Review: Twist by Karen Akins

Title: Twist
Author: Karen Akins
Series: Loop, #2
Format: Hardback, kindly provided
by the publishers in exchange for
a review. (Thank you!!)
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
My rating: 4.5 / 5

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Bree Bennis finally has it all—a non-comatose mother, an uber-hot (albeit anachronistic) boyfriend named Finn, and a new-found mission to protect the timeline from those who would skew it for their own gain. But when she leans over one day to smooch said boyfriend, her lips meet those of her arch-nemesis Wyck instead. The timeline has been altered, and Bree is caught in the crosshairs. But when she goes back to repair the damage, she is stopped by none other than her Future Self, who delivers an urgent message: Someone is kidnapping Shifters from the distant past. It’s up to Bree to stop them. But first, she has to figure out who... and why.

To follow the trail of chronocrumbs, Bree reluctantly accepts her new undercover gig as Wyck’s girlfriend. Everything goes spiffy until Finn shows up in the 23rd century on the eager arm of a gorgeous fellow Shifter, Blark. Even as Bree struggles with jealousy, she battles the nagging dread that Finn might be better off with someone less chronologically complicated. Her worst fear is confirmed when Finn becomes the kidnapper’s next victim. As Bree zeroes in on the culprit, they unravel her life one timeline-change at a time. She realizes that she alone has the power to save herself and everyone she loves. But to do that, she may lose Finn forever.

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

*I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.*

I loved Twist so much! It was just as entertaining and fast paced as Loop, and oh gosh, the titles for this two-part series are simply perfection. The pacing is blisteringly fast, and the story twists, turns and loops on a hairs breath and keeps you on your toes from beginning to end - it’s fabulous!

Bree finally has a little normality and stability in her life after the events that took place in Loop. She almost up-to-date with correcting timeline changes and is beginning to feel like she has everything under control… until one evening when she’s on a date with Finn, and she leans over to kiss him, but ends up kissing Wyck instead. Someone is messing with the timeline, and Bree is firmly in their sights. When Shifters start going missing, it’s up to Bree to find the source of the changes and save the timeline from begin thrown into irreparable chaos. Little does she know just how tangled things are, and with some interference from Future Bree, correcting the timeline once and for all could cost Bree everything.

Both Bree and Finn are simply adorable characters! While we didn’t get quite as much Bree and Finn together time in Twist as we did in Loop, I still loved their banter when they were together. They both have really likeable personalities that bounce off each other so well, and this creates so many hilarious moments. Add in Bree’s snarkishly sassy inner monologue, and it’s so awesome to read! The entire story isn’t all fun and laughs though, and I felt so many emotions throughout the book and I went from laughing one minute to fighting off tears the next.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the plot is VERY fast paced. When the story really began to kick off there is so much going on all at once, with dozens of different directions the plot can go in, and I really applaud the author for crafting this book so clearly. I loved the perfect balance of heart pounding action, lightning fast plot, and entertaining, humorous and adorable characters. There isn’t a dull moment, and I loved finding out everything right along with Bree, and I was afraid to blink or I’d miss something.

The ending, the ending, oh gosh, the ending! I just about had a heart-attack during that last chapter. I’m not going to say anything specific, don’t worry, but I loved how well wrapped up everything was, but it wasn’t without some heartbreak. I’m a little sad that this is the final book! I was hoping it would be a trilogy, and I’m not really ready so say goodbye to these characters.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both Loop and Twist, and I highly recommend both books. Time-travel is such a tricky topic to pull of believably, and I thought Karen accomplished this brilliantly. Add in two adorable, courageous and loveable characters, and I’m completely in love! I can’t wait to see what other stories we get from her in the future – and I’m going to be over here living in hope that there might be something from Bree and Finn, too!

Blog Tour Review: Loop by Karen Akins

I’m so excited to be taking part in the Blog Tour for Loop, hosted by St Martin’s Press! Loop is Karen Akins debut novel, and it was released on 21st October 2014 and it’s been so hard to keep my fangirling in check until my tour stop date! I have a review for you today, hope you enjoy!

Title: Loop
Author: Karen Akins
Series: Loop, #1
Format: eARC, kindly provided by
St. Martin's Press. This didn't influence
my opinions in any way.
My rating: 4.5 / 5

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At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.

After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn’t go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he’s in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn’t think he’s a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.

Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.

But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future.

-- As seen on Goodreads

Review: Raising Demons (Demonglass) by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Raising Demons
(US title: Demonglass)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall, #2
Format: Paperback, owned
My rating: 3.5 / 5
Pages: 359

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Sophie Mercer's first term at Hex Hall turned out to be quite eventful. First the ghost of her evil grandmother haunted her every move, then her best friend was accused of murder and of course there was the discovery that Archer Cross, aka the boy of her dreams, was actually an undercover demon hunter - which would probably be something she could have worked on, if she hadn't also discovered that she was actually the demon Archer was hunting…

So, despite their issues, Sophie is actually relieved to be spending the summer in London with her father. But when your father is Head of The Council of Prodigium and your summer is being spent at the headquarters of everything magical, then a quiet holiday isn't really that likely. And, as Sophie struggles to come to terms with her new found demon powers, she finds herself thrust once again into a world of dark magic and conspiracies. The only thing that could possibly make things more complicated would be for Archer Cross to show up again, which of course he wouldn't, would he?

-- As seen on Goodreads

Review: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

Title: Wallbanger
Author: Alice Clayton
Series: Cocktail, #1
Format: Kindle
My rating: 2 / 5
Pages: 314

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The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...

In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Wallbanger was one of those books that was absolutely everywhere I turned last year. I saw so much praise, with 4 and 5 star reviews and I thought it would automatically be such a great read. I saw it on sale recently, and I thought I’ll give it a go. Unfortunately, for me at least, it’s a case of the hype being greater than how I found the book.

It’s a fairly familiar premise. Caroline is our main character and narrator. She’s a single girl living in San Francisco. She’s been missing her O for six months since she had a one night stand with Machinegun Cory. When she moves into the vacant apartment her boss owns, she becomes obsessed with the guy living next door who frequent has very loud sex with various different girls. Since the walls are paper thin, she gets a front row seat.

What drew me to this book at first was the humour that lots of people gushed about. I downloaded a sample last year, and I thought that I’d really like the book, but I didn’t buy it immediately. It took over a year for me to get around to it actually! I will say that, yes, the book is very funny… until the funny wears off. This is so contradictory to everything I usually rave about. I love funny moments in books! But, this is the thing: I love funny moments that don’t feel like they’ve been planned. I guess what I’m trying to say is that unexpected humour appeals to me more than predicted humour.

Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters either. The highlight of the book was Carline’s cat, Clive. All the characters are super rich, and in honesty it’s become a bit boring reading these story lines. I kind of took an instant dislike to Simon, and I didn’t see anything to help me get over that. As he’s the main male characters, this is fifty percent of the character appeal gone very quickly. Caroline didn’t fare much better. And what is with the nicknames?! Wallbanger is pretty self-explanatory once you read the book, but whenever “Pink Nightie Girl” cropped up, I cringed.

I think this is a case of timing. If I had read Wallbanger last year, around the time I read the sample on Amazon, I think I would have liked it a lot better. I personally feel I’ve read better books that deliver on all fronts, from characters, to sexy-times and overall story. I will admit there are lots of funny moments, but I need more than humour alone to make me love a book.