Mini Reviews: Wings of the Wicked; Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Looking for Alaska

Hey Blogger Buds,
I have these books piling up that I really want to review....I just never get around to it. And time passes, my memory gets foggy with old age, and I lose interest in writing reviews.
So here we go, quickfire.
I've listed a few things here: A goodreads link, a short blurb of my own creation, and a song that connects to the book.

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Linkage: Angelfire Review ~ Will Doll ~ Cadan Doll

Blurby: In the sequel to Angelfire, Ellie has to deal with growing into her powers, her feelings for her guardian, Will, and deceit, while she's struck with tragedy after tragedy and is presented with life-changing secrets.

(Why can't I be this good at blurbing my OWN books?)

Review: WotW was absolutely phenomenal. I was blown away. You've gotten so much more familiar with the characters at this point, and they're all just adorable and amazing. Really strong, and kick-butt. I'm a total "Wellie" shipper. They're there for each other through thick and thin, balancing the other out perfectly. When tragedy strikes, they present a united front, Will holding Ellie while she screams and cries, even when she's so mad she tries to hurt him. No pun intended, their love is undying.

Of course, this book also featured my favorite character a great deal--Cadan. He's just...awesome. In so many ways. (In my dream world, I'm Team Rivdan.)

The only critique I can make is that when Ellie suffered, I didn't feel her pain. Some really bad...stuff...hits the fan, and it destroys (not literally, don't worry) destroys Ellie, but I didn't really feel it as much as I wish I had.

I NEED book 3.

(Plus, the fight scenes were epic.)
Song: Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Rating: 8 stars AMAZING

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Blurby: Miles Halter, unpopular dork obsessed with last words, goes to Culver Creekboarding school, where he finds new friends in the Colonel, Takumi, and the hurricane which is Alaska Young, who turns his life upside-down, shakes it up, and opens up, leaving it to explode like a soda bottle.

(Bad metaphor simile, I know)

Review: I was a little bit underwhelmed by Looking for Alaska, but it felt very real. All the characters were well-rounded and charming. The numerous pranks sprinkled throughout make me question John Green's schoolboy days, though...

I just felt like there was something missing, some sort of draw, throughout the first part of the book. I didn't feel the tension.

"After" was amazing, though. I didn't see it coming until about a page before, I just couldn't imagine it...and then BAM. I felt the agony.

Emotional rollercoasters FTW. A billion percent.

There isn't a real answer, in the end, but I think it's fitting that way. There's hope for everyone, all the strange and quirky characters.

Song: Looking for Alaska by Hank Green
Rating: 3 stars Okay

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Blurby: Sam LaCroix was a pretty average joe (or Sam, as the case may be)...until someone tells him he's a necromancer. Yup, "necromancer" as in "you can raise the dead, and that makes you a threat to that power-hungry necromancer down yonder, but to make up for it, here's a werewolf girlfriend." Wait. What? Necromancers and werewolves?

Review: I think what makes this book so fantastic, the key part of it, is the characters. Sam is just so...real. I don't think I will ever find a character as mundane as Sam. He works in fast-food. He plays potato-hockey (you read that right). He has a snarky little sister, and a cool mom. His friends are also super loyal...and really, really quirky. His name is short for Samhain (apparently pronounced Sowin.)

I didn't like the multiple POVs at first, they were distracting and boring enough to make me give up on the book for a while, but once I got into it, I got into it.

I have three complaints. (1) Sam took everything in stride, which irks me in paranormal books. "I'm a necromancer? Weird. But, ya know, I can live with that." DUDE. FREAK OUT. *grabs Sam and shakes him by the shoulders* (2) The writing was a little bit repetitious. (3) The book was mad funny, but most of the brilliantly mad funny was in the beginning, so my high hopes weren't met after those opening pages.

I just found out that there's a sequel. YES.

Song: Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer by Elton John (of course)
Rating: 5* Original and well thought out.

Peace and swords,
Riv