Tales of Ever: Volumes 1-6 (2014)

Misha was a normal girl until she discovered she had a gift. she was a firestarter. learning about her ability lead her to understand their community as well. while men in their bloodlines were active firestarters, women were mostly dormant. those who were found to have active abilities were banished once found, saying to be highly unstable because of their emotions. Misha's father went missing 10 years ago, leaving behind a burnt car. after barely starting their fire lessons, Misha's mother died of cancer. before she was picked up by social services, Uncle Jeff appeared at her doorstep, claiming to be her father's brother. Misha was hopeful when she joined his family, but barely one day in their house, the community decided to banish her because of her active ability.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. it was such an easy and captivating read that i found myself flying through the pages in one sitting. Misha's growth made her a very lovable character. i especially loved how she played with her ability, which caused her to come up with something new and became even more impressive along the way. her coming across Jadus, Merrick, Shade, even Sage made it interesting. while she was often easy to trust because of her innocence, i found myself doubting each and every one of these characters, along with their initial intention towards her. the possibilities during each turning points were so expandable it was impossible to predict how their relationship would progress. while i was initially overwhelmed with the details and surroundings of Ever, i found it helpful as i remained longer in it. but most importantly was how Misha kept me interested in everything that happened around her. with how amazing the story went, it would certainly be the most amazing to find more continuations of it.

Spearwood Academy One: Episodes 1-5 (2014)

the story took place in a world where humans were given abilities to transform into dragons, helping them through the hard times. yet these humans grew greedy and started using their ability to threaten the villagers. a curse from the Queen caused all female dragons to experience pain during transformation and instead of obtaining the ability at the age of fifteen, they were forced to transform every night since birth. the cruel transformation killed many of the infants, eventually parents started killing their female infants before any transformation could take place. centuries later, Avalon was the only female dragon that survived the curse. she was brought to Spearwood Academy, where male dragons were trained and schooled. while she was overwhelmed seeing so many dragon candidates, she also had many questions that needed answers to.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. the first few pages frightened me as i was never a huge fan of the historical genre no matter how much i was obsessed with the paranormal. however, the moment Avalon came into the picture, it became crystal clear that she was going to be a character i will definitely love. a tough girl since birth, Avalon survived the daily transformation that was forced upon her. her down to earth personality and especially the grumbling made her believable and thus very relatable. i enjoyed the flow of the storyline, where Avalon was brought from one place to a completely different environment. i felt like we were adjusting ourselves together with her. being the only girl, she was instantly surrounded by a group of friends that tend to be overprotective around her. at some point, i found myself doubting these characters but didn't have enough depths to understand them. however, Mirren the bully and Bullock the tutor i had a clearer picture of, which made things even more interesting when these unlikely characters were forced into a group for a mission. i reached the end of the book without even realizing it, which made the cliffhanger at the end of the book a very cruel joke. now i desperately wanted to get my hands on the next installment!

Bleak Devotion (2014)

it had been too long since the monsters appeared. they looked like human but were void of any expression. they were determined to destroy all humans. to survive, Jessica forced herself to hide her feelings, appearing as emotionless as the monsters, just so she could scavenged for food among them. after her last remaining friend was killed, Jessica fled the city in hope of finding a place where she would be free of the monsters. she met Deborah, who led a group of humans into surviving the harsh situations by growing food themselves and generating electricity through windmills. just when Jessica thought herself free from the monsters, she discovered that the Deborah and the surviving humans were hiding a monster among them.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. when i first started reading, the book led me into feeling like i was reading a dystopian novel. especially when the zombies-like alien figure started appearing. as confusing as how it started, the story then took a huge turn after Jessica reached the hideout and i started to get what everything was about. at this point, i was pleasantly surprised with how straightforward and captivating the book had become. not being a huge science-fiction fan, i didn't expect myself to fall in love with Blade, but it happened long before i had a chance with Jessica. while it was easy to sympathize her misfortune, being with Blade truly made her a far more lovable character. i just couldn't get enough of them being together, also not forgetting the tears and goosebumps i happily enjoyed just by reading about them. i was glad to find a somewhat different dystopian plot that didn't end up being too much or too heavy along the way, restricting the boundary turned out to be perfect choice to explore the storyline, making it a welcoming and pleasant change.

Under the Never Sky #3: Into the Still Blue (2014)

with the worsened Aether storm, the Tides was forced to move into a cave. like Hess, leader of the Dwellers and Sable, leader of the Horns, the Tides were eager to find the Still Blue, a safe haven away from the destructive Aether storm. at some point, Hess and Sable decided to work together, trying to convince some of the Tides to come along as well. after rescuing a group of Dwellers that Hess left behind, Aria and Perry were determined to find a way to bring everyone, Tides and Dwellers, into the Still Blue. with time running out, they had to rescue Cinder, who was kidnapped for his special ability, while coming out with a solution to cross over to the Still Blue.

last book into the series, i was pleased to find myself having fun through the book. despite some parts that failed to have me absorbed completely, especially the initial fight against Hess and Sable, i was happy with how things turned out in the end. it was mesmerizing how everything eventually became perfect. i was thrilled to have laughed and cried along with the characters, welcoming the goosebumps more than once. it was a pity to have lost Cinder or not having more doses of Roar, but in overall, the series truly overwhelmed me. i was almost sad to have finished the books so fast. recalling its scenes, i believe the most alluring point of the series was having no idea how the story would progress. curiosity easily held my attention through the pages and before i knew it, it was already the last page. getting so used to its flow, i was still expecting another twist of events or simply, another page!