Mila 2.0 Origins & Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza Review

Mila: Origins: The Fire and Mila 2.0

by Debra Driza

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*

Overall Rating

I just finished the first 2 books that are out in the series, The Origins and Mila 2.0. I flew through the first book which was more of a novella and immediately jumped into Mila 2.0. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this series because I absolutely adore YA and genres such as supernatural, fantasy, and science fiction. This series is a fantastic example of science fiction and beautifully woven with a YA element. With true form for a successful series, I felt that the books got better with each one. Origins gives you a beautifully suspenseful opening and trust me when I say that you will want to read on to the next one so you better have both books ready! I very much enjoyed the books and if you like YA and science fiction, this series will be a hit for you too.

Originality/Creativity:

Obviously the idea of a part robot, part human book or movie has been done before several times. So the trick for any author that approaches this idea is to make it their own. Have their story stand out. I felt that the author did that. The story is unique and there are a couple of twists and turns in it that keep you guessing as to what will happen next. It was interesting to have the main character be simply a 16 year old “normal” girl and then to take the story and dramatically change it into non stop action and complexity. I give the author several points, or should I say PAWS for that.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The most complex character is of course, the main character Mila. That girl is a whole bunch of WTF rolled into a teenage ball of mechanical wonder. You definitely have a huge evolution of who you think she is in the first book, to having your mind blown away in the second book. You see her mentality go from being a slightly ditsy teenager to becoming more of an adult with hints of teenage tendancies in the second book. The next most complex character is her “mom” which I won’t go into much because that would be spoiling it, and I don’t do spoilers! Just trust me when I say that her mom is all sorts of wacky.

Quality of writing:

The writing in this book is very well done. When you read science fiction novels, sometimes the authors get so complex in their descriptions that you start to wonder if it is a book you are reading or a how-to-guide on building futuristic space rockets. The author did a great job of keeping it fun, easy to understand, while still having science fiction elements. The story was easy to follow and flowed nicely. I had no problems picturing each scene in my mind which to me is the most important thing a good book should do.

Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. This series does exactly that. The first novella gets you pumped up because it jumps right into a tragic event. It makes you want to run full speed into the second book. And the second book starts out not really slow, but takes just a few minutes to get into the action. Once it does, it is literally non-stop throughout the whole book. I absolutely loved and appreciated that. I read both books in one day so that should say a lot as to how much interest it generated for me.

Would I recommend the series? Oh hell yes! It is a great read! If you enjoy YA and science fiction, this is a good fit for you. It isn’t science fiction overload though so I think that will help generate interest to a wider audience. There is not much of a romance element to it, but you do see that there is potential to that in the next books to come in the series. I cannot wait to see what comes next for Mila and I am sure that you will feel the same way once you read the books.

Into the Dark #1-4 by Milly Silver Series Review

Into the Dark #1-4

By Milly Silver

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS*

This entire series was provided for me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Milly Silver, I appreciate all the hard work you put into this book series and for giving me the opportunity to read and review it for you.

Overall Rating

I just finished the entire series, which consisted of four books. I am a pretty fast reader, I would say the entire series took me about 4 hours to read, 1 hour per book. With true form for a successful series, I felt that the books got better with each one. I felt that the fourth book was by far the best book in the series. Looking back on everything, I have to say that I did enjoy the series in its entirety. While the first books lacked a little bit of the usual luster I prefer, the ending delivers a satisfying finality.


Originality/Creativity:

I definitely find there to be a strong element of creativity in this book and the series. My most favorite genre is supernatural/paranormal/science fiction. My second most favorite genre is contemporary fiction. This book series has the best of both worlds since the main character Emily is constantly being ripped between our normal world and the supernatural parallel universes. Hats off to the author for putting the best of both genres together so well into one story. This last book in the series unravels the most secrets and so it contains the most complexity of all the other books. You finally understand the role each character has played in Emily’s life and most of the answers come together for you. I still had many more questions that needed answers, but I think that is just because I tend to crave more details when it comes to “other worlds” because I like to have a clear picture in my mind of the setting because I have a vivid imagination.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The two most complex characters in this story are the main character Emily and her love interest/obsession Henry. Near the beginning, Emily commits a horrible act of betrayal that will stick with her through the entire series and constantly plagues her conscience. You see her trying to integrate into the complex social life at Oxford and then a completely different behavior when she is in the parallel universes. In the first 3 books, I decided that the two main characters, Emily and Henry, were the most complicated. In the final book, you realize that every character around Emily has played a critical role in her life to help her and have been around for quite some time. The complexity of the characters multiplies by tenfold in this book, giving it a much more interesting read.

Quality of writing:

This book is written in “British-English” which means that common spelling we use in the United States is a bit different. There is just the slight variation in spellings such as “favourite” instead of “favorite.” British-English is commonly found in the British Isles, Australia, Canada, etc. Not a big deal to me, I am used to reading books like this so it does not distract me in the least. It fits perfectly with the setting of where the story takes place. Some less literate Americans might have an issue reading this, which I find to be hilarious.

Action/Suspense:

I am an action junkie so the best way to keep me extremely happy is to have non-stop action. The first two books do not have as much action as the last two. And the fourth book has the most action of all. I felt that the author should have had Emily spend more time in the parallel universes, because that was the only place where there was any real action. In the last book, the very last trip into the parallel universe was more drawn out then the other books, which was delightful. I was actually on edge for a few moments so my crave for action was finally satisfied.

Would I recommend the series? Yes, under certain conditions. You have to be a patient reader. I felt that the first two books were not nearly as interesting as the final two books and because of that, a lot of people may lose interest. However, I consider myself to be a dedicated reader so I seldom abandon books before I finish them or the series. If I don't finish a book, they means that it must have really sucked rotten eggs, however this series does not fall in that category.

Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder REVIEW

Dead Letter Office (Parish Mail #1)
Author: Kira Synder

Overall Rating

This book was interesting. The format took me back to my childhood days when I adored the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I have often thought over the years how wonderful it would be for those books to make a comeback only for us young adult to adult crowds. I am glad that this book did. I would suggest this book to be read for the younger age group, perhaps 14-18 years old would get the biggest kick out of it. I enjoy a good mystery and this book cleverly adds elements of mystery mixed with both present day and past. There is a splash of Voodoo magic and good old New Orleans spirit in this book and I just loved that! It was an enjoyable and light read for me.

Originality/Creativity:

Definitely a creative book because of the Choose Your Own Adventure element. I wish there would have been a few more choices and paths I could have taken but that did not take away from the essence of the book. What I love most about these types of books is that you can go back and read the book again and take the alternative choices you did not choose the first time. You will get a little more mileage out of this book then regular novels. The paranormal mix in this story just throws a little more bang into the mystery which I think added to the interest of the novel.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The complexity of the story is not too extreme. As I stated above, this book could be read and enjoyed most by the young adult crowd so there is not too many twists and turns. The main character, Celia, is a young teenager that has just lost her father in the war, and uprooted to New Orleans with her mother to live near her father’s parents (rich, stuck up old white folks). There are old families of high reputation with stuck up offspring that Celia has to deal with, being as she is an outsider of “ill breed” which is their assumption based on the fact her mother is covered in tattoos, piercings and is a chef. Throw in some ghosts and a Voodoo witch best friend, and of course a teenage love interest (maybe a strange love triangle) and you have yourself a PG-13 Jerry Springer show. But not in a dirty trans-sexual baby daddy sort of way. In a good entertaining way!

Quality of writing:

This book is an easy read and I found it to be extremely easy to follow. Because it is not intended for older audiences, I found that there was not a lot of advanced vocabulary. I did not find an abundance of errors which if you know me, really sets me off if the book is riddled with screw ups. Like I said, an easy read.

Action/Suspense:

When it comes to books, movies, hell life in general, I like action. I can take extreme suspense non-stop until the end. I didn’t find that there was a whole lot of adventure that got my blood pumping, but there were some good scenes in there. There was enough to hold my interest through the book. I could have taken some more, but I’m not complaining about this book. That is why I labeled it as an easy read.

Would I recommend this book? Sure. I would recommend it for young teenage to adults ages 14-18 years give or take a few years. It has a great mix of supernatural, southern magic, and mystery. And you can’t really go too wrong with a choose your own adventure book.

The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices #3

I do not give a recap of the books in my reviews. That is what the book descriptions are so you can check that out on Goodreads. Nor do I have spoilers in my reviews, I want anyone to be able to read it, and especially for those that have not read the book, I do not want to be the jerk that ruins it for them. So read on for my honest review!

Overall Rating


When it comes to major book series that are wildly popular, I tend to be a little bit more critical with my reviews. It is hard to explain, I just hold the books to a higher standard because I have come across authors that have extremely popular books and I find them to be undeserving of the fame. This series and Cassandra Clare absolutely deserve every bit of popularity and fame that has been given. I adored the Mortal Instruments Series, but Infernal Devices completely surpasses Mortal Instruments in my opinion. Maybe it is because I am a sucker for the Victorian theme books that makes me favor Infernal Devices, but I really don’t think so. This series is packed with everything that I am obsessed with. You have action, romance, historical/Victorian era, steampunk, angels, demons, vampires, shapeshifters, just everything paranormal or supernatural you can think of. I get scared when it comes to the end of a great series. The author either nails it or they don’t. In my opinion, Cassandra Clare NAILED it! The ending was bittersweet and made me think, that is what a good ending should do to the reader.

Originality/Creativity


The creativity/originality of this book (the whole series in general) is off the charts. To be able to take every paranormal being and mix them all into a book series can be a tricky thing. Too much gets confusing, too little leaves you wanting. The author did a beautiful job of putting the story and characters together and giving it her own twist. The fact that the series can be grouped into so many different genres attests to the genius of the author. The book is rich and explosive with creativity and for that I am grateful!

Complexity of Characters/Storyline


Where the characters complex? Hell yes. Double Hell YES! There are so many characters and each one completely different from the others. You come to know the history, the physical looks, and the emotional makeup of each person in the story and it is just packed with the WOW factor. Each one has their paranormal story and the way that their stories weave together is exquisitely done. I am amazed at how this masterpiece was put together.

Quality of Writing


The quality of writing is exquisite. The story is set in Victorian times and the author did a perfect job of using the speech they used in those times. Many a times I have read a book that takes place in the 1800’s and the authors would consistently throw in words and terms used today. It makes the story so corny and artificial. In this book, I felt like I actually stepped out of 2013 and landed in the Victorian Era. I absolutely loved it! The author also uses more advanced vocabulary typically found in YA books which was refreshing. Not overly done so that you needed a dictionary to follow along, but enough to where I didn’t feel like I was reading a middle school book. The story and characters were incredibly complex and Cassandra Clare was excellent with her wording so that the story was easy to follow and flowed evenly from scene to scene.

Action/Suspense


I felt that the action was well spaced out in this book. You barely get a chance to calm down and recover from a battle or emotionally straining scene before you are thrust into another action sequence. It was not overdone though. I appreciate that I didn’t have to drag myself from chapter to chapter before something exciting happened. I felt like I was kept on my toes. And the way that the story was going, I truly didn’t know what to anticipate for the ending.

Would I recommend this book? HELL FREAKIN YEAH! I am sad that the trilogy has ended, but I go a sense of finality after I finished it. I know some people had a problem with the ending, but I felt it to be fair and actually pleasant. It was extremely well written and a perfect prequel for The Mortal Instruments Series. This series is definitely my favorite between the two and in my top ten of all time favorite trilogies.

No excuses! Go get the damn book! If you have not read any of Cassandra Clare’s book, you are missing out my friend.

The Host Book Review Book vs. Movie

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Overall Rating


I was very happy with this book. I knew that I would enjoy it, but I have to admit that reading how the story unfolded was heartwarming. I loved the writing and the character development.

Originality/Creativity:

This sort of story has been done before. Jet back in time, and some can remember the story of the Bodysnatchers, and this was the same sort of idea. The one thing that got me was the fact that the race of aliens, although brutal in their takeover of the human race, are powerful and yet docile at the same time. Most are not violent and they take great care to protect the earth and their “hosts”. That was a different sort of a take on aliens I think. I loved the idea of the Cave system as the setting, that was unique as opposed to where most stories would have had the characters running like crazed Nomads all over the place. I found the elements of creativity in this story refreshing.

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

The main character is very complex I think. Her name is Melanie. Melanie is a strong and loving young woman that is fiercely protective of the ones she loved. The alien (Wanda, nickname short for Wanderer) a very calm and loving personality herself, you see her start as one of the aliens that believe in what they are doing. Then she forms these relationships with the ones that Melanie loves and it begins to change her. And she forms a deep relationship with her host body Melanie. That was a relationship that was strong by the end which had your heart wrenching for the both of them facing the dilemma of sharing the same body and loving each other. The characters around them and the relationships were complex as well. You have two men in love with two different girls, and those girls are in the same body. That is some Jerry Springer material right there, huh?! The villains indeed live up to that title. This book has a great balance of it all!

Quality of writing:

Although this author is extremely popular, the quality of writing is not mind blowing to me. However, the writing is clear and concise, I felt the story was easy to follow with no huge flaws. It bet it was tricky to correctly explain the detailed layout of the setting for which the story took place, but the author does well to throw in the details you need to get the picture flowing in your mind as you read.

Action/Suspense:

The action is pretty well spaced out. I like how it jumps right into the story. The book leaps straight into the action, Melanie running for her life and then doing the unthinkable. Read the book to find out what she does! I did enjoy the fact that not only do you have the physical action going on, but there always seemed to be some sort of conflict going on within Melanie and Wanda in their mind. That definitely keeps the story interesting. The action isn't all super overwhelming, nor did I find myself squirming with anticipation very much, but the book had a few intense moments. There may have been a part here or there that I felt dragged on a bit, but the book held my interest and I was a tiny bit sad when it ended.

BOOK VS. MOVIE

In my opinion, most books are going to be way better than the movie of course. I take into consideration the fact that the producers and script writers cannot fit all the elements of the novel into the movie. But I really felt like they changed a few big points of the movie. Points that would not have taken much more time to add. And they changed a lot of things that made no sense. Like how Melanie chose to try and get away from the aliens at the beginning. Really? You had to change that? And they shortened the trek Melanie/Wanda took into the desert dramatically as well. What about when Wanda began to teach everyone about other worlds, that was so important for how she formed her relationships with the people who hated her at first. I don’t get it. But if I separate the book from the movie and pretend that I didn’t read the book first, the movie was pretty good. My boyfriend has not read the book and he was able to follow it and said that the movie was great. I would recommend that you go see the movie. If you have not read the book, go see the movie before you read the book, otherwise you will feel a bit robbed as I did.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah I would! It is a pretty good book that will make you love the villain in the end. You will be wishing you had an alien friend by the end of the book.

Free Books for Review

Hello all! So I am very active online in several forums that have anything to do with books. I am working on my first YA novel, so I immerse myself so I love to meet other Indie authors. I have been approached several times over the past few months by tons of authors that are asking for my book group members and myself to read their books free in exchange for an honest review. I have to admit, some of the books I come across are not in my usual reading preferences, but I force myself to get over it and read their book. And I am SO GLAD I did! I have found some of the most amazing books from Read for Reviewing that I would probably never would have come across otherwise. I would like to share that with you guys as well. I am putting together an elite group of committed members that are willing to receive a free ebook in exchange for an honest review on sites such as Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, etc. If you are interested in joining this group. Please contact me by email and I will be happy to chat with you about it!
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Amadi, the Phoenix, the Sphinx, and the Djinn (Amadi #1-3) by Katharina Gerlach

Book Title: Amadi, the Phoenix, the Sphinx, and the Djinn (Amadi #1-3)
Author: Katharina Gerlach

Book Description: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13630711-amadi-the-phoenix-the-sphinx-and-the-djinn

*I DO NOT RECAP THE BOOKS IN MY REVIEWS, THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK DESCRIPTION IS FOR. NOR DO I HAVE SPOILERS. Go to the URL above to read the book description*

This book was provided for me free of cost by the author for an honest review. Thank you Katharina Gerlach, I appreciate all the hard work you put into this book and for trusting a copy to me for my opinion. It is a great honor on my part and your writing is exquisite.

Overall Rating

This book is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I mean, WOW! I don't often give a perfect score on everything but this book did! I was not sure what to expect and honestly, probably never would have come across this book on my own if it was not offered up for review. I am so glad it was. This book has so much imagination, it is an exquisite “fairy tale” that is not childish in the least. I was swept away to another Arabian world full of magic, mystery, suspense, romance, and an extremely strong female heroine to top it all off! I was so amazed at the end, I had to go to the author’s Facebook page to tell her how fantastic it was. I am going to pass it along to my daughter so that we can experience it as her bedtime story. I am so happy to be able to add a tale so incredible to my daughter’s mind and imagination. I extremely recommend this book for those that want to escape to a far away land.

Originality/Creativity:

The creativity and imagination that went into this book is incredible. Out of this world! I loved how all three of the stories wove into each other so smoothly and beautifully. I was knocked off my feet. If you love supernatural mixed with fairy tale with a YA feel to it, the originality in this book will quench that thirst for creativity flavor!

Complexity of Characters/Storyline:

This book has an incredible complexity to the characters. There are many characters, but not overwhelming so that you cannot follow the story. The main character Amadi grows by leaps and bounds within herself and it is fantastic to see how she overcomes the obstacles thrown her way. The other characters are creative and witty, they all complement each other so perfectly. You will definitely become attached to the main characters and by the end of the book, you will realize how talented the author is by being able to form this complex web of characters that all share a hand in each other’s destiny and how they all tie together in the end.

Quality of writing:

Nothing rubs me the wrong way more than a book that has a ton of errors in it, or writing that seems to be contrived from a five year old. Not this book, no sir! The names, the places, everything is extremely creative and fitting into the world that the author has created. There were not any major typo errors to annoy along the way. The story was so smooth like a perfect waterfall that flows from lakes to creeks and eventually into the ocean. I absolutely adore the author’s style of writing.

Action/Suspense:

I felt that the action was well spaced out in this book. Since it is 3 parts of stories into one novel, that made for the stories to pretty much have to have non-stop action. I literally read this book in one day, I just couldn’t put it down! The action scenes were appropriate, not too short, yet not too drawn out. The book held my interest the entire time. I appreciated that so much!
Would I recommend this book? HELL YES! I am already getting extremely excited about reading more books by this author. I really can’t wait to see what comes next. The author has awakened my need for mythology/fairy tale worlds and I just want to dive in and forget the real world and bask in her creativity!
No excuses! Just get the book! Seriously, right now!