Aftertime - A Great and Exceptional Read

Title: Aftertime

Author: Sophie Littlefield

Series: Aftertime, Book #1

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Fiction

Page Count: 384 Pages (Hardcover)

Pub. Date: Published February 2011 by LUNA Books

Rating: 5/5

~Book's Description from Goodreads~

Someone once said that all apocalypses are experienced locally. In the case of Cass Dollar, the nightmare occurred with the violent abduction of two-year-old Ruthie, which she vividly remembers. Only later is young Cass assaulted also by the vague, twisting memories of a much wider conflagration that she herself only narrowly survived. A government experiment had turned the entire California landscape into the hunting grounds of zombie Beaters, but Cass can only think of the helpless toddler she is missing.

~My Review~

I Am Legend meets The Postman with a healthy dose of a love story - this book had me completely hooked and begging for more!

Cass was easy to read, and although she continually described her utter self-loathing, I couldn't help but form a soft spot for her. Smoke was mysterious and all sorts of tall, dark and handsome. I loved their chemistry, even if it was shrouded with doubts and mystery, they had me rooting for them.

The relationship, however, didn't overtake the plot of the book. I was riveted to the page, scared of the "Beaters" and constantly hoping that Cass would find her daughter Ruthie.

Some of the religious stuff had me worried near the end, but I think that Sophie Littlefield did a good job of portraying the fanatics without bashing Christians in general.

I loved every moment of reading this book, and was thinking of it during the day when I wasn't reading it. I would definitely recommend picking it up. The second book in the series is available now too, so you might just want to get them both (I'm starting Rebirth right after I post this review)

My Rating: 5/5

~ You'll like this series if you liked ~

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

~Links 4 More~

Author Website: here

Add to your Shelfari: here

Add to your Goodreads: here

Buy it at BookDepository (free shipping): here

Hereafter Review - 5/5 Brilliant!

Title: Hereafter
Author: Tara Hudson
Series: Hereafter, Book #1
Genre: YA, Fantasy (Ghosts)
Page Count: 404 Pages (Hardcover)
Pub. Date: Published June 2011 by HarperTeen
Rating: 5/5



*ARC received from publisher through NetGalley*

~Book's Description~

For Amelia, time has all but slowed to a stop as her spirit remains stranded alone in the dark waters of a mysterious river. She knows she’s died, but with no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she’s trapped in one long continuous nightmare, in which she cannot feel anything or interact with anyone. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a teenage boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in a moment of connection, he looks in her eyes and becomes the first person in the world to see that she still exists.
When he touches her, Joshua sparks strange and wonderful sensory feelings in Amelia--at first just momentary flashes, then pulses that become ever stronger as he leads her out of the river and into his life. As Amelia and Joshua uncover who she was and the strange circumstances of her death, new problems arise: somehow, Joshua’s grandmother seems to know exactly what is going on between them, and Eli, a ghost enforcer, is hell-bent on destroying their happiness and dragging Amelia back into the spirit world.
With every touch and the growing feelings that come with them, Amelia and Joshua begin to wonder if there’s something special not only about Joshua but also the dark river that held her captive for so long. Can there truly be love after death?

~My Review~

First off, I am so mad at myself for not reading this one earlier. I realized halfway through the first chapter that Hereafter was fast becoming a new favourite. I loved the writing style, the characters and the tone of the book, I couldn't put it down.

Tara Hudson did a fantastic job with the main characters, Amelia and Joshua. I absolutely adore the both of them and their chemistry is perfect. I found their budding relationship addictive, and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

The ebb and flow of the story was well plotted out, and even though this is the first in a series, I was left very happy at the end. It didn't just feel like the first chunk of a story, but was complete enough in and of itself, but I am so happy I will get more of Amelia and her creepy ghost-world in future books.

If you haven't read Hereafter yet, be sure to pick it up, it is definitely worth the read, and if it's already on your TBR pile, bump it up, you won't be sorry!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC

My Rating: 5/5

~ You'll like this series if you liked ~

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton, Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, or Fallen by Lauren Kate.

~Links 4 More~

Author Website: here
Add to your Shelfari: here
Add to your Goodreads: here
Buy it at BookDepository (free shipping): here

B.J. Kenney

Harry Potter Book #5

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #5
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Page Count: 768 Pages (Paperback 960 pages)
Pub. Date: Hardcover, published in 2003 by Bloomsbury.
Rating: 5/5

Harry is furious that he has been abandoned at the Dursleys' house for the summer, for he suspects that Voldemort is gathering an army, that he himself could be attacked, and that his so-called friends are keeping him in the dark. Finally being rescued by wizard bodyguards, he discovers that Dumbledore is regrouping the Order of the Phoenix - a secret society first formed years ago to fight Voldemort. But the Ministry of Magic is against the Order, lies are being spread by the wizards' tabloid, the Daily Prophet, and Harry fears that he may have to take on this epic battle against evil alone.

~My Review~

Well this giant of a book took me waaay too long to read, but I am glad I did. I think that the Harry Potter series is getting progressively better with each book. I spent a great deal of this book irritated with Umbridge but I was completely hooked in by the story.

Harry is finally growing up in The Order of the Phoenix, making his decisions slightly more mature. I found it quite entertaining how clueless he was about girls, and the lectures from Hermione were excellent. I think that she should write a book too.

Harry had to face the challenge of following the rules, even when the one making them is out to get you, and you have less and less people around who you can trust. The grown-ups are keeping the students “sheltered” once again, only achieving in getting everyone into even more trouble when Harry and his friends have to find things out themselves, or get in a whole lot of trouble trying.

Overall I think that this one was my favourite so far, and I am going to try my hardest to at least read the sixth book before the final movie comes out this week!

My Rating: 5/5

~ Other books in this series ~

#1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
#2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
#3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
#4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
#5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
#6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
#7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

~ You'll like this series if you liked ~

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, or Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

~Links 4 More~

Author Website: here
Add to your Shelfari: here
Add to your Goodreads: here
Buy it at Bookdepository (Free Shipping): here

YA Cover Colour Wheel

Kate Heart made this colour wheel of YA covers to prove that YA isn't to dark and I just had to share. She may have been taking things a little too literally :)

See the full size here

Harry Potter Book #4

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #4
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Page Count: 800 Pages
Pub. Date: Paperback, published in 2004 by Raincoast Books, originally published in June 2000 by Bloomsbury in London.
Rating: 4.5/5

When the Quidditch World Cup is disrupted by Voldemort's rampaging supporters and the terrifying Dark Mark is resurrected, it is obvious to Harry that, far from failing, Voldemort is getting stronger. The ultimate symbol to the magic world of the evil Lord's return would be if the one and only survivor of his death curse, Harry Potter, could finally be beaten. So when Harry is entered for the Triwizard Tournament - a competition between three wizarding schools to find the ultimate magician - he knows that rather than win it, he just has to get through the trials alive.

~My Review~

I liked the Goblet of Fire a lot, it kept me riveted, and I was guessing until the end. My issue is the way that the ending played out. I feel like I would have prefered to "see" the why's and who's of the villains in this one, instead of having them laid out in a monologue at the end. I think it would have been better if Harry had figured it out instead of "surprise it was actually me, mwahaha, and this is exactly how I did it!"

I liked the layout of the plot in the Goblet of Fire. The challenges were spread apart nicely throughout the book leaving enough time between them for the subplots to thicken. I feel like it was a bit odd that the Quiddich games would just stop and that the champions wouldn't have exams - just seemed a strange that none of them could multitask. I think that I was having flashbacks of when the teachers went on strike my freshman year - the lack of sports for one year FUBARed the teams for a good three years, and we were known for our athletics dept. before the strike. When I read that they were canceling Quiddich for the year I was thinking "No, you will loose your momentum, and you're wasting a whole year for training the new recruits!"

All that aside, the creepiness was chilling, the humor was engaging, and the adventure was captivating. Another great book in the series.

My Rating: 4.5/5

~ Other books in this series ~
#1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
#2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
#3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
#4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
#5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
#6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
#7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


~ You'll like this series if you liked ~
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, or Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


~Links 4 More~
Author Website: here
Add to your Shelfari: here
Add to your Goodreads: here
Buy it at Bookdepository (Free Shipping): here

B.J. Kenney