"Luminosity" by Stephanie Thomas

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley & Entangled Publishing.

The story was the typical dystopian - something happened to our world and now only a small population of people survive in a bunch of cities around the world. Here, only two cities are mentioned - the city of the Seers(the City) and the city of the Dream-catchers(Aura). Naturally, the Seers and Dream-catchers are enemies. Or so we're told. The ones protect the ordinary people, while the others kill them to survive.

The City is controlled and protected by the Seers who live in the Institution, train in combat and See visions of the future. They're governed by this Keeper woman, who totally creeped me out. I mean, she always stuck her nose in people's business... She was mean and though she was supposed to 'keep' the Seer's visions and sanity, I was left with the impression that there was a subtle ulterior motive to all that. And there was, as it turned out.

Anyway, there's a silly love triangle development, which I don't necessarily agree with. There's the long known friend (Gabe), and the newly acquired acquaintance (Echo), between whom our female protagonist (Bea) has to choose. I guess the choosing will be done in the following installments however, since by the end of Luminosity Bea was quite undecided.

Personally, I'd go team Gabe. The guy was funny, supportive, loving and selfless(mostly). He even tried his best to understand without asking questions. If that's even possible, but he sort of managed it. He wasn't pushy or demanding. I liked him.

Echo... I guess I can see how he could intrigue Bea. I mean, he was the unknown, mysterious factor. He was running hot and cold. He was the bad guy (though was he really?).

Hmm, what to say about Bea. Well, she appeared to be trusting. I mean, she trusted people she didn't know (the Widow, Echo, the Dreamcatchers), but didn't trust her own friends. I know this was explained, but still. Is it really so much easier to trust strangers than your own trusted friends? Perhaps it is, I mean we do it all the time on facebook and IM.
Anyway, I liked how Bea rebelled against the obvious threat in the end. She turned out to be a hard nut to crack, even with all the secrets that suddenly fell on her shoulders.

The author amazed me with her ability to write fiction. The way she didn't hesitate to sacrifice loveable characters was definitely intriguing. I will definitely be waiting for the next installment of this series, since I'm curious to know how things turn out. Especially if Bea decides that Gabe is the one she wants. I'm rooting for him no matter what.

My rating is

"The Gathering Darkness" by Lisa Collicutt

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley.

Nothing too interesting about this one. It's rather trivial actually. I've seen similar plots all over the place. I mean, come on - long lost lovers, reincarnated several times in the past and this now is their last chance to defeat the evil.... it's not original at all. It's so similar to Cara Lynn Shultz Spellbound series, that I was entirely sure of the ending even before I was 20% in.

Also, I was disappointed by the lack of action in the end. I'm not going to say more, because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but the book could definitely have been written better.

I especially didn't like the fact that the lead female, Brooke, who was supposed to be this powerful magical creature, couldn't perform a single spell to protect herself or the people she loved. In my book that counts as lame. I mean, you can't have a strong heroine, only to totally disable her supposed abilities.

Another thing I didn't like was that the characters weren't all that realistic. Sometimes the dialogue sounded forced, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

It's definitely not an emotionally catching book. No feelings stirred my heart. So the most I can say is, it was an okay read.

My rating:

"Hurt" by Travis Thrasher

Wow! Just WOW!!! What a conclusion to an amazing series!! Thrasher has done the impossible and finished this series with a blast!

I was a bit afraid to read Hurt, wondering whether it would be a disappointment, or not. It turned out my fears were unnecessary. Just like the rest of the novels in the Solitary Series, Hurt was amazing. It left me breathless, and pleasantly satisfied.

Hurt was full of mysteries and revelations. Everything that got started in Solitary, Gravestone and Temptation found it's conclusion here, in Hurt. The sacrifices and demon ceremonies we witnessed before, now made sense. The power of God shone brighter and brighter the further the story developed, even though there was a time when the blackness threatened to cast a shadow over the characters forever.

I liked the fact that there were those chapters in between the story, where Chris (the lead guy) contemplated on everything he'd learned so far. I could see inside his mind, his character... it was as if I actually knew him. He analyzed the decisions he'd made, the insecurities he had, the miracles and the evil that was around him. It was nice reading about his internal turmoil.

Lots of secrets were revealed in this last novel in the series. Some of them I'd sort of expected, others I was clueless about. But I enjoyed reading and learning about both.

The romantic side of the story was adorably cute. I loved how the relationship between Chris and Kelsey developed - slowly, but with determination. I was glad Chris didn't give in to the threats of those blasted demon servants, and gave Kelsey his heart.

This is an awesome book and I recommend it to readers who enjoy a thrilling mystery, a suspense romance and the prevail of good (God) over evil (satan).

My rating is