The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Release Date: June 4, 2013
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Atria Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Covet
Pages: 448
Format: eGalley
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Interest: n/a
Buy the Book: Amazon

One of my favorites this year.

I know I won’t be able to do this book justice in this review. Really, you don’t even need to bother reading this review, just go get this book and read it. You won’t be disappointed.

This novel is beautifully written. It’s heart-wrenching and depressing, yet at the same time it’s incredibly uplifting. Millay somehow evokes every emotion possibly from her readers. Witnessing these two damaged teens, and I hate to use the word damaged because it sounds so limiting, but they have both experienced such grief and somehow they come out on the other side and in the end find each other. It’s powerful and incredible.

The Sea of Tranquility isn’t what I would classify as a YA romance. Sure there is a bit of a love story in there, but this story is much more on the character driven side of things.

It’s a tad slow at the beginning. I remember thinking “am I going to like this?” Needless to say it wasn’t what I was expecting, but it ended up being so much more.

Nastya and Josh are truly unforgettable characters and I can’t wait for you to meet them.

Of Triton by Anna Banks

Release Date: May 28, 2013
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Covet/Acquire
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Interest: Series
Other Titles in the Series: Of Poseidon
Buy the Book: Amazon

One word: Love!

This is such a fun and fabulous series and they both would make wonderful additions to your summer reading piles! So, get on that!

Of Triton picks up right where Of Poseidon left off, and thank goodness because the ending of Of Poseidon was “like woah!” It killed me to wait for the sequel! But it was so worth the wait, Of Triton exceeded my expectations! I was all to ready to be taken back into the world that Banks had created.

I loved the story! There was enough action and drama to keep me engaged the entire time, but not so much that I felt overwhelmed. These books are so fun to read! I don’t want to call them fluff, because they’re not, but they are more on the lighter side. Although now that I say that, there are some deaths in both, so that is kind of serious!

My only complaint is that I wanted more of Emma and Galen time!

If you’re looking for something faced paced and fun this summer, look no further than Of Triton! Just make sure you read Of Poseidon first! I can’t wait for the next one!

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Release Date: May 28, 2013
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Acquire/Cover
Pages: 421
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Interest: Series
Other Titles in the Series: Starcrossed & Dreamless
Buy the Book: Amazon

Such a good ending to the series! I don’t think I could have asked for anything more. It was one of those endings that wasn’t disgustingly perfect for everyone, and I loved it for that reason. There are some major things that go down in Goddess. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for my friends in the Starcrossed series. People die. They make stupid decisions and change their lives forever. It’s “real.” You know, as real as a fictional story can be!

If you haven’t read this series, I so recommend that you do. I love greek mythology and this is such a fun modern twist! This series is epic! There is drama, action, love, and betrayal, all wrapped up in a beautiful package. (I mean really beautiful! Have you seen the covers! Love!)

I am going to miss these characters so much. And not just Helen and Lucas. Though I do love them, and I loved how Helen’s character really grew into her own, especially durning this one. I’m going to miss Hector, Orion, Cassandra, really I think I’ll miss the all, even Helen’s Mom. I hated her during most of the series, so that’s saying a lot!

I don’t know how Angelini kept everything straight throughout the series. I mean, WOW. This is one of those books that you have to pay attention to those details. Especially in the second book, there was a lot going on there. Maybe that’s why I like this series so much. It’s easy to get lost in this world that Angelini created, yet at the same time you still have to use your brain and pay attention to what is happening.

I can’t wait to see what Angelini comes up with next. She has a life-long fan in me, for sure! I know I’ll be recommending this series all the time!

Reviews by a Real Teen: Of Triton by Anna Banks

Meet Christina, a real teen, and her opinions on YA books!

Of Triton by Anna Banks

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Let me start off with, oh my goodness!! This book was so AWESOME!!.

Ok, so this book basically started off from where Of Poseidon ended, where Emma’s mom is Nalia. Well, let’s just say at the beginning Emma’s mom isn’t the best person in the world. Grom finds Nalia and he doesn’t want to be mated to Paca anymore. So Grom, Galen, Toraf, and Nalia go to the boundary so Nalia can live with the Syrena again and Grom can get unsealed from Paca. Well, I can tell you that is NOT what happens. They have to have a tribunal, which is like court, only in Syrena world. Meanwhile, back to Emma, she’s stuck with Rayna and Rachel and let’s just say that is not a good pairing. Plus a lot of secrets are spilled and “gifts” are uncovered, which keeps the book twisting and turning the whole way through.

I literally loved this book. It felt so good when I finished it because I haven’t read a book in a while, actually since I finished Call of the Wild for school. I’m so happy I picked this book to read first. It was full of humor, love, loss, and pretty much everything in between. There is so much emotion it’s like you want to literally reach into the book and hug Galen or slap Toraf. I will say this one was a good sequel. You have those series that the first book is really good, but the second or third or whatever are let downs. This one was not like that. It actually was more than what I thought.

If you’re debating whether or not you should read these books, you know have a great review and opinion to go towards the “read this” list.

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Release Date: February 26, 2013
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Acquire
Pages: 320
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Interest: N/A
Buy the Book: Amazon

Maggie is a spy. Well actually she’s a safecracker, her parents are the international spies. But together they’ve  taken done some bad guys. Now it’s time for Maggie’s solo assignment! The agency is sending her to high school. All she has to do is befriend the insanely cute Jesse Oliver, and get the information to bring down his dad. Oh, and not blow her cover. Easy peasy… right?

This book was adorable! It was fun, cute, quick and just what I needed after a super serious read. This was my first experience with Robin, even though I’ve heard awesome things about her previous books, and I can assure this will not be my last. I dare you to read this book and not instantly connect with Maggie. She might be a safecracker, which I have absolutely no shared experience with, but she is such a relatable character you can’t help but love her instantly. And it’s not only Maggie you’ll love. Her “mean” but endearing friend Roux, Angelo, even Jesse. I LOVED the characters in this novel.

And the story wasn’t too bad either! Sure Maggie makes a lot of mistakes, but that’s what made the story so much fun to read.

If you’re looking for something that’s fun and is going to make you feel good at the end, I definitely recommend Also Known As!