How fitting that Cole would quote Alice in Wonderland in this book

 

 

   Because reading this story felt just like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into Crazytown.

 

 

  Seriously. In the first book, you knew something was off, there was a sense of unease, an increasing build of tension that snapped in the end, And once it did and you discovered things weren't what they appeared, even though devastating, you had that few minutes where you thought that maybe, just maybe after some therapy and time, healing could begin. And then WHAM! You get clobbered with a hell of a cliffhanger letting you know that things still aren't finished and you don't even know the half of it.

 

   So if the first book, Nocte, was unsettling, than you could say that Verum was unhinged. It was a slightly different experience, as most crazy people don't know that they're crazy, and Calla was actually hip to the fact that her mind wasn't exactly the most reliable of sources. But I actually think that amped things up to a whole new level. To be aware that you can't trust what you see, what you hear, what you know.  That's enough to drive you over the edge that you're already teetering on, don't you think?

 

   While I loved trying to discern reality from fantasy, grasping at the thinnest of straws and all that, I was disappointed to not really get any answers until another major cliffhanger at the end of this book. I mean obviously I really dig this story, but I kind of wanted to drop kick my kindle across the room after that ending.

 

 

    It was an awesome twist, don't get me wrong. But yet again we are left with a few nagging questions answered just to raise even more unabatingly maddening questions! Clearly I will be reading the next book because...

 

 

 

    I received a copy of this book from Badass Marketing in exchange for an honest review.

 

     Well that was one hell of a ride! Nocte was quite the experience. I really liked the alternating points of view between Calla and Finn! I thought that really ended up accentuating the major plot twist and made it that much more mind boggling. I think there was a lot of thought and care put into each element of this story, the subtle hints that something was off, the beautiful and haunting setting, the careful words that each character said and thought, it all cumulated to make one big stereogram like image that you had to uncover with laser like focus.

 

 

    I thought the setting was outstanding. I loved the feeling of seclusion, and being surrounded by such gorgeous yet dangerous things. Add in the extra bonus of it being a funeral home that they lived in, so you had that unnerving, constant submersion in quite literally living with death. It was almost as powerful as the fact that the characters were also dealing with the crushing loss factor of having death strike in their own family.

 

   Calla and Finn were so intriguing. Twins, I think, are so interesting in that they seem to have such an extra special connection, and you're not quite sure how deep that connection can actually go. I enjoyed the contrast between the two, with Finn's struggle with his sanity and guarding his secrets, and Calla's inner turmoil over wanting to live while being so heavily burdened by death, guilt, and wanting to uncover the truth and help her ailing brother. Dare was a curious addition to the story that I was initially weary of. The first meetings between Dare and Calla felt kind of insta-love and that's not really my jam. But ultimately their relationship developed slowly and by the end I understood everything and think it all was done perfectly.

 

   That ending was explosive! Everything was leading to this ending and it rocks your world! I have to say that I did end up having a good inclination as to what the huge revelation would be, but I really don't fell like it lessened the blow anymore when it came. I still teared up a little at the sheer devastation. But man, oh man, those last few paragraphs! I knew that there would be a little more to the story with Dare and Calla's relationship, but I really didn't expect to be left dangling off the edge, over powered by my NEED to know what the hell is going on with them now!

 

 

It was definitely something BIG but we are left with nothing but pressing questions that need to be answered. I was already planning on reading the second book, but that killer ending just made it so I will be getting to it sooner rather than later!  

 

    I received a copy of this book from Badass Marketing in exchange for an honest review

Are.You.Kidding.Me?!?!?! It can't just end like that. It can't! This book was amazing. Simply stunning. I will never be able to forget it.

I'm not even sure what I think about this book, but I know I loved it. It was weird and I like weird.

I really love Courtney Cole. I have said this before, in my other reviews of other books by her that I have read, but it does not get less true, so I will keep saying it. Cole is brilliant at writing sexy male leads and female leads who are so relatable and wonderful that they will break your heart. Her books keep you moving and guessing until the very end, and they are enjoyable from cover to cover. If you aren't yet familiar with her as an author, I suggest you remedy that right now, especially if you are into YA Romance (I have not read any of her novels for adults, but I'm sure those are fabulous as well!).

Now, with regard to Nocte specifically: this book is a brilliant and incredible roller coaster ride from beginning to end. I was hooked from the very first page, and I just finished it and my head is still spinning. There is not a terrible amount I can say without spoilers, and spoiling this book would be an absolute sin, so let me just say this: I am generally very skeptical of book descriptions that tell me I "won't see the ending coming" because, for the most part, I always see the ending coming. Not to say I'm a book-reading genius, but it's just a fact that when you read a lot and watch a lot of television shows and movies, you come to be familiar with just about any plot twist that can get thrown at you, and you can usually see them coming.

I didn't see this one coming.

So, if you're into books that rip your heart out and make you crazy and then leave you trying to catch your breath and sort out your feelings and dying for the sequel, I suggest you go read this now.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.