Posts Tagged: YA

Friday, November 04, 2011

Review: Pyxis by K.C. Neal

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Pyxis
K.C. Neal
Release date: November 4th, 2011
by Stonehouse Ink

Goodreads / Purchase

Two worlds… one 16-year-old girl must learn to protect them both.

The nightmares haunting Corinne and her friend Mason hint at a universe that exists beyond the one they know. Her destiny is to protect a weakness between the two worlds, but her mentor is dead. As Corinne and Mason search for answers, she tries to ignore the sparks igniting between them, but can’t deny she feels safe only when he’s nearby. Will they find help before their nightmares break free?

*A copy was provided by K.C. Neal for review purposes*

With quite the original premise, Pyxis takes you on a fun and mysterious ride with Corinne and her best friend Mason. All throughout the book, you’re never really sure why Corinne has been having these strange nightmares that mirrors Mason’s, nor why she has these bottles of liquids that seem to have strange effects on her classmates…

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Pyxis. There weren’t that many reviews on it and the blurb was very mysterious if a bit vague. Therefore, I was really happy when I fell in love with the characters and completely enjoyed the story. The pace of the book is wonderful in the way that it builds anticipation. It makes you yearn to find out what it all means, but also want to sit back and enjoy the ride. There is evidently a lot of mystery regarding what is happening to Corinne, with the liquids and the dreams. I loved trying to decipher every piece of information that was given- which heightening my curiosity even more so. I also enjoyed getting spooked a few times along with Corinne.

A wonderfully written character, Corinne is level headed, smart and truly amiable. If she lived here, I would definitely want to be friends with her. She just has a great personality. Her best friend, Angelina, is a lot of fun as well, though I wish she’d been more involved in Pyxis. However going by the plot’s development, she will certainly have a bigger role in the rest of the series. As for Mason, Corinne’s childhood friend and current crush, he has a wonderful presence in the novel and I adored his character. He is so genuine and has an incredible connection with Corinne that I could feel through the pages.

In Pyxis, the first novel in the series, we’re mostly introduced to the plot; We discover what’s in store for our characters and the unusual concept around the Pyxis legacy. It’s fresh, with unique paranormal aspects and amazing characters. For a debut novel, I’m very impressed and looking forward to the rest of the series. The next installment has amazing potential that will undoubtedly contain a lot of excitement, mystery and romance.

4 Hot Espressos
Want to know more about Pyxis? 
Drop by on November 14th for an interview with K.C and a chance to win a copy!

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Posted by on 11/03/2011 • 24 Comments

Hunting LilaSarah AldersonReleased August 4th, 2011by Simon & Schuster

Goodreads / Purchase

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust – her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them. Trying to…

Touch Blog Tour Stop

Posted by on 11/02/2011 • 42 Comments

Today, Xpresso Reads is happy to have the Touch Blog Tour stop buy to pay a visit. It consists of my review of Touch with a few extra tidbits, and also maybe… a giveaway?You have not heard of Touch yet? Here’s what it’s all about:

 TouchJus AccardoReleased November 1st,by Entangled Publishing

Goodreads / Purchase

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. 

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s…

Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Posted by on 11/01/2011 • 17 Comments

Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2)Richelle MeadReleased April 10th, 2008by Razorbill

Goodreads / Purchase

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But…

Review: Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender

Posted by on 10/31/2011 • 26 Comments

Bad Girls Don’t DieKatie AlenderPublished April 21st, 2009by Hyperion

When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.

Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child…

Review: Dark Eden by Partick Carman

Posted by on 10/29/2011 • 12 Comments

Dark EdenPatrick CarmanRelease date: November 1st, 2011by HarperCollins Publishers

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

*A copy was provided by HarperCollins Publishers for review purposes*

Holy freaking cow! Now this is a thriller! I often go into books believing them to be thrillers, when they…

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Posted by on 10/28/2011 • 31 Comments

ObsidianJennifer L. ArmentroutRelease date: December 6th, 2011by Entangled Publishing

Starting over sucks. When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit…

Review: Suspense by Jason Letts

Posted by on 10/27/2011 • 10 Comments

SuspenseJason LettsReleased September 3rd, 2011Format: Ebook

Spencer Nye can’t control the rage bubbling under her skin over the world around her. The trouble is, by the year 2102, the world has solved most of its great problems. Without hunger, war, greed, or even money, people obsess over the glamour of the Culture Industry and its mega-celebrity Idols, who vie for followers over the social networks of Connect.

But Spencer discovers there is plenty to fix within the Idols’ competition for more popularity. She becomes a diehard and promises to do anything to help her Idol, a dreamy movie star named Cleary Mintz, bring his vision of hope and purpose to the world. When she stumbles onto a threat against his life, she’ll have to fight harder than she ever thought…