Elite by Rachel Van Dyken Review

Synopsis:
For Tracey Rooks, life with her grandparents on a Wyoming farm has always been simple. But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .

The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

Review:
It is so funny looking back at the original review I made for this book 5 years ago in 2013. 5 years is a long time. In a world that is constantly moving and changing it is no wonder that my views on this book have changed during this re-read. 

So, lets get started.

I loved the start of the book. How can you not enjoy a prologue that starts off 

         

           " Whoever told me life was easy, lied." 

            " Everyone has a story that needs to be told."

So, as we begin to understand our main character, Trace ( Who I for some reason always called Trace-y in my head despite it just being Trace) it starts off with her pulling up to large gates that will lead into her new boarding school for the rich and privileged. 

For those of you reading, if you have ever come across the manga or K-drama Hana Yori Dango, and enjoyed it, then this book is gonna be a win for you. This book gives such a Hana Yori Dango vibe it is not even funny. Considering I thoroughly enjoyed both the manga and show, it is no wonder that I enjoyed the book. 

5 years and I had actually forgotten just about everything that there was when it came to this book, so it was like I had decided to read it for the first time all over again. That is what I love about a good re-read, you rediscover books you love and get fresh insights into them.

I loved the nerdy references they made in this book, from Harry Potter to Batman, it made my little nerd girl heart happy. 

I also loved one saying that I will probably end up stealing and incorporating into my every day life whenever I can. And that saying comes from after Trace has had a run in with some school bullies, she is bruised, she is broken and Nixon makes her take a bath on the promise that she won't fall asleep and drown. Her response, she won't be 'mermaiding it." 
I am gonna be honest, I snickered over that because the amount of sass in such a statement is one I can see me giving my husband without missing a beat. 

Also, I know this is completely superficial but I love tattoo's and piercings.. who doesn't right? I  mean we all harbor secret ( or not so secret) fantasies for a bad boy in our love lives. 

So now here comes the hard part of any review, no matter how much good there is, there is gonna be some bad.


I don't know why I didn't notice this when I first read the book but Trace's moods are up and down to the point I have no clue what is going on in her head. She gives the term teenage hormones a run for it's money. One minute she is happy, the next she is sassy and won't back down, then she is weepy, then she is weak, then she is swooning over Nixon. It made it hard to relate to her because I didn't understand how she could be so tough one minute and the next just be the complete opposite.

It also confused me how Nixon went from hating being touched to straight up mauling Trace in the elevator...it briefly explains later on in the book that he is ok with it only because he is in control but it was such a weird characteristic trait to focus on when it didn't follow through.

Overall I still enjoyed the book, not as much as I did when I was younger but it is still one that is worth the read. 


Rating: 
4 out of 5 Stars!

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler Review

Synopsis:

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A “touching father-daughter story” (Kirkus Reviews) from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.


Review:

This was not a planned read for me, I was visiting my family and the books I brought with me were not calling to me. So, I decided to peek into the TBR piles of my sister. Coming from a family of readers with various tastes, I knew that there had to be a book somewhere that would scratch that itch. And I wasn't wrong.

There sitting on my sisters table halfway down her pile was 'The Book of Broken Hearts' by Sarah  Ockler. I actually forgot that this is in my TBR pile until I went on to goodreads to upload my review and found it.

But this book was a quick and easy read, I finished it in one day actually. While it is a clean read there is still enough drama to keep me tuned in. I think what I liked best about this book is that it talks about a subject near and dear to my heart. Alzheimer's.

Growing up my mother worked in Assisted Living homes, and there were plenty of men and women who would get lost in their minds and forget things. I saw not only the struggle of their family as they were forgotten but the fight the patients went through as well. So when Jude is struggling with her fathers illness I couldn't help but relate. Each outburst and "senior" moment her father had made my heart ache for her a little more.

I liked that despite how Emilio's brothers were he was adamant that he was not like them. Just because you come from a big family does not mean you are automatically going to end up just like your siblings. As the oldest of 4 I can attest to that. Each of us has our own personalities and quirks, both good and bad.

I liked that Jude found something that helped her father with his memories and worked with him. Her sisters comment that they didn't know it had gotten so bad and they were amazed that she was able to calm him down so easy.

This is a sweet gentle read perfect for any rainy day and one I would recommend to just about anyone looking to pass the  time.

Rating: 
4 out of 5 Stars.

Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol Review

Synopsis:
Firstborns rule society. Secondborns are the property of the government. Thirdborns are not tolerated. Long live the Fates Republic.

On Transition Day, the second child in every family is taken by the government and forced into servitude. Roselle St. Sismode’s eighteenth birthday arrives with harsh realizations: she’s to become a soldier for the Fate of Swords military arm of the Republic during the bloodiest rebellion in history, and her elite firstborn mother is happy to see her go.

Televised since her early childhood, Roselle’s privileged upbringing has earned her the resentment of her secondborn peers. Now her decision to spare an enemy on the battlefield marks her as a traitor to the state.

But Roselle finds an ally—and more—in fellow secondborn conscript Hawthorne Trugrave. As the consequences of her actions ripple throughout the Fates Republic, can Roselle create a destiny of her own? Or will her Fate override everything she fights for—even love?

Review:
I actually don't remember where I got this book. I was bored and scrolling through my kindle TBR pile while I waited for some kind of appointment to finish up and there it was. And the cover looked intriguing so I said sure why not.

And then I fell in love with the book from the first chapter. The cover may have attracted my attention but the writing  held it.

So lets get started.

This had a definite 'Divergent' feel to me. It was like watching Tris walk into Dauntless all over again. Only this time it is Roselle being placed in a military training facility because she is a second born and not just any second born but one who comes from a family of great importance.

That was one of the things I liked about this book actually. A lot of these books they have the family unit so perfect, the mother loves all her children, all the children are good, ect . But in this book the mother has no emotional connection with Roselle other then fear that she might one day be a usurper  and kill her brother. I liked that her mother was such a mean unlikeable character. It made sense, it even made sense that her father had nothing to do with her and the only father figure she had was her fighting instructor named Dune, who drops a bomb shell as they are leaving, that he is a third born.

So lets fast forward to when Roselle is doing her duty as a second born and going into the military where she will probably be killed due to her families importance and the anger over how second borns are treated, they are stopped by a terrorist attack where a new weapon is exposed that renders their electronic weapons *cough* light saber*cough* useless, including the chips in their hands that say who they are.

And then the love interest enters. Hawthorne....where do I even begin. I know a lot of people like him...but I don't. I don't like that he comes into her life as a lie. I have trust issues... and for me that is a big no no. AND he pretty much drops contact with her once circumstances make him a first born.
I get it, he helped her emotionally through some things...but to all but disappear from her life is a huge emotional trigger for me.

I actually like the rebel she saved. He is who I am rooting for and I don't really have any reason why other then the fact he seems like the most suitable person interested in her.

One of the things I did not like about this book was how it would introduce characters and then they would vanish without any reason. Roselle meets Hawthornes friends and becomes friends with them but all of a sudden it is like there were only two friends instead of 3.

AND she decides to go to someone to create a new weapon that will render the rebels weapon's useless. A hydro blade mix, because something like that can go unnoticed in a military base...no wonder they are being attacked.

Overall I loved this book, I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series and I think the action and intrigue makes up for any plot holes.


Rating:
4 stars!