WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading?

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
So far, this book is alright. Not great, not bad. I'm going to continue reading and see if it improves any.

What did you recently finish reading?
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Review here!)

This book is the second installment in the Raised by Wolves series. It's about a human girl trying to make the right decisions being the alpha of the pack. I'd been wanting to get my hands on it for a while.

What do you think you'll read next?

 Once again, I'm not sure, because as usual I have a huge TBR pile. I know that on Tuesday I'm getting Bloodlines by Richelle Mead, but before that I'll probably read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. It's another book I've been dying to read, but never got a hold of.

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (REVIEW)

TRIAL BY FIRE BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES

(RAISED BY WOLVES #2)

Genre: YA paranormal - - - Publication date: June 14, 2011

 There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves. (Goodreads.com)

 

Yay! This book has been on my wishlist since I finished Raised by Wolves, which is the first book in the series. I was so happy when I found this book at my library, I literally squealed. The librarian and some little boy looking for pokemon books both shot me very weird looks. Hmph!

I'll admit, I wasn't nearly as pleased with the cover of this book as I was with the first book. I feel like it was cool enough so that I would probably pick it up and read the summary (if I wasn't already looking for it), but it would probably be one of those books that I put on the bottom of my TBR pile. Good thing I was seriously looking forward to reading this book and moved it to the TOP of my TBR pile!

On the cover, Melissa Marr states that this book is "Quite simply, the most compelling YA werewolf series out there." Melissa Marr, you could NOT have said it better! This book is animalistic and feral in the best possible way. It deals with gender dominance, mental dominance, species dominance. Bryn spends most of the book fighting her inner-wolf. She has almost a dozen werewolves inside of her head, and even though she is human, how would she not struggle with her inner-wolf? She was raised her whole life to go with her instincts and to scrape away the ignorance that made her a human being. Foll intents and purposes, Bryn is a wolf, even if she is only human.

I think that the plot for this book is unique and original. The world that Jennifer Lynn Barnes built is strong and absolute. While reading, the wolves and psychics feel so real, like they could actually exist. The pacing isn't completely exhilarating, but Bryn's thought process keeps it interesting.

The whole book is in Bryn's mind, and the reader spends most of the time puzzling over the issues with Bryn, trying to figure out what certain little hints could mean. This book contains so many surprises that made me want to smack my forehead along with Bryn and think, "I should have seen that coming!" This book is literally a nail-biter. I have been working so hard for the past week to kick my nail-biting habit, but all of that work went to crap as I read this book.

For a sophomore in high school, Bryn faces some pretty unfathomable challenges. She has to deal with psychics and unravel devious plots that other werewolves have set in motion. As a human alpha of her pack, she is clearly the outsider, and she has to make that work for her. She has to deal with her vulnerabilities and accept that sometimes she is going to need help. The fact that she is human makes for some pretty sticky situations among other wolves and considering her pack contains females, which are a rarity amongst the wolves, she has a bright, flashing target on her back.

The journey with Bryn was one I took with immense pleasure as she conquered her weaknesses, honed her abilities as an alpha, and fought to protect her pack no matter what it took. Somewhere along the way, Bryn had to accept that one day she would die for her pack. That was what made her alpha.

One thing I could have used more of in this book was Chase. Their relationship is animalistic, sort of creepy, and just outright intriguing! I would have loved for Jennifer Lynn Barnes to have delved deeper into Bryn's feelings for him, but the plot didn't call for it.

The writing was fantastic, intelligent, and dry. There are clever synonyms and metaphors that really helped me recognize why Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a great writer. Plus, she mentioned Glee, which always elicits brownie points from me.

I loved this book, just as I loved Raised by Wolves, just as I'm sure I will love the next installment. It is a delightful twist on the classic werewolf tales we have grown accustomed to.

• The protagonist. Bryn is the ultimate package in a heroine. She is tough, deviously skilled, willing to get her hands dirty, and makes smart decisions. Though she is known for being rash, in this book she thought everything through much more carefully. She did her best to decipher the subtle signs that Callum sent her and had to keep her cool when nobody else could. As the alpha she had to make decisions beyond her comprehension and she had to always put her pack first. She had to sacrifice herself, even when nobody else wanted her to. She had to analyze every word that came out of the potential threats' mouths. All the while she had the immaculate vulnerability of being a human amongst werewolves. She was technically the weakest, technically could have been dead at any second. I felt really connected to her, and just like the other elements in this story, I felt like she was a real person.
• The secondary characters. Devon. Devon Devon Devon. I think that he is my favorite characters. He is goofy, attractive, kind of girly, but when it all comes down to it, he is one tough mammajamma and he will do anything to protect his friends. Lake. Lake is fun and entertaining. She is trigger-happy and damn proud of it. I love Ali as well. Because despite her being human as well, she is one tough cookie! I also love that we get to learn more about her past in this book.Some shocking things are revealed.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

TEASER:

 A reply was on the tip of my tongue, but before I could press Caroline to tell me how she could call my pack monsters, given what her coven had done to a battered teenage boy, a single note, haunting and low, made its way to my ears, and suddenly, whatever I was going to say didn't seem nearly so important.

Page 169

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading?

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

I've heard so many wonderful things about it that I had to get it. I'm not very far yet, but it is already really good. I love the factions and if I were to be assigned to one I think I'd either be Erudite or Candor (intelligent or honest).

 

What did you recently finish reading?

Released by Megan Duncan. (REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!)

This book is about four teenagers trying to find safety during the midst of a demon apocalypse. It was a quick and fun read.

What do you think you'll read next?

You know, I'm not positive considering I have a pretty large TBR pile right now, but I'm guessing it will probably be Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It is the sequel to Raised by Wolves, which I loved, and I have been waiting to read it for a while!

What about you? Are you reading anything great right now? Or did you just finish something great? I love great books, therefore I would love to hear your recommendations.

On my wishlist (1)

On my wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City every Saturday.

If you would like to participate or learn more about it, click HERE.



My wishlist:

Betrayal by Lee Nichols.

Publication date: March, 2011

Genre: YA paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:



Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive-one a snarky teen
boy, the other a British scholar-Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.
As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Publication date: June, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer.

Publication Date: July, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer—one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack—and the man—she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.