Sparkles and Lightning

Biggest disappointment I've had in a long time, so much so that I scanned more than read the last 20%. Absolutely worse than book one and the destroyer of my hopes. Review to come. ---Ohmygod, I'm going all fangirl, but I just love that title! It has the word "dance" in it, after all, and it sounds so hopelessly intriguing!I am Team Elliott all the way, and can't wait to see more of him and his gorgeousness in this book :)

Gross. Review to come. Maybe. Why do the most awful books have the most gorgeous covers?

Hmmmmm.

SO GOOD OH MY GOD. Only now I need Siege, Nick's book. And Michael's unnamed book, because I fell really hard for Michael in this one omg. Amazing book. Review to come.

*****FINAL RATING: 4.80 STARS*****CATCHALLI absolutely loved Intangible, so I was thrilled when I realized I would have the chance to read Imaginable. It was absolutely as lovely as its predecessor, perhaps even more gorgeous in some ways. Everything about it was just gorgeous and there was more romance, which I loved. The plot also moved forward in ways I didn't expect and there was so very, very little I didn't love about this book.THE HEROLUKEI really like Luke because he's not perfect. He cares very, very deeply for Sera, to the point where sometimes he gets impulsive and makes mistakes. It's really sweet to see how much he cares for his sister but it never gets creepy and in this book he's much less overbearing. He wants to protect her, but he also allows her to make her own decisions. Meanwhile, he's struggling internally with some feelings as well. He exudes confidence on the outside, but he's more sensitive than he lets on.THE HEROINESERASera is an artist, which has always been one of my favorite things about her. She's also a healer and she hates to see anyone in pain, to the point where she will do things she doesn't want to to protect them. While that is dangerous, it is also admirable. I also really feel like Sera finds an inner strength that she didn't have in the first book. She's growing into her powers even more than Luke is, and she doesn't know what the right thing to do with them is all the time.THE LIGHT ELF PROTECTORFEYFey might be my favorite simply because she's so strong but also not. She's been alive for literally hundreds of years, but she's more human than she first appears. Fey has one of the deepest senses of compassion I've ever seen, and she has a hard time reconciling her head and her heart. She knows what she should do but that often conflicts with what she wants to do. Her loyalties are really tested in this book and she has some very difficult choices to make, which I think she really handles well.THE HEAD VAMPIREJONASJonas is so, so, so wonderful. I love him probably beyond logical reason, but whatever. He isn't afraid to do what he thinks he should be doing and he's protective of both twins, but particularly of Sera. He'll do anything to keep her safe and he's willing to take major risks to ensure that she is. Also, like a lot of the characters, he has some pretty deep-seated insecurities. He doesn't really let them physically show, but they're definitely hiding in his heart. He's brave, and he's loyal.There are loads of other characters I'd love to mention, but if I mention one I would have to mention them all, and then this review would be longer than the book practically, and you'd get bored. So, go read about them. ;)THE PLOTIn Imaginable, the plot thickens. That sounds lame and cliché, but it's true, so forgive me. Not everyone is yet completely recovered from the betrayal they faced, especially Sera, and the threat of Lilith still looms in the background ominously. Yet the twins and their friends are facing bigger problems now.Without veering into spoiler territory, Sera's ability to heal is causing problems for them all. She had only good intentions at first, but other people used her to warp and change her gift into an action that is something awful. There's a sort of bloody rebellion beginning to build, and if they don't manage to stop it everything will change for them, and not in the gumdrops and roses way.I also like the treatment of magic, although that is also my main problem with this book. I like that the magic isn't perfect or flawless. There are definitely crutches and things it cannot do, and it is not perfect. However, sometimes the magic can do things that I find frankly ridiculous and at times it was too much for me to believe. So essentially, I do like the way magic is used, but it is also the main fault in my opinion.It is a very fast-paced novel, and I definitely got caught up in the action. I really couldn't put it down either because something was always happening. The chapters ended in ginormous, intense cliffhangers and kept me reading on and on.I also love that there is so much originality in the plot. I really feel like it is so unique from other books I've read. There are vampires and elves, yes, but there are also other types of creatures, including the particular introduction in this novel of a unique and monstrous one. It really belongs on its own level as far as urban fantasy goes.THE ROMANCEI was so, so happy with the development of romance in this book as opposed to the last. Fey and Luke silently struggle with their feelings for each other, and waiting to see where they would go was immensely interesting. There are definitely some misunderstandings between them, and I kept hoping they would work them out. Jonas obviously cares deeply about Sera, but she's still not necessarily ready to open herself up to love again after what happened with a certain someone in the last book. Even so, she cannot deny her connection to him. It's all explosions and kissing and kind of fabulous.THE WRITINGI recognized J.'s talent from the very first paragraph of hers that I read, and I can honestly, legitimately say that it has only improved. It is absolutely gorgeous, peerless. The way she describes things is beyond beautiful, and she makes everything feel so unbelievably real. The dialogue and banter between the characters is also fun, and J. has an absolutely incredible sense of humor. I actually had to stop reading this book during class because I could not stop laughing. It never feels tacky, just genuine.THE ENDINGThe ending was perfect. It doesn't resort to using a killer cliffhanger because it doesn't need to. The overall conflict definitely isn't resolved, but the immediate one is more or less. And yet, despite that, I still found myself on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was next. This book was wonderful but it wasn't enough. The ending was awesome, but in some ways it was almost doubly cruel.WRAPUPDo I recommend this series? Abso-freaking-lutely. Go buy the first book if you haven't, and if you have then you need to read this book now. This is actually one of my favorite series, and I know I say that a lot, but this series is really something special. I will, of course, definitely be keeping up with the series. In fact, getting book three yesterday isn't soon enough for me.FINE.Find more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!

Adorable. Review to come.

In keeping with my fabulous convention of shipping unconventionally, I ship Kami and Ash.Don't ask me why. I don't know.

LOVED. Review to come.

Well, here we go again. I really think CC should just finish what she's working on now before she starts anything else because this is getting really fucking annoying. I'll still read these, of course, but still. Why can't she focus on one ducking series at a time?

How the hell did this piece of shit get published? Review maybe to come.

WHY. WHY. Review to come when I pick myself up from the heap of years I have collapsed in.

Review maybe to come.

A stunning and gorgeous finale with a little bit of tragedy. Review to come.

Yay, a retelling of Tam Lin! My hear is so happy right now it could burst.

Ahhhhhh. SO GOOD. And I am head over heels for Gideon. Review to come.

*****FINAL RATING: 4.70 STARS*****CATCHALLFairy Godmothers, Inc. surprised me by being one of my favorite reads of the year and ever. Books that rely heavily on humor tend to be hit-or-miss for me since I apparently have a weird since of humor, but I loved it in this one. The two main characters are enormously entertaining, the plot was the fairytale-esque one you expect it to be and there were more twists than I could count. It is a brilliant concoction of laughter and love set in a gorgeous fairytale world.THE HEROINEKATEKate is a fairy godmother whose job is to help poor, abused girls find true love and marry princes, much like a Cinderella story. She doesn't approve of her company using "true love" potion, however, which is basically an aphrodisiac, and she never uses it herself. She won me over to her side the minute I found that out about her. She doesn't blindly follow what she's told, but she does her best to ensure that he clients are actually happy. Kate is strong-willed, a little stubborn, and has a sparkling sense of humor. She's no-nonsense, maybe a little bit dense, but cute.THE LOVE INTERESTJONJon is a hero who definitely had me swooning; I admit it freely. He's a gentleman from the very beginning and is willing to do almost anything to win Kate over (not that he really needs any help there). He, like Kate, has a wonderful sense of humor. He's also the one in the castle who really runs everything, even though his mother and older brother should really be doing that. Even so, he takes over. Jon is kindhearted and puts other people first, though like anyone he has his selfish moments.THE SECONDARY CHARACTERSRELLIEI love Rellie. For some reason, it's impossible not to love herm even though she's the type of person that if you met them in real life you'd be hard-pressed to resist the urge to shut them up violently. Her ditziness works for her somehow, and she's sweet without trying to be. I also love how she has her moments, and that even if she's often silly she's genuine. And whimsical.NEDNed is sensitive and yet passionate; he's in love with Rellie from nearly the beginning but he doesn't want to act on it because he wants to let her get her happy ending with the prince. I love that he puts her happiness above his own. We also see him change surprisingly a lot from the beginning to the end of the book.THE PLOTFairy Godmothers, Inc. is officially an adult novel. The heroine and hero are both adults, as are the other characters. However, it reads very clean, and as far as I'm concerned it's got loads of crossover appeal. It's something I myself loved, and I have faith that YA readers will absolutely fall in love with it too. I think honestly that it is a book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.I love the world, too. It's very definitely a fantasy world, but there's also a very modern feel to it. It's the type of fantasy world you want to crawl into and live in. It's set up so vividly that it's easy to imagine and there's so much to love about it. There are illusions to several fairytales and even a nod to Greek mythology. It's actually similar to the world of Ella Enchanted–the movie version, the book is way different–but like, infinitely better.There were so many plot twists–a few of which I probably should've seen coming, but never did. It was more fun that way, though. This book was fluffy and fun but it was also really intense and it actually physically made my heart race. It was thrilling and I got myself really invested into the story. Whenever something unexpected happened it would make me jump a little bit.The fairytale lore was so much fun too. It's definitely in some ways drawing from several different fairytales, but it is also in many ways its own unique plot. I've certainly never read anything like it although I really wish there was more like this. Kate is a spunky heroine, and she really made this story just come to life.I honestly don't really have any complaints about this book. There's just nothing I really feel the need to complain about! Every once in a while, that has to happen. This was pure fluffy fun, and yet it was more than that.THE ROMANCESurprisingly, I wouldn't call this instalove. I'm not sure why, bur I don't want to. Though the feelings seem to come quickly, they're not immediately acted upon, which I really liked. They get to know each other before that, even if there's strong attraction and chemistry on both sides. The romance is also messy–there were so many factors keeping everyone apart that at times it seemed unfixable. But hey, true love conquers all, right?The secondary romance did happen a bit quickly for me, too quickly for me to really believe, but it didn't bother me all that much. I kind of just let it slide, but it's still notable.THE WRITINGThis book is beautifully written. It tells the story from the alternating POVs of Kate and Jon–with someone else featured a few times. I won't say what other characters we get. I thought it was confusing at first to suddenly add in the POV of a new character but when I understood why it was done I could just kind of relax and enjoy the ride. It was nice getting the chance to see things from a new perspective. And of course, this writing is so much fun. There's so much humor evident in every word, and the descriptions are gorgeous.THE ENDINGYou know that feeling when you're nearing the end of a book and everything is so messed up you feel like it can't possibly be fixed in time? That's how I felt reading this book. I was so, so worried that not everything would work out. There were definitely some unexpected endings. But I got the one I wanted, so I'm happy. I was very pleased with the way everything turned out and satisfied 100% with the way the story wrapped up. Neat and pretty, but with imperfections.WRAPUPFairy Godmothers, Inc. is one of the cutest books I've ever read, easy. I am definitely looking forward to more from Jenniffer! I'm sure she'll come up with something even more brilliant and I cannot wait to read it. I would definitely recommend this–to adults, to teenagers, to fans of contemporary romance, to fans of fantasy an retellings. It's one of my favorite books, so it comes with my high praises. Even if you think it wouldn't normally be your thing I really think you should give it a try. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.FINE.Find more of my reviews on Sparkles and Lightning!