and even her very soul.
With a quickening pulse, Anastasia stared back at him. He was so undeniably sexy, but it was his eyes which made her breath catch in her throat. Shining a light shade of blue, they instantly drew her in and refused to let go. The sudden urge to get closer to him was so strong that she unconsciously took a step forward.
“Anastasia!”
Anastasia turned around to see that her grandfather was already in the car, and from his expression, she easily guessed that he wasn’t happy with her.
“Stay away from that boy,” Mr. Lockhart ordered Anastasia as she entered the car.
“Grandpa,” she began, wanting to ask if he was alright after his encounter with Mr. Stone.
In response, Mr. Lockhart turned on the car radio and increased the volume.
Anastasia took the hint.

We're super excited to read this awesome book! To celebrate Frostbitten's publication, author Heather Beck is giving away one free eBook copy of Frostbitten to one lucky winner!

To enter the giveaway, click HERE!

The giveaway ends on Saturday, August 2nd, at 12:00am EST. The winner will give us their email address and have the book personally sent to them by Frostbitten's author, Heather Beck! 

Best of luck to all who enter! 


Guest Post by The YA Club: Why They Blog Together! (SBPT Stop, #4)


Welcome to The Summer Blogger Promo Tour, an event created by us ladies at The Book Bratz, whose blog you're on right now! This is a weekly tour stop where we'll be highlighting different bloggers and their fantastic book blogs all summer long. You can read more about the tour by clicking here!

Welcome to the fourth week of the Summer Blogger Promo Tour! By now, the tour has really picked up and we've already highlighted three awesome bloggers this summer (Dana @ Dana Square, Andrew @ Endlesslyreading, and Ana @ Ana Loves...), so this week, we bring to you a fourth awesome blogger: Andrea from The YA Club! Their blog is run by eight (yes, we said eight!) bloggers who model themselves after The Breakfast Club. This week, Andrea agreed to a guest post on why she blogs and what it's like to be a part of an eight-person blogging team! Here's what she had to say: 

I was asked to blog about what it’s like blogging with the YA club. Well, it’s pretty fantastic.

What is the YA Club? The blurb from our site says it better than I can.

More than thirty years ago, Brian Johnson wrote an epic letter to Mr. Vernon in John Hughes’s now-classic film The Breakfast Club telling him who he and his classmates thought they were. Five students, all from different school cliques, served detention one Saturday in March, initially seeing one another—as Shermer High School’s dean did—as their labels, and not as their identities.
The Breakfast Club resonated with so many teens in the 1980s and over the years since then because of the way it ripped apart those classifications. But decades later, those labels still exist, even though the lines are a little more blurred. Contemporary YA books reflect that (or should). As Brian wrote in his letter that afternoon, “each one of us is a brain and an athlete and a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal.”


You should check out the video our talented artist drew from only pictures of us:


I don’t know where the idea started, but when L.S. Murphy and E.M. Caines approached us with the idea of doing a blog and using the Breakfast club as a theme, I was pretty excited. Or more like 30% excited, 100% scared.


Everyone on the YA Club blog is diverse, it’s why we have the labels. Even though, many of us overlap with some and can do more than one thing. Many of the YA Club members should be the brains (you should see the GPA’s on some of these people--Yeesh!), plus many of us played sports, and have multiple artistic abilities. We can all be the basket case sometimes, and I’m pretty sure, push come to shove we’re all just a little criminal… except the princess.

But I’m supposed to write about what my experiences about the blog have been. So far, it’s been pretty fun. My favorite post/topic to write (but also the hardest) are the Top Ten Tuesday. I love coming up with ideas that you can try and connect different genres of books together, to make a list, and have then one YA random facts.


I enjoy Manic Mondays because there are no rules I have to follow. So I get to be a little manic. Perfect for Mondays.

Waiting on Wednesdays are fun because I'm always waiting for new books to come out. I also love reading what my fellow YA loving peeps are waiting for so I can grow my TBR list. We have impeccable taste! (In general, if you love YA.)


Throwback Thursdays I find are the hardest, because I have a huge, gigantic confession to make. I didn’t read a lot when I was an actual YA... when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Times were different back then. We didn’t have social media platforms to talk and discuss, or even find out what YA books were available to read. And YA wasn’t as awesome as it now.


And I’m waiting for the day, when I get to do a Friday Reads. Friday Reads are what book we are reading that Friday. It’s coming, I know, crossing my fingers I'll get to post about it. Soon one day, my bosses will give me the power to do a Friday reads. JK, it’s just how the schedule works.


I love the giveaways, and try to win, because, well…


*grabby hands* with all our giveaways.

It’s been a great experience. Everyone is so supportive; I enjoy having a voice for what I like and dislike about books I read. I really enjoy reading my co-bloggers posts and love finding out more about them through our blog. I’m such a newbie, but I'm learning more and more every day about blogging, and YA novels. I consider myself lucky to be a member of the YA Club.

We also asked Andrea a couple of blogging (as well as book) related questions!

The Book Bratz: What is your favorite part about being a blogger?
Andrea: As a reader and blogger, I feel like I have a voice. I get to express my opinions, what my feels about books are, what I like and don’t like. I love hearing other people opinions. I get excited when you find someone who loves what you love, or you find someone who's opinion doesn't quite match with yours, and you challenge each other.

The Book Bratz: What's your favorite relationship between characters in a book? (Who do you ship the most?)
Andrea: Well, the obvious are romantic relationships. I'm sort of –– okay–– big time sucker for a love story. But a close second is sibling’s ships. They come in all shapes and forms. I get the tingling’s with situations like brothers saying "bro I got your back" or sisters sacrificing themselves for each other, or older brothers putting fear into potential boyfriends. Mostly there's an expectation that you’ll pretty much do anything for family.

The Book Bratz: What was your favorite experience as a book blogger?
Andrea: I'm a baby book blogger, which means I've just barely dipped my toe into the blogger pool; Aug will be my two-month anniversary. Before The YA Club, I was terrified of having a blog, so I didn't. My strengths lean towards impulsive pressing of the send button before reading what I wrote, aaannnndddd my filters are not always in place. So the fact that I'm involved in a blog is probably my favorite experience, and it's not as scary as I anticipated. Also, I get to blog with some crazy awesome people. Everyone on the YA blog is fantastic. We support each other, and you know if you need help with anything all of them would come running, and maybe even squish hug you...ahem E.M Caines. Sometimes it can be nerve-racking to put your words out there forever, but blogging with the YA Club is like being wrapped in a hug 24/7.

The Book Bratz: If you could live in a dystopian book for a day, which book would you choose, which character(s) would you befriend, and why?
Andrea: My favorite dystopian is Divergent. But I've tried many times to decide what faction I’d belong in, and can never come to a conclusive answer. I can't imagine myself in that world. So I'm going to say Cinder. With people living on the moon (love space stories), having access to personal flying machines, incurable diseases, all while having an old fashioned feel to it. I'm in… well maybe not the incurable diseases part. I would be friends with Cinder because I see myself in her. I probably wouldn't save the world until I have a really big reason too either. But I also like Carswell Thorne because he's all kinds entertaining.

We want to thank Andrea again for taking the time to write her guest post as well as answering our interview questions! You can check out Andrea and the rest of the YA Club through her Twitter, their group's Twitter, and their blog

See you all back here next Sunday when we feature a Waiting on Sunday post by Caught Read Handed!

Also, click here to see our full Summer Blogger Promo Tour schedule!

Previous Tour Stop Posts:
*Sunday, July 6th (Stop #1): Talking BookCon with Dana Square
*Sunday, July 13th (Stop #2): Introducing Andrew from Endlesslyreading
*Sunday, July 20th (Stop #3): Guest Review by Ana Loves