Talk Nerdy Book Blog

CategoryBook Review

Ruin, A Series by Rachel Van Dyken

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Series Review
March 21, 2014
13 Min read
R

About the Series

This series is something that I’ve devoured. I’m crazy in love with Wes and Kiersten’s story! The main theme in the series is fear and conquering the fear that’s fostered throughout all these different characters’ life-altering challenges. But as Wes always says, “Do it afraid.”

The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):

Note: Each book in the series is Standalone (except for the novella Fearless, which is an extended epilogue to the first book in the series, Ruin).

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Half Bad (Half Bad, #1) by Sally Green

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 17, 2014
4 Min read
H

Series: Half Bad Trilogy

Release Date: March 4th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
“Brilliant and utterly compelling – I loved it. The new Hunger Games, I suspect.” ~ Kate Atkinson, New York Times bestselling author of Life After Life

WANTED BY NO ONE. HUNTED BY EVERYONE. 

Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?

Half Bad is an international sensation and the start of a brilliant trilogy: a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Main character is bisexual
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Torture
• Captivity
• Violence (Blood and gore)
• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Bullying
• Discussion of suicide
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Allusions to sex
• Sexual fantasies
• Mild language
• Underage drinking
• Drug use in relation to poisoning and drugging of prisoners

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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A Girl By Any Other Name by MK Schiller

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 14, 2014
5 Min read
A

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 17th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Everyone tells him he needs to move on, but how can a man function without his heart?

Ten-year-old Caleb Tanner wants nothing to do with Sylvie Cranston, the annoying weird girl who moves next door to him and gets him in trouble for swearing. But at twelve, they become friends when he teaches her how to hook a fishing line and she shows him the value of a selfless act. At fourteen, he falls in love with her. 

At sixteen, she dies.

Or so he’s told. But Cal never believes it. Sylvie has become part of his soul. He knows her like the study beating of his own heart. He’d know if she was dead. Cal looks for her, prays for her and finally, he just waits for her.

Nine years later, she walks into the community college English class Cal is teaching. Only this girl claims her name is Sophie Becker and she doesn’t know him. Cal knows better. He’s determined to get the girl he loves back – and protect her from the danger that took her away all those years ago.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>

• Hero’s father died when he was a child
• Heroine’s mother was murdered and has a turbulent relationship with her father
• Hero still dealing grieving with the death of his best friend (who died when she was 17).
• Hero suffered gunshot wounds when his BFF died
• Hero is also convinced his BFF is alive
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• Does have OW drama (Hero has a friends-with-benefits situation going on)
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine (Neither are celibate, but of course, Hero has a lot of ex-lovers, while the Heroine has only one.)
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

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A Girl Named Digit (Digit, #1) by Annabel Monaghan

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
March 11, 2014
4 Min read
A

Series: Digit

Release Date:  June 5th, 2012

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
“A first novel that combines adventure, mystery, love, and humour.” ~ Booklist

Farrah “Digit” Higgins has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year.

But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group’s number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting.

Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping – all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously.

<strong>Ending</strong>

 Cliffhanger
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Allusion to violence
• No OTT sad parts
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Some kissing
• Alcohol use
• There’s an age difference between Heroine and love interest:
– Hero is 23
– Heroine is 17-going-on-18
• Hero is waiting until she’s 18, which she turns in a few months, to go any further.
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Nothing Left to Lose (Guarded Hearts, #1–2) by Kristy Moseley

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
March 3, 2014
6 Min read
N

Series: Guarded Hearts*

Release Date: November 5th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Nothing Left Lose is a sexy New Adult romance dealing with love, lust, loss and grief. First uploaded on Wattpad, it surpassed 25 million reads before publication.

Due to heavy subject matter and sexual content, this book is recommended for ages 17 +

Annabelle Spencer’s life is every girl’s dream. She has wonderful parents, great friends, and of course the perfect boyfriend, Jack Roberts. That all changes on her sixteenth birthday when her life comes crashing down around her. Her dream night turns into a nightmare when Jack is murdered right in front of her, and she’s kidnapped by his murderer, Carter Thomas, a big time drug and arms dealer.

After five months of being with Carter, she’s found, but the experience has totally changed her. She’s no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that everyone used to know and love; she’s now cold, hard and suffers from night terrors. It appears that Carter broke not only her body, but her spirit too. A shadow of her former self, her slogan for life now: “If you don’t care about anything, then you have nothing to lose”.

Carter is currently serving time for the murder of Jack, a conviction that Anna helped secure. But his retrial is coming up because some key evidence appears to have been tampered with. Unbeknown to Anna, death threats are being received by her father, the Senator. it appears that Carter is still interested in Anna and will stop at nothing to get her back.

Ashton Taylor is brought in to protect her. He’s a newly qualified SWAT agent, a bright spark, the agency’s new golden boy. He is assigned undercover, posing as her boyfriend. His job is to help her through college and keep her safe until the end of the trial in eight months’ time.

For three years Anna has been the broken, damaged girl, refusing to feel emotion or pain, but can Ashton help her rebuild her life and finally deal with the grief of losing her childhood sweetheart? Will he be the one to make her see that life is, in fact, worth living and that not all men will hurt her?

All the while, the shadow of the trial looms over the both of them, taunting them, reminding them that it isn’t over yet. After all, Carter Thomas will stop at nothing to be reunited with his “Princess”.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• The Heroine witnesses her boyfriend being brutally murdered (on page and memories)
• The Heroine was kidnapped, held hostage and repeatedly raped by her boyfriend’s murderer (flashbacks and memories)
• Heroine suffers severe PTSD from her kidnapping
• Heroine was impregnated by her rapist and suffered a miscarriage when he beat her (memory)
• Heroine is severely depressed (on page) and has attempted suicide twice (off page)
• Heroine was repeatedly threatened with a gun (memories and on page)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

*Books one and two are companion novels, whereas the following books in the series are Standalone

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Transcendence (Transcendence, #1) by Shay Savage

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
February 26, 2014
5 Min read
T

Series: Transcendence

Release Date: February 13th, 2014

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
It’s said that women and men are from two different planets when it comes to communication,  but how can they overcome the obstacles of prehistoric times when one of them simply doesn’t have the ability to comprehend language?

Ehd’s a caveman living on his own in a harsh wildness. He’s strong and intelligent, but completely alone. When he finds a beautiful young woman in his pit trap, it’s obvious to him that she is meant to be his mate. He doesn’t know where she came from; she’s wearing some pretty odd clothing, and she makes a lot of noises with her mouth that give him a headache. Still, he’s determined to fulfill his purpose in life – provide for her, protect her, and put a baby in her.

Elizabeth doesn’t know where she is or exactly how she got there. She’s confused and distressed by her predicament, and there’s a caveman hauling her back to his cave-home. She’s not at all interested in Ehd’s primitive advances, and she just can’t seem to get him to listen. No matter what she tries, getting her point across to this primitive, but beautiful, man is a constant – and often hilarious – struggle.

With only each other for company, they must rely on one another to fight the dangers of the wild and prepare for the winter months. As they struggle to coexist, theirs becomes a love story that transcends language and time.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>

• Child isfatally ill and has travel to the future to be cured. The couple basically loses their child.
• No abuse
• Mild violence
• Trauma and depression (Hero is completely alone after his family died.)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• The Hero is a virgin
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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Searching for Someday (Searching For, #1) by Jennifer Probst

By Sarah
In 3-stars, Book Review
February 24, 2014
4 Min read
S

Series: Searching For*

Release Date: November 26th, 2013

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
From “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA TODAY) comes the first in an irresistible new series – a spin-off series of the bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire series – featuring a matchmaker who falls for a man who doesn’t believe in love. ~ jenniferprobst.com

Kate has given up on love – at least for herself. She is both blessed and cursed with the ability to sense a romantic connection between two people – a gift that her family passed down for generations. When Kate launches her own matchmaking company, Kinnection, with her two best friends in a cozy New York town, she has to put aside her own romantic disasters to make her business a success.

But when a furious man stalks into her office and accuses her business of being a scam, Kate is given the ultimate challenge to prove herself. Slade puts himself in her hands and asks Kate to find him love. Enraged at his arrogance but stubbornly eager to prove herself, Kate agrees, dedicating herself to the journey of finding him love … only to find herself falling for him along the way.

<strong>Ending</strong>

HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• No OTT sad parts
• No abuse
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe with Exceptions
• Heroine is a virgin
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM (Heroine is setting the Hero up on dates with OW, and he kisses one of them.)
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away (The Hero is set upon many dates by the Heroine.)
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

By Sarah
In 4-stars, Book Review
February 24, 2014
6 Min read
D

Series: Divergent

Release Date: April 25th, 2011

<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• BIPOC supporting characters
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Life and death situations
• Cavalier attitude towards death
• The Heroine’s life is frequently threatened
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• Does have the Hero pushing away
• No Separation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

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