Crave (The Clann #1)

Title: Crave (The Clann #1)
Author: Melissa Darnell
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

My Thoughts: Crave had an interesting concept. Sure, there was the typical forbidden love thing going on, and it was full of secret societies, so it's not like it was a new idea, but the way the Clann worked was interesting. They're the typical dictators, in a way, but they were still different. more interesting. They've told every member of the Clann that they're not supposed to have anything to do with Savannah and because of that, Savannah is subjected to bullying every day.

And then she changes. I thought Savannah bought it a little too easily when her parents explained to her that she was becoming half vampire, half witch. She only thought it was a joke for about ten seconds.

Tristan and Savannah were great characters. Tristan doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps, and in a way, Savannah is the same way. She doesn't want to be what her father is. And I felt bad for both of them - other people kept trying to control their lives.

Crave switched off between Tristan and Savannah's narration, and I just want to say that Darnell did a great job at making their narrations different. Savannah's was smoother, more beautiful, while Tristan's was much simpler. At the same time, though, I felt like something was missing from Savannah's narration. I think it was just because for the first half of the book, I couldn't relate to her. Once she started having more interactions with Tristan, I started to feel a lot better about her. And Tristan? I loved him. Even when he wasn't talking to Savannah, he was still trying to protect her.

One thing that continually bothered me throughout the book was the fact that they were all holding grudges from FOURTH GRADE, a little unrealistic, don't you think?

Overall, It was a good read, and I would recommend it!

Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy #1)

Title:Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy #1)
Author: Leigh Fallon
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: Their love was meant to be. 

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs. 

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

My Thoughts: I’d seen a lot of hype over The Carrier of the Mark and so I was super excited to be able to read this one in advance of its publication date. I started The Carrier of the Mark and sat down to read it in its entirety in an entire day. I even stayed up later than I had intended just so I could finish the book. 
Needless to say that I enjoyed reading The Carrier of the Mark very much; it has a lot of same-ish elements to it that books in the paranormal romance genre have; but at the same time there are a lot of differences too. To me, it’s the differences that really make this book. They stand out far more than those same qualities. 
For starters, the descriptive writing is really amazing. I loved Leigh’s writing style as it was nice and simple yet captured the beauty of what was happening in certain parts of the story. There are some very beautiful scenes in The Carrier of the Mark but I can’t say too much more about them without giving away spoilers. 
The paranormal/supernatural element was quite different to others I’ve come across before and without spoiling anything, no they are not vampires. A lot of it ties back to Irish folklore and so that is very interesting as well.  At times, the powers reminded be of Avatar The Last Airbender (SHOUT OUT TO ALL AVATAR LOVERS).

The characters were all quite interesting. I didn’t really have a favourite although I did like Aíne and Rían and would like to get to know more about Rían in future books. 
I quite enjoyed reading The Carrier of the Mark and fans of paranormal romance will not go amiss in reading The Carrier of the Mark. It’s set in Ireland and features something quite different in the way of paranormal entities. Definitely check it out as it is awesome. 

Kiss Crush Collide

Title: Kiss Crush Collide
Author: Christina Meredith
Rating: 3/5
Summary: Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some. 
My Thoughts: I started off this book thinking it would be AMAZING, and very similar to Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (one of my favorite books). However, I was EXTREMELY disappointed!  
I had a really hard time getting into this story. Leah was not a favorite character for me from the first chapter. I just couldn't connect with her. She didn't really feel bad about making out with another boy even though her boyfriend was still in her life. She had annoying family that was at times a little too much. Within the first few chapters we are introduced to so many characters that it left me confused and wishing I was taking notes. The book is also off balance with most of the story revolving around Leah and lacking story from Duffy. The romance was instant -- making out the first time they meet -- and forced for the reader to accept it. This really was one of the MOST boring books I ever read, I literally had to drag myself through it. 
P.S. The amazing cover (although misleading) was enough to add a point to my rating!