Amelia Kahaney

I was pretty confused at the beginning, because I totally wasn't sure if this was supposed to be in the US or if it is a completely new place, if so, I would want more world building.
I did like Anthem, she sees herself as ordinary and not living up to (rich) parent's expectations, and while I was never privileged, I have always dealt with the feelings of not being enough and self esteem, so I was able to connect with her on that level.
Admittedly, I skipped over a lot of her partying in show more the beginning, and I did feel like things with Gavin were insta-lovish, but I love the theme of dancers and of superheros, especially female ones.
It kinda went downhill from there because their romance escalated way too fast for me, there didn't seem to be any sort of build up it went from hello, you're cute, I'm scared of your part of town, let's dance, to I love you, here's my virginity.
But the atmosphere was cool, even if I wanted to know even more about the world itself. The action was good, and the plot kept going at a pretty good pace.
I loved the idea, liked Anthem well enough, but didn't feel the romance or the world building. I had hoped that the heart would have had more than a mention because it seems so crucial to the plot.
Bottom Line: The premise was amazing, but I didn't completely love the execution and the romance didn't work for me. show less

Amelia Kahaney's The Brokenhearted is a gorgeous, gritty, and imaginative take on the superhero story. Anthem Fleet, talented ballerina and heir to the Fleet fortune, has always been closely guarded by her parents in their penthouse apartment. Lured by the handsome and dangerous Gavin, Anthem is drawn into the dark and exhilarating world on the wrong side of town. But when the couple runs into trouble, Gavin goes missing and Anthem winds up dead . . . only to awaken in an underground lab show more with a bionic heart ticking in her chest. Now she can run faster, jump higher, fight better. But the only thing that matters to her is getting Gavin back. And when she uncovers the sinister truth behind those she trusted the most, she is determined to use her newfound powers for the ultimate revenge.

Set in the ruined fictional landscape of Bedlam, a Gotham-like city, this tale of heartbreak and revenge is both gripping and cinematic. show less

All the Best Liars is a well-written book told through the viewpoint of three main characters. Because of this, the storylines for each are intertwined but that is what makes the novel so captivating. Strong characters, easy to follow storyline and held my interest throughout. Highly recommend!

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A unique YA story that features one of my favorite things: Superheroes!!! While I didn’t love everything about this one it was still a really fun read and I would highly recommend it!

Opening Sentence: Spring has finally come in Bedlam, and the air in the arena smells like newly blooming roses, popcorn, and manure.

The Review:

Anthem Fleet is trying to get used to her new life. After an experimental surgery that left her with superhuman show more powers, she has become an unidentified hero in the dangerous city of Bedlam. The gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to grow every single day. The privileged people live in the North side while the poor live in the South side. The crime is at an all time high and then a new group called “The Invisible” start attacking the wealthy. They are ruthless and don’t care what or who the causalities are in their venture to fulfill their goal of making the two sides of the city more equal. The mysterious leader of “The Invisible” continues to wreak havoc and leave cryptic messages to all those rich enough to live on the North Side. The only hope left for the city to survive is Anthem. Her new abilities will be tested and if she isn’t strong enough then all of Bedlam will be destroyed including everyone Anthem loves.

Anthem is an amazing heroine and I actually liked her much better in this book versus the first one. She has really grown into someone that I felt could be a true hero. She lost the whiny/vengeful attitude that she previously had and she is just more about protecting the innocent. She is a smart, beautiful girl that grew up in a privileged home. She’s not perfect and like all great characters she has flaws that make her feel more realistic. I was so glad that I was able to connect with her much better and I am excited to see where her story goes next.

Ford was easily one of my favorite characters in the first book. He is such a great guy with a heroic heart. The bravery he shows is very admirable and I just couldn’t help but love him. But I was really disappointed with his character in this installment. Honestly, he is hardly in the book at all and I felt that the only reason he was even included was so that there would be some kind of romance in the story. Speaking of the romance I thought that it felt very rushed. It was really hot and cold which didn’t make sense to me. Anthem and Ford had an amazing connection in the first book and instead of expounding on that I felt that the author tried to force the romance instead of letting it develop naturally. It’s not that I don’t love these two together because I do, but all the things I loved about them in the first book were missing in this one. I was truly disappointed with the way Ford’s character was developed and I really hope that we can get back to the Ford I loved in the first book.

Invisible is a fast paced story with engaging characters, intense action, and a just overall entertaining. There were moments throughout the story where I did get a little confused as to what was going on, but for the most part everything flowed really well. There were some great plot twists that I wasn’t expecting, which is always a huge plus for me. The villain was a huge plus for me, not only was he totally creepy but he was very well done. Obviously I unfortunately wasn’t a fan of the romance but I think there is hope that it will get better in the next book. While I feel like I am being pretty negative about this book, overall it really was a great read. It obviously had some serious flaws but the one thing it really has going for it is that it is memorable. Even thought I didn’t love the first book, I can still recall pretty much everything that happened a year after reading it and I feel that it will be the same for the second book. Personally, I haven’t read hardly any young adult books that feature superheroes, and I honestly don’t know why because I love them. Because it is unique and very entertaining, I still would highly recommend this series — even with all its flaws!!!

Notable Scene:

Just then, something white passes in front of my face and lands on my knee, between the folds of my plaid Cathedral uniform skirt. A flower. I pick it up and examine it. It’s a cut daisy, the stem about an inch long. I look up at the ceiling. There’s a black tarp hanging there, in the very center of the chapel, fastened at three corners. A few more daisies spill from one of the corners.

It isn’t like Cathedral to do something like this. Especially not inside the chapel, which is reserved for solemn morning masses and dignified graduations and award ceremonies.

Was this Principal Bang’s idea? I turn to Z and point upward, rolling my eyes. But then another corner of the tarp comes undone, and we’re all doused in daisies. And along with the daisies, tiny slips of paper.

Debbie is still making her speech, but I’m not listening until she stops and screams out, “WHAT IS THIS?”

She waves a slip of paper in her hand. Everyone is picking daisies out of their hair, rumbles of conversation growing louder.

“Is this a prank?” Debbie yells. “It’s not funny, you guys!”

I pick up one of the slips from the ground and my blood freezes in my veins when I read the words, hand-scrawled in blue ballpoint: Like the humble daisy, The Invisible grow every time it rains. Expect us, children. We are everywhere.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Invisible. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less