Thundertumber

*Spoilers

Oh my gosh I did it. I read this whole book in one day. Yes I cheated and listened to the audiobook during work, but it still counts! At 502 pages, this is by far the smallest of the series. Seriously, I was expecting a book the size of my head, but it's small; smaller than even The Son Of Neptune. 

Anyway, while I did like this book, it seemed to be the one with the least going on in it. It's the last book of the series, the book with the big battle against Gaia, and it lasts maybe a chapter or two. I don't know, I expected a book of battle like The Last Olympian had, but that's not what you're gonna get. It does have action in it for sure, one starts off in the first 5 chapters, but like I said, out of all the books I think this one had very little. 

What i've always found hard with his books though is the large amount of names to remember. This series was by far the worst in that department because unlike The Olympians, you have Roman names as well. Call me lazy, but I don't like to have to take notes to remember everyone. These books are for children so that surprises me, but it ain't no thing; I'll still be reading it, but there was no prophecy at the end which leads me to believe that the adventures with Percy are over.

Sad-face.

But that ending,  man I was not expecting that. I'm totally going to talk about spoiler stuff here  so if you don't like it go away. Shoo. Go. 

I absolutely hated Octavian, as I'm sure most everyone did, and the way he went out, OH MY GOSH. It was so Wiley Coyote with his leg wrap in the rope of his missile thing.  And Nico just like "Nope we can't stop him from firing that, let's just let him do it" knowing full well that he would die. I was shocked by the boldness of it all. And then Leo sacrificing himself; of all people I did not expect to die nor wanted to die. I was a bit confused though because Hazel and Nico say he did die because they felt it, but he gets to go somewhere nice. He gets to meet up with Calypso. I was so happy about that though. 

Spoilers done

I am very happy that this book has finally made it's way out, but I am sad that the series is over. For about 8 or so years I have followed this series and now it's over. Oh well, I might try to pick up his other series, The Red Pyramid, but when I tried to read it before I just wasn't into it. Ugh.

Anyway...

Thank you Rick for this wonder series. I loved it and will share it with any little brats I have in the future. 

I read this series at the beginning of the year, so it’s been a little bit. I had been wanting to read them for a while, but I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed. I really liked the idea of the story, it reminded me of The Giver, but then it got all Jekyll & Hyde on you with wanting to rid people of “bad genes.” I’ll go book by book. Sorry in advance if you liked the series…not really.

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.

This book was by far my favorite of the series. Learning about all the different factions was interesting and it had many surprises in it. It touched on a lot of issues, such as community, family, and abuse, which I liked. Not many books do that. Not many books also have the main character coming from a good home with both parents either. Good job Divergent! That's not sarcasm, I actually really liked that.

This was actually the only book where I liked Tris too; I’ll get more into that with the next book. But her romance with Four felt so forced to me. It was like, ‘oh they are training, and now they are a couple…’ I guess cause they were both divergent it was suppose to be ok, but it really wasn’t, it was just so fast. One minute student-teacher relationship, next minute bed buddies.

The action was good though. So much violence was happening, it was ridiculous.

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

This one had to be my absolute least favorite of the series. Nothing really happened, except for a few important deaths and Tris continually crying and being suicidal because she killed a brainwashed friend. I understand why, but I hate when writers feel the need to make the main character mopey for the whole book because they killed one person to save hundreds. It was so stupid too, the whole book she was wanting to kill herself in some sacrificial way. This is just one of the reasons I don’t like Tris, she doesn’t think.

Killing yourself and leaving the people you love won’t magically make things right, you just have to deal with it and move forward. Everyone is running for their lives, it’s not all about you. It reminded me of Bella putting her life in danger just so she can see Edward.

Stupid.

Oh, and in this book you have to deal with the constant interaction between Four and Tris. Every time they are together, they fight and walk off. Then they say sorry, make out, then fight again. Repeat. That was their whole interaction throughout the book. I’m not even exaggerating with that.

Worst one of the series by far.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

I know this book is mostly hated, but I do not hate it as much as I hate Insurgent. My big problem with it again is Tris. I know the author was probable trying to make Tris this strong, caring person, but it did not feel that way to me at all. Through this book it was Tris this and Tris that. Tris was the only person who could be right, Tris was the only person who could be trusted, Tris is the only person who can sacrifice her life. She became a BIG Mary Sue to me.

I liked the idea of “bad genes” and the government trying to do away with them. I enjoyed the idea of a rebellion of people who are considered less because of “unpure genes” rising up because they believe nothing is wrong with them. Four joining them was good for the story too, because so far he hasn’t been much except Tris’s shadow, so I liked that he was finally being his own person. But of course it was all done because Tris is the only good person in the world and everyone else is evil.

I sound so angry about this…..Oh well

In short, the tl;dr version is: Liked the first book, Loathed the second book, Despised the third book. I really did try to like this series, I honestly did, but it just didn’t work out.

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.
Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.
Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

OH MY GOSH, what a horrible way to start off a book! I thought the first one was pretty dark, training kids to kill by making them think regular people are killer aliens, but man was I wrong. Before you even get into the chapters, the prolog The Wheat was just wrong on so many levels. After reading just that I was like 'woah dude.'

Other then that, the book did not have much going on in it. It was all mostly about Ringer, because she is obviously being set up for something. I did like the book, it just wasn't as exciting as the last one. I also had the same problem of not knowing whose point of view the chapters were of. 

It's a good follow up to The 5th Wave, very dark, but for me it just wasn't as good. You should totally read it though!

In this third book in Marissa Meyer's bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she’s just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she’d ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Oh my gosh, I am going to go crazy waiting for the next book! This series has become my favorite by far. Sorry Percy Jackson...

I was a bit nervous going in, because I really did not like Scarlet. The book was good enough, but the character was just so unlikable to me. Even in this book it was hard for me to care about Scarlet and Wolf. I mean seriously, there is this part that I won't go into too much detail, but basically Scarlet is a prisoner and everyone is treating her bad, and the one person who tries to help her she's like 'no, I hate you though you have only been nice to me.' I understand not trusting and hating the Lunars and stuff, but come on there comes a point when have to go 'you're not torturing me, I'll accept the food you're giving me. Thanks for not being a douche.'

But anyway, Cress was a great sequel and I really enjoyed her character. Hers and Thornes interactions together were just adorable. Shes a bit crazy, but living alone in a satellite for years will do that to a person. The only thing that really upset me about her is when she is brought to Dr. Erland and he's all like, you're safe now and stuff, then she knocks him out. She had trust issues for sure, but her background again will cause that. 

Anyway, LOVED the book, LOVE the series, can't wait for the next one. 

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison—even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does—in this second installment from Marissa Meyer. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

So, I’m not as happy with this book as I was for Cinder. It was still good, and I really did love it, but I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan of Scarlet as much as I was for Cinder. I was looking forward to those moments with Cinder, and did not care at all for the parts with Scarlet. Scarlet was just so head strong, she didn’t think at all, which landed her in a place where she would have been killed had it not been for the rescue party. For me, she just wasn’t that likeable a character as Cinder had been. Sure, saving your grandmother is very important, but that doesn’t mean you rush in to a heavily armed area with no plan, a gun, and no way out. Come on man, don’t be a dumbass…

One character I thought I wouldn’t like but ended up loving was Carswell Thorne. Seriously, I was like “who’s this player coming in, trying to be all cool” Boy was I wrong about him. He was funny and clever; not at all what I thought. I’m really excited to read more with him in Cress.

Now, I did not like this book as much as I did Cinder, but it certainly didn’t ruin the series for me. I’m excited to read the next book cause it looks like everyone’s gonna throw down!

So happy about this series!!!

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

BEST SERIES EVER!

No joke. I think this series has become my favorite. And of course like an idiot I put off reading it because I didn’t think I’d like it. Boy was I wrong. I liked this book so much that I read it in a day, bought the second book, and then got half way through that one.

This was not at all what I was expecting. I can’t even remember what I thought it was about, but I sure wasn’t expecting moon people and stuff. It did a great job giving a different spin on the Cinderella story; cyborg, disease, evil moon queen, ect.

Sci-Fi books are really surprising me. I haven’t really been a fan of the genre, but seriously bro, I want to read more.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

Wooo! I’m excited for this series! I was unsure at first, but man, it’s horrifying in all the right ways. This book was dark; there were so many things I didn’t expect to happen that just made me go “wut.” I mean, right off the bat someone dies after all. It’s hard to say if anyone’s safe in this series.

I liked this series so much I want to pre-order the next book, but I may be moving soon so I don’t have an address for it.

I’m on a horror story kick right now, and this one really made me happy. I wouldn’t say it was super scary or anything, but it sure as hell was creepy. I wish I didn’t doubt it so much and had bought it sooner, but then I’d still have to wait for the next book anyway.

Either way, I’d recommend this book so hard!

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
 
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
 
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
 
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
 
Everything is going to change.
 
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
 
Remember. Survive. Run.

Screw you brain! Why you gotta make me not like stuff? This book, this series, this everything, I REALLY wanted to like. It’s even got a movie coming out soon, but noooo, you don’t want to like it. Ugh.

I think it has to do a lot with the lack of character development; I don’t know. I really wanted to care about the characters; even this spoiler didn’t make me care. The only girl in the book slept for most of it, then she was really mean to Newt, who was scared and the only character I did like besides Minho. It kinda felt like when you meet a new person and they are a dick to your best friend.

Like what the hell, bro? Back off.

The best friend of the main character was not around much. He’d show up so we wouldn’t forget about him, then be gone for the rest of the day. And, again, when this spoiler happened, I felt nothing because I really didn’t get to know him. I don’t think Thomas even cared for him till that happened.

I don’t know, I plan for more positive stuff though. I hate not liking a book; worst feeling in the world. Books are too awesome to hate.

A mysterious island.


 
An abandoned orphanage.


 
A strange collection of very curious photographs.


 
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

I really expected this book to be good. It seemed creepy, which I like, but sadly it wasn’t. I absolutely loved the idea of the story; a home with children that were more than the appeared to be stuck in time because they are hunted by evil creatures. That’s awesome, but it’s not until you get to the middle of the book that you actually meet them. Till then, the only likeable character is he main character, Jacob.

For the first half of the book it’s just Jacob and his dad in a small village doing basically nothing. I wanted so bad to like this one, but I was very bored with it. I hate myself for not liking it, too. The book is beautiful, the concept was interesting, and it looks amazing on my bookshelf. Ugh, why brain? Why do you not care for it?!

It was apparently a popular book too. I don’t know my mind is trying to be all hipstery, but I haven’t really liked many books that were popular. It suuuuuuuccks. Oh well, I’m at least gonna read Hollow City.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

This book sort of reminded me of Independence Day. Aliens come to Earth with no reason other than to kill all of its inhabitants. They do this in waves, hence the name. When you start the book, 4 waves have already happened killing off a good portion of the world population. I liked this; get right to the point. You find out more of what happened as you continue reading, instead of progressing with it. I enjoy getting right into the action.

My only problem with the book is the switching point of views. Not only do you have the main character, Cassie (who is awesome), you also have her brother, Evan, and also Ben. And of course, it doesn’t tell you whose p.o.v. you’re reading from when the chapter starts. There where a few times when I was like “who the hell is this person?”

Anyway, other than the shifting pov’s, the characters were enjoyable; Cassie for sure was amazing. Why do I say that? Because she is a teenage girl surviving during the end of the world. Unlike other stories, she realizes what it takes to survive; do what needs to be done, kill them before they kill you, and trust no one. Injured soldier? Nope, I’m gonna shoot you. Cute guy trying to help me? No way bro, I don’t trust you at all. Even through this she still has that teenage girl feel to her. She misses her family, thinks about her crush, and gives lots of attitude.

If you love Sci-Fi, and even if you don’t cause I don’t even care for Sci-Fi, I’d recommend this. I read somewhere that they are making a movie of it too. That would be pretty cool, to be honest.

A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, sixteen-year-old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated 'Rapture' - or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church's thrall for too long, and she's looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed 'Rapture', her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling...Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realizes she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been 'left behind', they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving 'Believer' gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the 'New Orphans', Viv soon begins to realize that the Rapture was just the beginning.

            Woah, this book was good. I mean really, it was good. It wasn’t a dystopian or fantasy novel, which are my favorites, but more of a contemporary mystery novel. I'm not into contemporary books at all, but this one was just....wow. There was no big romance plot, just the bigger story. There is romance in the book, don’t get me wrong, but unlike many other YA books, or books in general, the romance was not the big part of the book.

             I think what I like most about this book is that once the “Rapture” happens, people mostly continue going on with their lives. Sure there are some going crazy, but for the most part people are going to work and life is going right along. Mostly you read about how society falls, and people are walking around with guns forming packs and stuff, but not this one. Yea there are some bad stuff happening, but mostly what you would expect.

            This book was great and I am totally going to read the rest of the series. I ordered the UK book, but it’ll be released in the US in January under the name Vivian Apple at the End of the World. I’m still gonna buy it!

            Read this book, it was good! A little predictable, but still amazingly good! Love, Love, Love this book. 

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply—but that almost seems beside the point now.
Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her—Neal is always a little upset with Georgie—but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts. . . .Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

            I know this book was supposed to be romantic, but it was really more like reading about a relationship that should never have even begun. They keep saying how much they love each other, but it sure as hell didn’t seem like it. They even said they were unhappy in the marriage, but they love each other. I mean, when Georgie, the main character, is talking to her husband in the past she wants to tell him that there relationship is not all bad, mostly because of their kids, and that they are happy 70% of the time. To me, that doesn’t seem like a good relationship. They also wanted two different things; she wants to be a TV writer in California, and he wants to live back home in Nebraska. She even talked about how she wasn’t going to invite her best friend, Seth, to her wedding because her husband didn’t like him. Seth, her BEST FRIEND who she has known longer than her husband and her own little sister. That is not ok. Luckily Seth invited himself.

            Also, the whole plot of the story starts because Georgie decides to not go with her family to her in-laws house for the holidays because of work, but the entire time she neglects work, arrives late, and always clings to her phone in case her husband calls. I think in the whole week her husband was gone she only went to work once. What the hell? What was the whole point of her staying? She wouldn’t even go home, she stayed at her moms the whole time.

            I really had high hopes for this book, and the plot sounded really good, but unfortunately it did not live up to it. I enjoyed her other books, but this one was nowhere near as good. I honestly found myself thinking she should tell her past husband not to marry her. If you like reading a novel about a depressed woman who spends the whole book beating herself up because of the decisions she makes and feeling sorry for herself, this book is for you. Me. I’ll stick with The Lake House.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. WhenLena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Lena is moody, man. I mean I know you’ve got a chance of becoming evil, but no reason to start acting like you already are. I really thought that the book would be from her point of view too, but I’m kind of glad it wasn’t. It would have been too ‘woe is me.’ Otherwise this book was great! I really enjoyed reading, so much so that I totally looked up southern plantation houses and found some I want. They’re only about a million dollars or so, no big…

Anyway, I’m pretty excited to read the rest of this series. This book was very interesting and in all honesty, my only problem with it was how whiney Lena was at certain points. Otherwise she was great, the story was great, and the other characters were great. My favorite was of course Uncle Macon.

I really enjoyed the part of the book when the school and parents talked about expelling Lena and Uncle Macon walks in and sets everyone straight. He was like, bitches I’m gonna use my money and bring a wal-mart here. That shut everyone up real fast. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you like supernatural stories.

Quick movie review:

I actually picked up the Beautiful creatures series because I came across the movie one day and actually like it. Of course now having read the book it feels like two different stories with sort of a similar plot. Even with large amounts of the book cut out, and complete omission of some characters, I still liked it when I watched it again. The biggest thing I liked about the movie was that Lena wasn’t this emo high school girl. Sure she got moody here and there, but she had a lot more fire in her than she did in the book. When Emily tried to make fun of her, she defended herself instead of continuously ignoring it hoping they’d stop. I really wish that’s how she was in the book. Not a great movie adaptation, but still a pretty good movie. 

 It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. 
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

          Why did I like this book; I really don’t understand. Why? Why did I like it so much? I couldn’t stop reading it, even though I really wanted to. There is so much about this book that frustrates me, even now. When I read, I like to have a good story that is an escape into a world with resolution; the bad are punished, the mystery is solved, and everything just falls into place. I didn’t get any of that with this book. Seriously, it felt too much like real life.

            First off, this girl’s mother is a total bitch who robbed her daughter of thousands of dollars she was going to use for college and ran off with an abusive murderer, but they never get caught. The mob boss they swindled came after her daughter and what happened? The daughter paid off their loan debt…. what the hell?

            Then there’s the murder that never gets solved. Sure the reader knows who did it, but it’s never settled with the cops so even at the end of the book they are still patrolling the area looking for clues.

            This book left so many question unanswered; was the debt with the mob boss ever settled, did Josie’s mother and Cincinnati ever get caught, will anything happen with Patrick and James, will the city never solve the murder, ect.

            It’s hard to believe with all my complaining that this book was worth it, but surprisingly I liked it a lot. I want to believe that there is a sequel where all my questions will be answered, but I doubt that is the case. Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. Will it be a happy read? Hell no, it’s majorly depressing.