Audacity by Melanie Crowder

The inspiring story of Clara Lemlich, whose fight for equal rights led to the largest strike by women in American history

A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, Audacity is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the twentieth century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence. In time, Clara convinces the women in the factories to strike, organize, and unionize, culminating in the famous Uprising of the 20,000. 

Powerful, breathtaking, and inspiring, Audacity is the story of a remarkable young woman, whose passion and selfless devotion to her cause changed the world. 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/29wXThi

MY THOUGHTS:

5/5 STARS

I could use many words to describe this book, but the one that stands out amongst all others is empowerment. Clara was a hero during her time. She immigrated with big dreams, but quickly dropped them for a greater good. She experienced the brutal workforce first-hand and made it her priority to stop it. She fought for fair wages, safe workplaces, freedom from harassment, and so much more. She put all she had into creating a women's union. She was belittled, beaten, laughed at, locked away, and shamed; and yet she never gave up. Her fierce bravery and strong will led her to one of America's greatest historic successes. It wasn't an easy battle, but she used her voice to empower others to use theirs.

Audacity was a book that I will never forget. It had a way of pulling me so deep into the pages that the lines between fiction and reality blurred. Each movement Clara made I felt as if I were making the movement myself. Every laugh directed at her, every punch thrown... I felt it. The words had a way of wrapping themselves around me and pulling me under. It's as if I slowly drowned in a pool of historic tragedy and was resucitated to a new world. Clara made sure that the brutality stopped. She pushed for equal rights and without her, who knows what America would be like today.

I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. It's a story of ultimate sacrifice and I think all who read it will gain a broader appreciation for those who helped mold our world into what it is today.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days finding and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the German army invaded. Her illegal work keeps her family afloat, and Hanneke also likes to think of it as a small act of rebellion against the Nazis.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman’s frantic plea to find a person: a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such a dangerous task but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations—where the only way out is through.

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, unforgettable story of bravery, grief, and love in impossible times. 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/29Dg9u9

MY THOUGHTS:

4/5 STARS

This was a whole new take on WW2. I expected gruesome work camps and feared deportations, but what I didn't expect was the acts of resistance. This book captured a behind the scenes bravery that I've never read about before. It pulled me into a thrilling plot full of danger, lies, and secrets.

Hanneke works in the black market where she recycles rations cards and buys items for those willing to pay. It's usually items like meat, lipstick, magazines, etc. So when a customer asks her to find a girl, her automatic reaction is to flee. She runs home and sits and ponders the pros and cons. She knows she shouldn't say yes, but deep down she wants to mend emotional wounds and save a life since she blames herself for taking one. 

She finds herself wrapped up in a twisted mystery that throws her on the doorstep of the resistance. It's a dangerous time and in honor to get answers she has to break rules and live on the edge. Each move could end with death, but she has her mind set on finding the girl and she doesn't stop until she does.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book a lot. I love historical YA and I think this one was a perfect addition to the genre. However, there were a few things that held me back from loving it. First I found the plot twist to be very predictable. I knew what happened before it was revealed and I believe others would guess it as well. Second, I felt like many things were just grazed upon. I wanted to dive deeper into the theatre and see more of the intense darkness. Lastly, I wanted closure in other areas. I felt like the mystery got closure, but everything else was left open ended. Elsbeth? Ollie and Willem? I guess I need to keep in mind that there was no possible way to explore each character in depth. I still wanted to though.... and that is a great thing!

Overall, I definitely recommend it to all historical fans that appreciate new takes on a brutal time. Just keep in mind that it's not a love story. It's a story of healing and moving on. A story of sacrifice and hope. A story of bravery during the time of war.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Review

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1VMxIZj

 

MY THOUGHTS:

5/5 Stars

 

"Her eyes are a dark jolt. I should look away. I should leave. She'll figure out who I am if she stares long enough. But I can't bring myself to move. For a heavy, heated moment, we are immobile, content to watch each other. Skies, she's beautiful. I smile at her, and the blush that rises on her face makes me feel oddly triumphant."

 

I think every book I've rated 5 stars has been able to pull deep emotion from my soul... This one did just that. I felt hopeless and at the mercy of the words. One page my heart was filled with heartwarming joy and others it was wracked with deep rooted sorrow. The character's stories were able to touch my heart like no other. As I fell deeper into the magical, dark world, I became more detached from reality.

 

An Ember in the Ashes was similar to other books, but in a league of it's own. It brought fantasy, magic, and romance. There was suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat and twists that I never saw coming. The vividness of each word captured my attention and made me more invested in the outcome of the trials. Speaking of which... If you think the Hunger Games was brutal, you have seen nothing yet. These trials were gut wrenching and quite difficult to read. The little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter were genius. They kept the story fresh in my mind and had me begging for more.

 

Elias is a mask... He should be thrilled with his status, but instead is tormented by his past and his present. Laia is a slave, but she was just a scholar that escaped a raid that captured her loved ones. She sets her sights on rescuing her brother and ends up in the pits of her own hell. She is beat by the Commander and gets caught up in a web of secrets. Elias and her have things in common and hesitantly become fond of one another. They are the reason for each other's undoing and in the end, the reason for each other's new beginning.

 

Overall, I couldn't be more impressed by this read. It was able to pull raw emotion from me and for that I am thankful. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book...

 

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.

It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.

And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all...a love story.

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1SbtFjX

MY THOUGHTS:
3/5 Stars

 

My expectations were high with this one... The reviews are all wonderful and the talk is nothing but positive things. For me though, It didn't live up to all the hype. I thought it was a good read, but  it didn't blow me away. The ingredients for a 5+ star were there, but I felt like some parts were lacking and under developed. The beginning pulled me in with the angsty romance and the middle sucked me in with intensity, but the ending was a bit scattered. Maybe it was the writing style... I'm not sure. Just something about it left me feeling semi detached from the characters. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that the beginning is so vivid with intricate details and mysterious twists, but than the ending is all rushed. I mean we skip 7 years & and get a cliffnotes version of what happened in that time period. It almost felt like two completely different books... The Before part was 5 stars, but sadly the After was a 2.

 

Moses was a GREAT character and I even liked Georgia, but Eli was a hard one for me... On one hand I thought the twist was genius, but on another I didn't like what led him to Moses's visions. Then the ending.... Is it bad that I wanted Moses to do the opposite of what he did? With all that build up I thought something HUGE would happen, but in the end, it was predictable and lacked the gut wrenching conclusion I craved.

 

I think with some minor changes this one could have been epic, but for me, it was just an enjoyable read with unique characters.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

 

 

AMAZON LINK - http://amzn.to/1BFpORf

 

 
MY THOUGHTS:
4.5/5 Stars

A mix between The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Mystic City by Theo Lawrence...

I truly believe that this series will be the next craze. I haven't heard anything about a movie yet, but I will be waiting impatiently to hear those magic words. It definitely deserves it! The book was fast paced and all consuming. The Author transports us to a unique world and paints vivid pictures in our mind. It's almost as if the words are crawling off the pages right in front of our eyes. The plot wasn't always pretty, but the ugly is what created a magnificent story.

 

Red Queen was one of those books that just sucks you in from page one. I found myself addicted to the words and struggling with closing the book at a normal hour. I craved the ending and holy crap! I never expected such a huge plot twist. Can you say palm on head, jaw on the floor reaction? It was an epic betrayal and a total mind blower. I was mad, but it made the story that much better.

 

Overall, I recommend this book to readers of all ages. I applaud the Author and desperately beg for the next book.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller“The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . [It] is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership.”—The New York Times

“Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages.”—The Boston Globe

“Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller.”—People 

A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1BjyaU9

MY THOUGHTS:
4/5 Stars

Oh goodness... I just finished this one and to be honest, I feel exhausted! It was complex, well thought out, and had tons of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the story, but it took me a few days to finish it because you had to pay attention to the simple parts. Each and every word played an intricate part in the story as a whole.

The Girl on The Train pulled me in with the creep factor and tangled me up in a web of lies. My mind was working double time trying to figure out what in the world was going on. The characters were so complex and weird... I started off thinking that Rachel was disgusting and hopeless, but then with a faint of heart, I started to feel really bad for her. She wasn't right in the head and I knew the secrets would slowly reveal themselves.

They compared this story to Gone Girl and I would say that's an accurate comparison. If you are looking for a book with sexy scenes though, this book probably isn't for you... Yes, there were intimate interactions, but the Author just grazed the surface by mentioning and moving along.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a good book that leaves you thinking.... What in the heck just happened? Please remember though, it is slow at times because in order to follow the story you need lots of details and the Author gives us LOTS of descriptions and little points you think are non sense at the time. They do play a crucial part in the end though!

Out of Control by Sarah Alderson

When 17 year old Liva witnesses a brutal murder she’s taken into police custody for her own protection. But when the police station is attacked and bullets start flying it becomes clear that Liva is not just a witness, she’s a target.

Together with a car thief called Jay, Liva manages to escape the massacre but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit two killers who will stop at nothing to find them.

When you live on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.

AMAZON ~ http://amzn.to/19aE5z8




  MY THOUGHTS:
5 HUGE STARS
* I receieved an ARC for an honest review *
You know that feeling you get when you are plunging down the first huge drop on a roller coaster... The butterflies arrive and you feel as though you left your stomach at the top? Well, that is how I felt while reading Out of Control.

I was sucked in from page one and quickly became addicted to the fast paced thriller. I had a hard time putting it down... The fact that the story occurred in just two-three days, blows my mind. You would think that there would be a lack in the storyline, but gah!, no.... it was so good! The intensity of each page had me on the edge of my seat and the romance aspect had my heart swooning.

The characters meshed together so well. It wasn't an in your face romance, but more of a subtle, lusty, slow build, intense connection. Liva and Jay's lives cross paths in a police station and from that moment on they are like Bonnie and Clyde, but in the best way possible, of course. Together they face danger head on, taking one minute at a time.

I definitely think that Jay was my favorite character. He is a book boyfriend that I will love for a long time because, while he had a bad boy attitude... his heart was solid gold. He devoted his life to protect Liva and worried himself over his family. He was attractive, but not in an I have to be dominant and take my clothes of kind of way... His actions spoke louder than words for sure.

When I reached the ending I couldn't believe the huge plot twist... Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was blindsided by the new information. I was conflicted by how it would all play out, but in the end I was pleased with how it did.

I am so glad I got the chance to read this book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got was a fast paced, intense, roller coaster ride. I highly recommend it to mature readers that don't mind a little blood and suspense in their books.

The Girl in 6E (A Deanna Madden Novel Book 1) by A R. Torre Review

My life, inside this apartment is simple. It works, as long as I follow the rules.

1. Don't leave the apartment. Not in case of fire, not to mail a letter, not to run an errand. The door stays shut, and I stay inside.
2. Don't get attached to clients. I take off my clothes, I stand in front of the camera, and I perform. What they want, I give. Their secrets, I keep. Everything I tell them, is a lie.
3. Don't kill anyone. I've obeyed that rule for over three years.

My life, inside this apartment was simple, and it worked. Then, I started breaking rules.

Enter a world of lies, thrills, fears, and all desires, in this original thriller from A. R. Torre.

 

Amazon Link- http://amzn.to/141QZMZ

 

My Thoughts:

5/5 stars

 

This book is one of those books that you wish you could unread just so you can read it again for the first time... It was so freaking good on so many levels! I found myself sucked in from page one and shutting everyone else out until the story was finished.

 

The intensity that came with each page was something I haven't felt in a long time... While some of the material border lined on taboo, it was so much more. I found myself torn when it came to my feelings toward the characters. Especially, Deanna/Jessica... She was such a controversial character. Some of her actions will disgust you, but in the end you will see that each action had a profound purpose.

 

The plot was unique to say the least. The way the Author molded an ugly story into a beautiful one was intriguing, awe inspiring, & overall AMAZING.

 

Lately, I have found that when I am searching for a fast paced, must read I have been going to Alessandra Torre. Her books always captivate the audience and pull them into a different world.

 

I highly recommend this book!
Hurry and go read it.