Mini Reviews: Consume by Melissa Darnell and Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

From Goodreads: Tristan Coleman has survived the change from Clann magic user to vampire, much to Savannah Colbert's joy - and despair. By changing the Clann's golden boy and newly elected leader, even to save him from death, she has unleashed a fury of hatred and fear that they cannot escape. As the Clann and the vampire council go to war, Tristan and Sav face a new threat - a fracturing of the all-consuming bond they share. To fight for peace, they must forge a new trust and risk everything to take down their deadliest enemy, even as they must run for their lives. Soon they will learn that some bonds are stronger than love - and some battles cannot be won without sacrifice.

My Rating: 2 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Although I didn’t love Crave or Covet, I’ve kept up with Melissa Darnell’s The Clann series because of their cliffhanger endings. The final book in the trilogy, Consume, was arguably the weakest from all three novels. There was very little action for most of the book because Tristan and Savannah were on the run with their families. What frustrated me more though was that they kept having to come back to their hometown for what I felt were very contrived reasons to move the plot along. Additionally, the romance in Consume was rather nonexistent since Tristan and Savannah were angry with each other for a large portion of the book. 

Consume was released in August 2013 by Harlequin Teen. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.
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From Goodreads: Mel is horrified when Francis Duvarney, arrogant, gorgeous, and undead, starts at her high school. Mel’s best friend, Cathy, immediately falls for the vampire. Cathy is determined to be with him forever, even if having him turn her could inadvertently make her a zombie. And Mel is equally determined to prove to her BFF that Francis is no good, braving the city’s vampire district and kissing a cute boy raised by vampires as she searches evidence in this touching and comic novel.  

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: After seeing so many novels with heroines falling for vampires, Mel from Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan’s Team Human clearly stands out. Unlike her supposedly smart best friend Cathy who automatically falls for the new vampire attending their school, Mel can’t comprehend why anybody would want to be a vampire and continually discourages her friend from engaging in a romance with Francis. Although she seemed almost prejudiced against vampires, I generally liked Mel because I found her to be snarky and very loyal. Through her interactions with Kit, a human raised by vampires, Mel also comes to realize that not every vampire is evil incarnate.

An entertaining satire about vampire romances, Team Human was released in July 2012 by HarperTeen.

Mini Reviews: Covet by Melissa Darnell and Flash Point by Nancy Kress

From Goodreads: Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart. Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake. Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for. A reckoning is coming… and not everyone will survive.

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Covet by Melissa Darnell picks up where Crave leaves off and continues the romance of Tristan and Savannah as he tries to convince her to stay with him despite everybody’s objections. While I didn’t necessarily love their romance in Crave by any means, I found the story interesting enough that I decided to give the sequel a try. However, the plot of Covet wasn’t that entrancing, and I became irritated by the characters assuming that people were dating each other and feeling hurt and/or jealous about it. For the entirety of the novel, I was pretty much waiting for the story to end; but, the twist at the end has me thinking about at least skimming – if not reading – Consume to see how things wrap up.

Covet was released by Harlequin Teen in September 2012. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.

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From Goodreads: Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she’s right to have them. TLN’s Who Knows People, Baby—You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life - on and off camera. 

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Since Flash Point by Nancy Kress was available as an automatic download on NetGalley, I snagged a copy without knowing much about it or having any sort of expectations. Although I found the novel easy to get through, I also thought the worldbuilding was severely lacking – we’re never given any information as to how something akin to the Great Depression 2.0 comes about – and the challenges quite boring for reality TV. As well, the characters were ridiculously flat and the main character hard to like. All I came away with about Amy was that she loved designer labels (as evidenced by her multiple ramblings about them), had phantoms – a concept that wasn’t well-explained, fell in love way too easily, and barely got along with her sister because both were jealous of each other. 

Flash Point was released in November 2012 by Viking Juvenile. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Penguin) for free via NetGalley. 

Review: Crave by Melissa Darnell

From Goodreads: 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 Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Crave by Melissa Darnell begins with a really intense prologue. The actual story then shows how Savannah and her boyfriend, Tristan, got to the point in the prologue and continues it from there. The problem: getting to the actual scene in the prologue takes a really long time! I thought a lot of unnecessary mundane stuff like going to school and finding a way to sneak in a makeout session could have definitely been cut in order to let readers reach the dramatic parts of the story faster.

The characters themselves aren’t really memorable. It’s been a couple of weeks since I read Crave, and all I can remember is that Savannah and Tristan seemed like the typical paranormal YA teens – you know, they fall in love fast and don’t take too long to accept that they’re more than human. I did like Savannah’s best friend, Anne, however. She was smart, snarky, and just an overall awesome friend.

Crave was a decent start to The Clann series and the way it ended made me at least a little curious to see what’s going to happen next to Savannah and Tristan. Hopefully its sequel, Covet, will have plenty of action and be more exciting right from the beginning. 

Crave was released in October 2011 by Harlequin Teen. 

Comments About the Cover: I have no clue how the cover relates to the plot of the story, but the model's dress is pretty.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.