Review: The Hunt by Stacey Kade

The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2) by Stacey Kade

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.
But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.
Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

Publishes in US: April 22nd 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
Genre: ya scifi
Source: Disney for review
Series? Project Paper Doll #2
my Review: Project Paper Doll: The Rules

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    I wanted to read this one because I enjoyed the premise of the story and wanted more when I finished it. Ariane is a great main character and struggled with what made her different and who I saw a lot of growth in as well as the potential for a lot more. Zane was swoony, the way he treated Ariane like there wasn't anything different about her and respected her. 

   The romance continues in this one, and while the time elapsed is still only about a week, it has been intense and it is the first time that Ariane has ever felt romantic feelings for anyone. I know that lots pegged it as insta-love but that isn't so much one of my pet peeves as long as I feel the emotions, and I did in their case. There were some pretty swoony scenes too, that I very much loved. 

    But for the most part, they are on the run, and they are very scared and paranoid of their next step. I love the dual narrative because I get both of their thoughts on each other as well as what they are planning. It was hard to see the struggle in Ariane about whether or not to leave Zane in order to better protect him since everyone she cares for is threatened.  I get to see the strength of Zane and how much he wants to be there for her especially in the moments where it feels like no one else is there for her. 

    Understandably, there are a lot of arguments between the two about safety. Ariane thinks that Zane would be safer without being with her and Zane wants to be by her side and helping her along the way. Ariane doubts Zane at times that he really accepts the alien part of her, and Zane has a lot of self doubt that maybe he is slowing Ariane down or holding her back. I think that they finally come to an understanding and agreement about how the other feels even though there are some impulsive decisions that have some unfortunate or costly consequences attached. But its a book so you expect that there aren't always going to the best decisions made and it will keep the plot going as well as teach the characters a lot about themselves and those around them, giving them opportunity to grow and discover things about themselves. 

    The world building is good, although I still have a lot of questions about how exactly, and who and under what circumstances did the alien and human DNA mix. What happened to the "parent/donors." We do get to see another competitor for the trials and meet several hybrids in this second book and it looks like according to the ending, we are going to meet the third in the next book. There is a lot of set-up in this one, as with so many second books, but I was okay with it because I enjoyed the romance and the action scenes that we got. 

    The pacing is good and it keeps the story moving along and my attention rapt. Although the ending was pretty cliff-hangerish. Of course, the climax always has events happening in quick succession, but several of these were fairly surprising and then all of the sudden you are at the end, going--did she stop in the middle of a chapter? Surely this arc is missing some pages, because you can't just drop a bomb like that and then end a book and make me wait another year (I'm guessing) to find out how they are going to possibly get themselves out of this pickle and get their HEA. 

Bottom Line: Enjoyable sequel with swoon worthy scenes. Major cliffie though.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you think you could keep dating someone if you found out they had partial alien DNA?

Review: Project Paper Doll: The Rules by Stacey Kade

Project Paper Doll The Rules by Stacey Kade

1. Never trust anyone.
2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love.
Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”
But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Publishes in US: April 23rd 2013 by Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Disney for review
Series? Project Paper Dolls. The 2nd is untitled and releases in 2014

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    I really enjoyed this first book, the pacing was great, and there was character growth as well as a romance that I cheered for. 

    The Rules sucked me in right away. Even though I was a bit confused on the whys and hows of Ariane's condition, as well as who she replaced and how exactly that worked, I still immediately liked what I was reading, and I wanted more. Though I will say that I expected something different from this book based on the synopsis, but I wasn't disappointed in what I got. 

    Ariane is a mixture of human and alien DNA, and I really like how that gives her strengths, but also weaknesses. Big ones, that she has to deal with. As her back story is revealed little by little, I learn why the Rules are in place, and more about her connection with her "dad" Michael Tucker. Who, for the record, I really admired. I liked how much he cared for her, and his reasoning for taking Ariane in the first place. He is so protective, and their relationship seems so authentic. 

    I connected with Adriane and her feelings of not belonging. That yearn to fit in. It was so sad how she really couldn't get too close with anyone because she doesn't want to draw attention to herself or else the lab she escaped from could notice her. But even though she has the different DNA, it really begs the question what makes a human. She shows the full range of emotions, from anger, protectiveness, and love in its different forms. She has special abilities, so I know that sets her apart, but at her core, how different is she really? 

    And I don't know if having someone as a narrator makes me more susceptible to like someone, but being in Zane's head did that for me. I don't think that I would normally fall for someone in the "in crowd" like him. But seeing that he had some deeper emotional value behind the pretty face, and that even though he was friends with people like Rachel, the "it and mean girl" of their high school, he didn't support all that she stood for or did. As I learned more about his home life, and the more I was in his head, the more that I liked him. He had pure a pure heart underneath the tough exterior and the things that he did to fit in. 

    The romance between the two is sweet, and I really enjoyed those moments. I love how it started out of revenge and then evolved into something else. 

    The twist near the end really got me. I was expecting one part but DEF not the other. I guess I should have read Rule 1: Don't trust anyone more closely. It makes me want to retract one of the statements above that I wrote while in the middle of the book and had started jotting down my thoughts, but it is true for that part in the story, so I will leave it.  I am eager for the next book, and sadly can't find much else about it, but I will certainly be watching Ms. Kade's blog and goodreads for more info. 

   

Bottom Line: Sweet and fast paced story from two characters that I rooted for.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you think you could follow Ariane's rules to stay free? Which would you have the hardest time with?

Review: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

 Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.
Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Published in US: May 31 2011
Source: Publisher-- big thanks to Hyperion!

My Review:

   This is a great book, and it did not disappoint me after being charmed by Ghost and the Goth. The characters are still all levels of awesome and it had moments that made me want to laugh and cry.
   Alona continues to grow in this one, in new and different ways through the plot twists, though there were times that I thought she was regressing and I wanted to scream. Things I never expected to happen did and a whole new set of people to understand and in some instances hate, came onto the scene.
   I just read there will be a third book in the series, and I am anxiously awaiting it, although I like the way this one ended.