Waiting on Wednesday (27)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge

The 2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge is hosted by Jessi @ Reading in The Corner 

As many of you know, it's easy to get lost in the world of new releases for books, often I find that I've forgotten that a second book in a series that I loved has been released until months later. But, I never seem to find the time to read the book because I have deadlines on review books or just don't have time because my life got a little chaotic. I've decided that this would be a great way to hold myself accountable to read some of those books that I was so anxiously awaiting the release of.

I've decided to that I was going to participate in Jessi's challenge at the Intermediate level (5-8 books).

Challenge Info (from Jessi's Site):

The goal of the SSC will be to read sequels/companion novels! *duh* There are four different levels that you can choose to participate at:

• • Level 1 (Beginner): 1-4 books
  • Level 2 (Intermediate): 5-8 books
  • Level 3 (Advanced): 8-12 books
  • Level 4 (Crazy): 13+ books
• Anyone can join! You don't have to be a blogger specifically, but you do need to review the sequels that you read somewhere (such as Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, etc.) in English
• There will occasionally be giveaways! (Still TBD...but they'll be for participants only)
• You can join anytime! Just set your goal and get started!

The books that I want to read (there's a ton more but I'm starting here):




Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) Aimee Carter
Onyx (Lux #2)  by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Tangled by Erica O'Rourke
Darkness Falls (Immortal Beloved #2) by Cate Tiernan
Arise (Hereafter #2) by Tara Hudson
Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Review: Torn By Erica O'Rourke

Everyone has secrets.

Even best friends.                                                 Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Torn by Erica O'Rourke
Published: June 28, 2011 by Kensington Teen
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles



My Thoughts:


“I woke up to the smell of Lysol and the end of the world. In my defense, I didn’t know it was the end of the world at the time. I didn’t know anything, and it was better that way.” Pg. 1

Maura “Mo” Fitzgerald has just gone through what could be considered the worse day of her life, she just witnessed her best friend, Verity’s murder and finds herself laying in a hospital bed. Her life will never be the same again. Mo has been surrounding by secrets her entire life; she just didn’t realize it until now. Her world begins to fall apart as the one constant she knows has been violently ripped away from her. Mo struggles with dealing with her best friend’s death, wanting to seek revenge and trying to find out who she is.

I loved that Mo was an ordinary girl that was dropped into a magical world and there was nothing extraordinary about her, she was just “Mo” a shy, 17 yr old girl who has lost her best friend. This book has magic, deceit, and romance. It’s about a girl who has to get over her insecurity issues in order to seek the revenge that she so desperately wants. Everything Mo does reverts back to the question what would Verity do. She has lived so much of her life in the shadows, and is trying to set her own path.

The title of the book is excellent and very fitting for the story as Maura is torn between two worlds and two guys. The love interest tension is very high and believable but I’m not sure how I feel about Colin. Luc I could completely see the relationship; the struggle to choose whether or not they should fight what they feel. But, with Colin I’m not so sure I knew when it shifted from friends to something more, it almost seemed forced. But, don’t let this derail you, this book is definitely worth picking up.

This story was unique with its mob references and the magical world built around the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air. I love the author’s use of flashbacks; they transport you from the here and now to the past in an instant without any difficulty or choppiness in the reading. This story was fascinating and full of suspense; with each page that I turned I was eagerly waiting to find out what piece of the puzzle Mo would discover next. But, what I loved most about this book is that the book showed Mo's character grow within the first book, I didn't have to annoyingly wait two or three books before she became the person you knew she would become.  I really enjoyed this story and would give it 4 stars.

Mo’s journey isn’t over, it’s just the beginning and I am eager to see where the author takes us next. The next book in the series will be released in February 2012.

On a Side Note:

I went to the author’s blog the other day and found out that she post these awesome postcards from Verity addressed to Mo while she was visiting her aunt in New Orleans. I thought the concept was original and very cool.

You should check it out: Erica O'Rourke