Mini reviews: 'Til the World Ends & Double Crossed

'Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall
Publisher: Harlequin Luna
Publication date: Janurary 29th 2013.
My rating: 4 stars

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden-as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems....

Review for Dawn of Eden

“Whatever you’ve done, or think you’ve done, it’s over now. You can’t go back and change it. What you do about it, right now, from here on out, that’s the important thing”. 

After reading The Immortal Rules, I made a promise to myself to read all the rest of the books in this fantastic series. So when I heard Kagawa was releasing a novella featuring Kanin, just in time to get you in the mood for The Eternity Cure I knew I had to get a copy. Dawn of Eden is the story based around before the rabids came into existence. The city is already on its last legs with so many people getting hit by the red lung disease that the hospitals are barely coping. That’s where we find our over working nurse Kylie, she’s losing patients all over the place despite her hard work, but she didn’t expect to be dealing with rabids when a guy called Ben brings his best friend in with unexplainable teeth marks. 

What I was expecting by picking up Dawn of Eden was a greater understanding of Kanin’s character. His brief appearance in The Immortal Rules left one yearning for more, his appearance in Dawn of Eden was sort of disappointing, (I actually didn’t even realise it was even him until I finished the scene off!). But the story of Ben and Kylie trying to survive anyway they could had completely won me over that I sort of forgot my initial purpose in reading this book. I enjoyed following Ben and Kylie on their journey of finding a safe place away from the rabids. Of self-discovery and realising that when your life can end in an instant, you should spend each minute to the fullest and as if it’s your last. Kagawa once again created a fast paced story in Dawn of Eden, laced with dread in the pit of your stomach and a sweet romance. Fans of Kanin may be a little disappointed with this instalment, but I think fans of this series like myself will enjoy this teaser before The Eternity Cure hits the shelves. 

Favourite quote: 
“How do you do it?” I blinked. I’d gotten so used to his silence; the question caught me off guard. Strange, thinking I knew a man after only a few of hours with him. His brown eyes on me now, solemn and assessing. “Because you have to” I said, ducking through the back door with him behind me. “Because sometimes that’s the only thing that will get them through, the only thing that keeps them alive”.

Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves story (Heist Society #2.5) by Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: January 22nd 2013
My rating: 3 stars

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training? W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief? There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup. Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour. When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help? The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Not being a huge fan of the Gallagher Girls series and a huge fan of the Heist society series. I was a little worried that maybe this book wouldn’t be for me, but I was wrong as Carter produces a brilliant mash up of two different worlds in Double Crossed. 

Macey and Hale find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, what was meant to be a friendly auction turns into all the guests being held hostage by a bunch of robbers who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Despite our favourite characters finding themselves in a tight situation, Carter was able to sprinkle the story with humour which resulted in a light hearted, fun and enjoyable read. It was great seeing sets of characters having to be forced to work together in a situation when they didn’t trust one other the least bit. Both Macey and Hale didn’t know what the other had up their sleeve but were able to put their brilliant minds together and find a way to get out of the dire situation. What I enjoyed the most about Double Crossed aside the brilliant pacing and cons was the relationship between Hale and Kat. It was great to have both of them finally to be open about their feelings for one another. 

Double Crossed was a quick story which will be sure to delight fans of Ally Carter’s previous series.