Mini Reviews of Sequels: Fractured, Independent Study, & Faking It

Fractured (Guards of The Shadowlands #2) by: Sarah Fine (Oct. 2013)

357 pages

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Fantasy               

Publisher: Skyscape

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
*This review may contain spoilers of the previous book in the series.

Goodreads Summary: In the week since Lela returned to Rhode Island as Captain of the Guard with
Malachi as her second in command, local news has been dominated by chilling sightings of human-like creatures running on all fours. Lela knows there’s only one explanation: the Mazikin have arrived in the land of the living.

Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.

As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?

My Review: I love love love the relationship/romance between Lela and Malachi in Fractured. (even if these two did frustrate me some) Really I just straight up enjoy this series and really think everyone should read it. This book has the perfect amount of intense moments mixed with hilarious moments. The new characters and teammates on Lela’s group of guards are interesting and add a lot to the novel. I basically just had so many feels while reading Fractured. I love how the technology in the real world has changed how the guard functions and basically how they all act in the real world because they have’t been immersed there in a long awhile. Oh, and the ending of the novel had my heart pounding, my hands trembling, and it made me have complete and utter high regard for the bravery and strength and somewhat crazy thing Lela did.

Independent Study (The Testing #2) by: Joelle Charbonneau (Jan. 2014)

310 pages

Genre: YA/Dystopian             

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

My Review: Cia Vale is just as clever in Independent Study as she was in the The Testing, and she is by far one of my favorite characters in the young adult dystopian genre. In Independent Study Cia must face even more of a struggle of trying to figure out who to trust when more players are added to the game. This book has even more interesting and new tests in it. It was also fascinating to get inside the more political side of Cia's world and to try and figure out who is on what side. I found Independent Study even more unique than The Testing and a very strong sequel. This dystopian is worth taking a look at.

Faking It (Losing It #2) by: Cora Carmack (2013)

304 pages

Genre: Romance/New Adult          

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

My Review: I really liked the first book in the Losing It series, but its sequel, Faking It, just didn't live up to its predecessor. Although Faking It did have a few laughs written in here and there throughout the novel it was nowhere near as funny and clever as the first book. I wouldn't say Faking It was bad, it was just more serious and darker, which just wasn't what I was expecting. The characters are likable just fine and I enjoyed reading about their lives and their weird relationship. Faking It just didn't have as much uniqueness to it as I was hoping, it seemed like just its regular run of the mill romance, the only big thing that I did like is that the boy is the cleaner preppy one and the girl is the more dark and dangerous one. Therefore, I think Faking It was a fine book cute book and Carmack is good at writing romance scenes, but not what I was hoping for. I'm sure many romance and Carmack fans will enjoy it. Now I just don't know if I should read the third book, Finding It...