Review: Immortal City

Title: Immortal City
Author: Scott Speer
Published: April 3, 2012
Source: BookPeople Review

Synopsis:

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

Review:
Immortal City will leave you wanting more. It swept me off my feet and I don't want to come back down yet. It wasn't what I was expecting and that was a good thing. It took me by surprise, even if it was a little predictable at times, you never knew the big things that were going to happen.

Cover:
So my copy of the book had a different cover, which I loved. It was really shiny and had a shirtless winged guy on the cover. I was pretty happy with it! :) The cover that is on Goodreads.com, I don't really like. It has some inconsistencies like the fact that this guy has a tattoo and Jacks doesn't. Other than that there isn't really anything else that is wrong with it!

Plot/Writing:
The story line was very interesting. It wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting a shabby love story and nothing that seemed real to me. Instead I got a very realistic love story and some action/adventure mixed in, which I loved! :) Well realistic minus falling in love with an angel.. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised!

The writing was what got to me though! I love how it switched POV's throughout the story, but it didn't have any rhyme or reason to it. One paragraph it would be Jacks, the next it would be Maddy, and then it would some drunk on the side of the road. Which I mean it all had somewhat of a purpose but it gave me a sense of whiplash.

Characters:
The characters were all very different, and some were very two-faced. It was nice to see that all the angel's weren't perfect and that they did make mistakes. Even if they weren't gorgeous and perfect in the lime light.

Maddy is human though, and she is one of those girls who covers up her beauty with sweatshirts and jeans. But she is strong willed and very very stubborn. She isn't caught up with the glitz and glamour of the angels and particularly doesn't care about them. Then she meets Jacks and everything in her life changes. Yet she stays the same girl. She is still strong willed and stubborn. Which was nice to see that she saw him as a real person and not some way to get famous quickly.

Then there's Jacks. At first when I saw his name I did a double take. Is the 's' on the end a typo? Or is it supposed to be there? I had no clue! Then I read farther into the book and figured out that it wasn't a typo.. Jacks is the type of guy that is dedicated to his job. Well.. His soon to be job. All he's thought about since he was twelve was getting that Guardian Ring. He loves the thought of helping people and doing his duty, but then he meets Maddy and well.. His life changes a little. :)

All in All: I loved this book! It is that type of read that has a good surprise in store and has things that you would never guess. I read it in about one sitting and loved every moment of it! Check it out! :) 5 out of 5 tacos!

Friday 56: 3/9/12

This weekly meme is hosted by Freda's Voice!!!

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Turn to page 56

• Find any sentence that grabs you

• Post it

• Add your URL to her Linky!

"You look incredible," Darcy said, giving him a once-over. "I couldn't be happier if you'd shown up naked." Immortal City by Scott Speer

Waiting on Wednesday: 3/7/12

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine! It showcases books that we can't wait on to come out!

Teaser Tuesday: 3/6/12

This lovely weekly feature is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading!

Rules:

• Grab your current read!

• Open to a random page

• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page!

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

• Share the title and author!

"MADDY MONTGOMERY ATTEMPTS TO TORCH BIO LAB. She read Blake's words aloud."
"Dear Maddy, thank you, on behalf of the student body, for trying to set fire to the school. It would be an improvement, no doubt."
Page 44 of Immortal City by Scott Speer

Review: Under the Never Sky

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published: February 7, 2012
Source: BookPeople Review

Synopsis:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Review:
Veronica Rossi did an amazing job with Under the Never Sky. It was the kind of book that you couldn't put down, and didn't want to put down. A dystopian book that was a major hit with me! :)

Cover: The cover is absolutely gorgeous! I loved the Aether swirling around in the background! Plus the cover, even with all the trees and stuff in the background, is pretty simple and we know where our attention is supposed to be diverted! :) I love it!

Plot/Writing:
Veronica did a great job with keeping the reader entertained. She kept us focus and intent on the story. It might've started off a little slow, but it gradually grew and made me fall in love with the story! Everything about it was simply amazing. The new technology was explained and it helped you understand the book better!

She switched off on POV's every few chapters or so, and it took me a little bit to get that. When she first switched, I was thinking, "Who is this Perry kid? How does Aria know him?" Then I realized that it was actually in his POV and I had my moment of blondness and moved on. The switch though helped me understand the story better and it was really interesting to see into the characters minds.

Characters:
The way Veronica wrote her characters, it was like meeting a new person and watching them gradually change and grow before your eyes. She had her characters make a complete 180 from the people they were   and they were all amazing. Her characters were so strong and so brave that it was as if they had no fears in the world.

Aria is a beautiful, sweet, and a little curious 17 year old girl. She has one of the best voices around and that's what makes her a little different than the people in the Realms. That is until she is kicked out of the Realms and is forced out of the only home she has ever known. You watch Aria grow into a strong and fierce woman as you go through the book. She doesn't complain, and she is stubborn and will fight for what she thinks is right.

Then there's Perry, who is dark and mysterious, and a outsider. He is always saving Aria from the dangers that she doesn't know existed. He is harsh and rude at the beginning, but as you get inside his head, and farther in the book, he opens up. Telling Aria things that nobody has ever known about him. He is one of those people who will sacrifice himself if it means saving others. I LOVED PERRY, but all I thought while reading was "IT'S AGENT P!" from Phineas and Ferb! :)

All in All: I loved Under the Never Sky so much! I even wrote a poem about it.. It wasn't that bad, even if Anne wants to think it is!:) You should really consider picking up a copy of this book. It will leave you breathless and wanting much much more! :) 5 out of 5 tacos!