Hidden by Shalini Boland Review – Arc

This book…I’m soooooo glad I requested it on Netgalley to read..You bet I’m going to read the next two! It’s all about vampires…vampires..vampires…Vampires are my jam..to those who follow and check this blog you know it’s true. So let’s dive into the book and my thoughts on this interesting story.

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

Author: Shalini Boland
Pages/format: Netgalley Arc
Instagram
Twitter

Summary:
My name is Madison Greene. On my seventeenth birthday, I inherited an old mansion and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I thought it was a joke, but as I step through the creaking door of the sprawling building, I realize my life in foster care is in the past. I’ve been chosen and my world has changed forever.

But I wasn’t told that Marchwood House hides a secret.

As I explore every inch of the crumbling property, I stumble upon a set of large, dusty boxes in the basement. When I pull back the lid and look down, I find myself staring at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. High cheekbones, porcelain skin…

And when he wakes up and locks eyes with me, I realize my heart already belongs to him, even though my head is screaming at me to get as far away from Marchwood as possible. Because I know what he really is.

I never planned to fall in love – but it’s too late now. Alexandre has a dark and dangerous past. He needs me and I have to help him. But can a human really save a vampire?

My Review:
So I saw a post online about Hidden and I just had to read it. I think it was a cover reveal? Anyone I saw the author Shalini posting about arcs on Netgalley. You bet I requested it and got them!! I did a happy dance cause it’s about vampires. Okay okay…let’s get myself to calm down, right?

The story held my attention from the beginning to end. I literally read this book in two and half days. There’s suspense, mystery, real life feelings, amazing description of places..you could literally see the places the characters are at. Of course it has vampires in it…we all know vampires have been written many times and in many ways (which is fine with me!) but the author did a great job putting her spin on vampires. I love it! I dare wonder if Jay Kristoff would read this series…*ponders* He did watch Twilight and commented on it..I’m getting sidetracked..back to this awesome book.

The book is told from two perspectives. First is Madison who is a 17 year old teen that has a brother named Ben who is 12. Madison speaks of the current time frame, the year 2023. She and her brother live with foster parents and that eventually changes down the road as you know from the summary up above.

The second viewpoint is told by Alexandre who is 18 years old and is considered to be a man in time. He speaks of his time in the year of 1881. Alexandre has one brother and sister along with parents who he is close with. His story starts with his family and then goes on a trip where vampires end up. I love the spin on how vampires came to be for that part.

So the story goes back and forth between Madison and Alexandre which is great! It might bother some people but for me it was such a nice flow.

Towards the middle of the book Madison and Alexandre meet at the Marchwood House where the book is transformed with both characters speaking on the same page. I hope that makes sense. When they meet it’s scary for both of them..but in time they learn from each other and feelings happen.

I love Madison feisty attitude. She rocks. She also cares for her brother Ben as much as a sister could. She is just awesome. When she inherits the house, she learns more about the world. Something new to her but she dealt with it.

Alexandre what can I say? He craves adventure when he was human. I think his trip made him see the world differently and woke his senses up of learning new things. I love the relationship Alexandre has with his family.

Now the story the viewpoints of Madison and Alexandre who are teens which is fascinating to me. I put myself in their shoes and could see how it would be. It was pretty cool. I do have to say when they say “I love you ” to each other, it made me wonder could hormones be a part of this along with the idea to belonging to someone. To feel seen, to feel loved? Everyone wants that.

I will point out I loved it when Madison took Alexandre clothes shopping and he hated it. Madison made a reference to that even her brother Ben hated clothes shopping. This can be true for some men. I just had to chuckle at that.

Since the majority of the story focuses on Madison and Alexandre, there is another plot to it..I’m trying not to give it away.. Last few chapters at the end has to do with Alexandre’s family and major action happens. Like fight like action and things like that which would be perfect for a film. I can literally see this book as a movie too!

The ending has a cliffhanger..it leaves you wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Will there be peace or revenge?

So I suggest to those who have read tons of vampire books to pick this up to read. Go do it. Read…and let me know what you think.

Onwards to book 2!

Next up to read

Next up to read will be two books!

The book finally arrived at the door!
It came on Sunday!
I can’t wait to read this.

I did check this book out from the library.
I am going to read this one too.

I spy Teen Books

I spy Teen Books!!
Check them out to see if any spark your interest!
I think all of them look like great stories to read!

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.

She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.

So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.

But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia. The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times–while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.

Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, her favorite local bookstore. And with her moms fighting at home and her beloved car teetering on the brink of death, the store has become a welcome escape.

When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan.

Jake is an affront to everything Shoshanna stands for. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.

But as the competition intensifies, Jake and Shoshanna grow closer and realize they might be more on the same page than either expects…

Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she–with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan–can find the ticket holder who hasn’t claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite…or divide?

A broken world.
An overwhelming evil.
A team of warriors ready to strike back.

#1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu is back with an adrenaline-laced novel about the lengths one warrior will go to fight for freedom and those she loves.

Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara.

A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts.

But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara’s capital, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? What secrets is he hiding?

Only one thing is clear: Talin is ready to fight to the death alongside her fellow Strikers for the only homeland she has left . . . with or without the boy who might just be the weapon to save―or destroy―them all.

Loyalty is life.

Echoes Between Us

• Author: Katie McGarry 
• Twitter    Instagram
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen
• Date: January 14, 2020

Veronica sees ghosts―more specifically, her mother’s ghost, thanks to the blinding migraines that consume her whole life and keep Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting afterimages make her wonder if there is something more going on….

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all…including their lives?

My Thoughts:
I can’t recall where I saw this book in the first place. Let me try to think, maybe I saw it from another blog or it was on instagram? Anyways,  I was at my local library trying to find a book to read.  I decided to bring up my list on goodreads.  The book cover immediately popped up.  Next up was to find it the library catalog and luckily they had it.  Next step was to the shelves to grab this beauty.   I managed to get this book before the stay home went into effect.

I thought this book was going all about ghosts and teenagers but I was wrong.  There is more to the story than meets the cover!

There are two main characters: Sawyer and Veronica.  Sawyer is seen as the good guy who has everything.  Veronica is seen as the weirdo girl.   Will they connect?   At first Sawyer and Veronica are wrapped up in their own worlds.  Each of them are struggling with things and yet neither one of them knows.  This part of the story made me think that everyone is struggling somehow.

Eventually when Sawyer and Veronica connect, it is awesome.  I love how they connect and talk with each other. It is like they almost understand each other.   I can’t explain it. Perhaps they bring the best out of each other and that’s how relationships should be.  I just think it is awesome.   They also eventually tell each other their struggles which made them realize that they are helping themselves and each other.   Once their struggles are told to each other, they had to deal with their parents also.  That was the next step.  Will they survive it?

I loved the line on page 129 : “For lions, and tigers and bears? Sure.”  This reminded me of the part in the “Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her friends were scared and yet they had each other to lean on.  I believe the author may have used that line to demonstrated  the same feeling towards Sawyer and Veronica.

Another thing I want to point out is that on page 110 Sawyer mentions of  having an “IEP” which is  I thought was nice to see since most stories that I have read have not mentioned about that.  Sawyer has dyslexia so that was why he has an IEP and he tells Veronica this.   If you do not know what an IEP — it stands for Individualized Educational Plan.  IEP is a plan or program developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives specialized instruction and related services.

I do want to mention that Sawyer ends up with a diary from a girl named Evelyn who had TB in the 1900s.  The diary just pops up to him.  It makes me wonder if a ghost did that or was it just destiny.   The snippets of the diary is mentioned in the story which was pretty cool to read and learn a bit of history.   The story also made me wonder if the diary was haunted.   Could  that be possible?

I  could not get enough of this story.   Fate, life, recovering, romance, ghosts and many more themes just made this story amazing.   The cover is stunning.  It catches your eye and the font is sticking out.  It’s almost like art!   Then again I think of every book that I pick out has an amazing cover.  That draws me towards a book along with the summary of the story.   Hope you like the short review and that you will check it out too.

The Sidekicks

 

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date: October 17, 2017

Ryan, Harley and Miles are very different people—the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd. All they’ve ever had in common is Isaac, their shared best friend.

When Isaac dies unexpectedly, the three boys must come to terms with their grief and the impact Isaac had on each of their lives. In his absence, Ryan, Harley and Miles discover things about one another they never saw before, and realize there may be more tying them together than just Isaac.

In this intricately woven story told in three parts, award-winning Australian author Will Kostakis makes his American debut with a heartwarming, masterfully written novel about grief, self-discovery and the connections that tie us all together.

I think this book looks great. It’s a book of dealing with life, themselves and others.  Self-discovery is important!   It kind of reminds me of The Outsiders in a way and The Breakfast Club (the movie)..how we are different and yet on the same path.  I have not read this book yet but I think I will eventually.  

Action and a whole new world….

Series: New Series
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Amulet Books
Date: August 8, 2017

The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie’s every waking thought. But when she discovers she’s a celestial spirit who’s powerful enough to bash through the gates of heaven with her fists, her perfectionist existence is shattered.

Enter Quentin, a transfer student from China whose tone-deaf assertiveness beguiles Genie to the brink of madness. Quentin nurtures Genie’s outrageous transformation—sometimes gently, sometimes aggressively—as her sleepy suburb in the Bay Area comes under siege from hell-spawn.

This epic YA debut draws from Chinese folklore, features a larger-than-life heroine, and perfectly balances the realities of Genie’s grounded high school life with the absurd supernatural world she finds herself commanding.

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Date: October 31, 2017

In the walled city of Kos, corrupt mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts—lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj’s livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family.

When Taj is called to eat a sin of a member of the royal family, he’s suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves—and his own life.

Well….let’s jump into new worlds and explore these books.  Who’s ready for some adventure and tackle some beasts?   I’m pretty sure these books would be a fun to read.   If you like demons, action and battles, then I think these books may be for you.   The covers are stunning because the colors just pop out at you.  I think these covers also let your imagine run wild to tie in with the stories.