Monday, February 29, 2016

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Kaite Alender

This is not the first book for Alender, she has a decent amount of books published and more on the way. As far as I know this is a stand alone. There hasn't been any talk of another book. I do have a Youtube video up as well!



Delia just got bequeathed a "house". It's more like a mansion, though, that was a correction facility for women a long time ago. Her so-many-great-grandpa used to run the place but it was shut down once the women that were sent there quit getting better, and deaths started to occur. The correction facility was more like an asylum, none of the girls left once placed into its care. The house wants to keep the troubled in even after it was shut down. Delia gets trapped, and that's when she learns that the house is still very much alive. Ghosts are all over the place but you can't see them until something happens, and none of the ghosts can leave or move on. Nothing like spending eternity in a asylum, huh?

There was ghostly action! This is what I was looking for with Diary of a Haunting, but I know that these are two separate books. Hysteria starts off with a bang and I was wondering if things would continue to be good through the rest of the book. It was for the most part. I like that time moves differently when you are not human. Again, I love that the point of sibling love was made. You don't know how long you are going to have with your family or anyone and you shouldn't take things for granted. I was kept interested for the most part. I did like the ending, it felt right.

It took Delia half of the book to piece everything together though, but I almost knew right away how things were going to end up. This was the biggest thing that bugged me too. Things got a little dull because she couldn't see what was right in front of her face. Granted most people don't. It didn't really make me want to stop reading but I did want to skip ahead. I did see the end coming, Florence didn't trick me one bit! I would have been more surprised if it was someone else.

Overall I really did like this book, I didn't love it though. It isn't scary, so if that's what you are looking for you will have to look somewhere else. I do think everyone could like this book definitely young adults. Alender did a very good job and I would like to read more from her. I don't think another book will be coming out because of how the book ended but you never know. I don't exactly want to own this book, I know I could live without it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Page Count: 329 pages (hardcover)

Price: $18.99

Next Book: Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks

Thank you for reading!
~Jade



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Sunday, February 7, 2016

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black

This is (possibly for now) a stand alone by Black. If anyone remembers the review of the short story I did called The Eternal Kiss-13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire there was a story that left me in awe. It is what I like to think of as the prelude to this book also called The Coldest Girl In Coldtown. Black has quite a number of books out and I definitely plan to read some of them. I also have a video up on Youtube if you want to check that out.



Tana wakes up from a party, she and two other people are the only ones left alive. They barely make it out unscathed and from there it is one hell of a ride. In a Coldtown things are made to seem like it's one big party. It's not. If you don't want to be there you can't get out unless you have a marker. Tana is hoping to get through the next few weeks with no problems but things never go as planned.

What I liked: EVERYTHING. Pretty much though...I loved Tana and Gavriel. I absolutely loved to hate Midnight, I didn't feel sorry for her at all. I was completely taken with this book from beginning to end. I did not want to stop reading. I was left wanting more in a very good way, I do hope there is something more even if it is someone else's POV. I liked very much the differences between being Cold or Infected vs. being an actual vampire. Any differences from the run of the mill vampire tale is definitely worth looking into for me. I also liked that almost every other chapter wasn't in Tana's POV. It was in someone else's or in a different time period, a memory, it was something or another. It kept my interest very much. Along with the fact that there are quotes dealing with death at the beginning of every chapter. My absolute favorite was from Chapter 22; "One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive." Friedrich Nietzsche.

There was only two things that I didn't like, the first one is that this is quite possibly a stand alone. Black has said that she has ideas for another book but her agent is the one who gets to say yes or no. The second thing is that the ending, where as it tied up almost everything it left a few things up to the imagination. Don't get me wrong I loved the ending, I JUST WANT MORE!

Do I need to say I recommend this to everyone? 'Cause I do, young and old, just read the book! I want to own this book and I am currently looking for it. I do see myself rereading this book a number of times before I decide not to. I seriously hope there is another book. This makes the list of "Books that were awesome" for me. If you read it and don't like it that's okay! Not every book is going to agree with everyone, that's be beauty of life.

Rating: 5 out of 5!

Page Count: 419 pages (hardcover)

Price: $19

Next Book: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on the book as well
~Jade


You can also follow me on these sites: Facebook, Goodreads, Tumblr and now YouTube