Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Caught in the Storm by Ashlee Nicole Bye Music / . Ashlee Simpson Ross (previously Ashlee Nicole Simpson and, during her first marriage, Simpson-Wentz), born October 3, 1984 in Waco Texas, is an actress and singer (2001–present) and also younger sister to . Early in her career, she scored hits with the songs "Pieces Of Me" and "Boyfriend". To much of the world, however, she is known for the infamous Saturday Night Live performance in October 2004 where she was caught lip- synching in front of millions of people at home and then proceeded to do a hoe-down for some bizarre reason, followed by a disastrous off-key performance at the 2005 Orange Bowl in which she was booed off stage. She is also an actress, with her best-known role being Violet Foster in the Melrose Place remake. She is was married to Fall Out Boy's and has a son named Bronx Mowgli. Currently married to Evan Ross, the son of Diana Ross with whom she had her second child, a daughter named Jagger Snow. A cover of her song "La La" would later be included in the cult classic video game Elite Beat Agents . Releases. Autobiograpy (2004) (2005) (2008) Selected Filmography. 7th Heaven – Cecilia Smith (2002–2004) The Ashlee Simpson Show (2004–2005) Melrose Place – Violet Foster (2009–2010) Pawn Shop Chronicles – Theresa (2013) Undiscovered – Cela (2005) Theater. Chicago – Roxie Hart – 2006, 2009, 2013. Tropes associated with this singer include: Aloof Younger Sister. All Girls Want Bad Boys: Played straight in Rule Breaker Be Yourself: Love Me for Me, Nothing New, Autobiography, What I've Become, Catch Me As I Fall and Say Goodbye as a few examples. Bowdlerization: Fac'ade in Bittersweet World is covered up. Motherfucking is also bleeped on Rule Breaker . Break Up Song: Love Makes the World Go Round, Rag Doll, Undiscovered, I Am Me, No Time For Tears, Say Goodbye, and Darker and Edgier: She's marketed as the slightly edgier alternative to Jessica Simpson's bubblegum pop. Genre Roulette: Bittersweet World runs the gauntlet of Rap, RNB, Dance and duet based pop rock. Fading into the Next Song: What I've Become - Hot Stuff on Bittersweet World. From Bad to Worse: The SNL snafu would've been career-crippling in itself, but three months later, she performed at the halftime show for the 2005 Orange Bowl. She had problems hearing the audio during the performance of "La La", causing her to go wildly off-pitch and out of sync with the music, prompting the crowd of 70,000+ to boo her mercilessly. You can see the end of the Orange Bowl performance and the fan displeasure here . Hidden Depths: Although her level of talent has been questioned, she remains to this day the youngest student accepted to the American Ballet Company. She was accepted before Jessica hit it big, as well. Hide Your Lesbians: It is rumored that her character in Undiscovered was originally supposed to be a lesbian before her father stepped in and demanded it changed. Intercourse with You: La La, Kicking and Screaming, Burning Up, Coming Back For More. New Sound : Bittersweet World used some R&B samples and laid back grooves. Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: As mentioned above Bittersweet World mixed her rock beginnings with dance, rnb and lounge sounds. Oh, Crap!: Her reaction to the wrong song playing during her Saturday Night Live performance, leading to her hoe-down dance. Overprotective Dad: Sharing a dad with Jessica Simpson Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Walked off the set of Saturday Night Live when she was caught lip-synching. Shotgun Wedding: Formerly to Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. Silly Love Songs: In Another Life, Never Dream Alone, Endless Summer, Pieces Of Me Stage Mom: Gender-flipped. Her dad was, shared with Jessica Simpson. Take That!: Bittersweet World , the song towards Hollywood. and What I've Become to people who dislike her evolution over time. Shadow to her parents to side lining her in favour of Jessica. Video Example(s): Ashlee Simpson lipsyncing. "Pieces of Me" starts when Ashlee Simpson is still standing with the microphone at her hip, and she gives an embarrassed "hoedown" and walks off stage. Once Upon Another World. Was it actually Red who hunted the wolf? What if the prince was the one in distress? Did the straw really get spun into gold? How well did those glass slippers truly fit? Where princesses do their own rescuing, princes aren’t who they first appear to be, and beasts are friends, not foe—and maybe something more… With stories spanning from true love’s kiss to reverse harem, skyscrapers to ancient castles, sweet romance to steamy nights, these alluring tales will satisfy readers of fantasy and romance alike. Grab your copy of ONCE UPON ANOTHER WORLD and discover 22 twisted fairy tales with a happily ever after unlike anything you’ve ever read before. Authors included in the box set are: Monique Singleton, Joel Crofoot, Sloane Murphy, Zack Hacker, D.E. Chapman, Erin McFadden & K.L. Bone, Cinnamon Worth, Jaclyn Roche, L.R.W. Lee, JB Trepagnier, Silvana G. Sanchez, Cassidy K. O’Connor, Jude Cocaigne, M.L. Garza, Hunter S. Jones, Aldrea Alien, Amari Ara Dreamer, D.C. Gambel, Trinity Hanrahan & Krista Ames, K.A. Fox, Christa Ann, and Ashlee Nicole Bye. Share this: Like this: Ending 2019 and Beginning 2020. We are coming to the end of another year (2019) and Beginning a new exciting year (2020). I’m looking forward to the New Year. Gunner will be releasing early 2020. I’m also part of a twisted fairytale anthology with some amazing authors. Please stay tuned for the cover release. Thank you for your support in 2019 and looking forward to 2020. Share this: Like this: Fall is just around the corner. I live in but grew up in Maryland. The leaves will be changing color soon. Halloween is just around the corner. I love this time a year: cooler weather, holidays and family. My son is moving back to Florida this month along with my daughter-in-law and three granddaughters. I’m so excited to have my kids and grandchildren together. Challenging Gunner book 2 to Hidden Breed Series will be going into editing. I’ll be posting the blub as soon as I can. Share this: Like this: Alpha’s Fight. Alpha’s Fight Hidden Breed, Book One. Releases July 2, 2019. Trent Wolfe became Alpha of the wolf pack eighteen years ago, not long after the shifter war ended. His pack is thriving, and life is great. There’s just one thing missing. A mate. Being the results of genetic experiments, Arianna and her siblings have been hiding from the world all their lives. The shifters have no idea they exist. To protect the family, they need to make sure it stays that way. Unfortunate complications have the family struggling to accept the inevitable and leads Arianna to venture away from home to clear her head. Getting into an accident and crashing her Jeep wasn’t on her to do list. Now, she finds herself on pack territory, far from home. She didn’t expect to wake up inside an infirmary facing the Alpha. And she definitely does except to the overwhelming attraction between them. However, the truth about her and her family could risk the fate of their futures. Could Trent convince Arianna to take a chance? There’s only one way to find out. Share this: Like this: Alpha’s Call A Collection of Shifter Romances. Alpha’s Call A Collection of Shifter Romance. Releases November 6, 2018 Limited time Pre-order offer. Reserve your copy for only $0.99. Price goes up on release day. Can you resist the Alpha’s Call? This collection of hot alpha males is a must have for every shifter lover’s ebook library. Six bestselling, fan-favorite authors bring you action- packed romances ranging from sensual to scorching. Wolves, big cats, dragons, and much more heat up the pages. Go ahead. Try to ignore the Alpha’s Call. We dare you. Featuring Bestselling Authors: Lia Davis Lousia Bacio Kristal Hollis Christa Ann Lori Titus Misha Carver. Here are other amazing books: Bears of Blackrock by Lia Davis. Bearly Smitten: Grizzly Shifter Romance by Misha Carver. Share this: Like this: Coffee Temptations. Nathan Reid, the owner of a coffee shop, had just decided he wanted to expand into adding sandwiches to his business. Ms. Carol, who was a longtime employee, and close family friend, decided at the same time that she was ready to retire. Before Nathan could stress over the idea that he was losing his manager, Carol informed him that she had already found a replacement, and it was someone who had experience with sandwiches. There was just one problem. Her replacement was the gorgeous woman who had been running through his mind since they met at the store. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and she was now going to be his employee. After losing her job at Sam’s Sandwich, Amelia Sinclair decided to take her son and move back home to be closer to her parents. By a stroke of luck, she was able to get the job working at Reid’s Coffee Shop. But she didn’t expect to see the sexy man from the store sitting behind the desk as the owner of the shop she now worked for. The attraction between them continued to build, but there were just so many reasons a relationship wouldn’t work. Nathan couldn’t look past the age difference. Amelia couldn’t look past him being her boss, and she had her son to think about also. Could both Nathan and Amelia get out of their comfort zone in order to find happiness? Share this: Like this: Office Seductions Boxed Set. Office Seductions 12 tantalizing and steamy workplace romances. From Fan Favorite Authors Lia Davis, Lacey Wolfe, Syndi Burns, Ella Jade, Cara Carnes, JK Rivers, Josephine Jones, Anne Welch, Christa Ann, Kim Carmichael, Allyson Lindt, Kizzie Waller, and Lyncee Shillard. Office seduction meets workplace diversity, and nothing is as it seems Thirteen bestselling and fan-favorite authors spin tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, small town, second chances, falling for the boss, and so much more. There’s something for everyone packed inside. This collection of TWELVE suspenseful contemporary office romances is a must read. Blog Archives. I recently read Out of the Shadows by Ashlee Nicole Bye and was immediately hooked by the first chapter. The prologue to the book, which I admittedly skip over, caught my eye and sets the scene for what is a very interesting concept and well written novel. We meet Julian, who we learn is not from this world as he uses ‘humans’ and as you read on, you learn that he is way older than he appears to be. Although his age isn’t described until later, you know he’s old because his eyesight has been bestowed to him almost a century and a half ago. Clearly, he’s seen some things. I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it’s because I’m Australian as well and we rarely get treated to books that are supernatural AND also mention state capitals that we know (such as Melbourne), but it was immediately easy to immerse myself into this world that Ashlee has so lovingly created. The characters, such as Sachi, are so well written that you can feel their pain, anguish and confusion as Sachi is thrown into a world she’s not entirely sure about. Sachi’s best friend was killed by the ‘Melbourne Slasher’, but it’s not until she ventures out after months of solitude that she sees things that were definitely not there before. As the book goes on, Sachi and Julian’s worlds become intertwined as we learn that Julian and his friend Moss are a part of a secret society of reapers (which explains why he’s over a century and a half old) called the Order of Light and Dark, who are tasked with finding out what the Melbourne Slasher is and how they plan on stopping it. This book also brings into play a very interesting idea that you can play with. The Order of the Light and Dark, and their jobs as reapers, means that they control who dies, when they are supposed to die and what manner they are supposed to die in. This ‘melbourne slasher’ is throwing everything out of balance and is throwing the reapers off schedule. It brings a concept forward that can make you feel at peace; your death has been scheduled and you are going to die when you are supposed to. For a control freak like myself, I really liked this concept. I really ejoyed Sachi and her strong banter with the other characters within the book. I love that strong female leads are becoming the norm (thanks, Gone Girl!). I feel like without the banter and the wit of Sachi, this book would have been a bit difficult to read. She definitely made me laugh a fair bit. Another thing I enjoyed were the chapter names. The first one had me snorting with ‘It’s too damn hot for a monster to just be walking around’. Ashlee really nails how Australians tend to describe things and this definitely comes forth in the chapter titles. They were descriptive and funny and accurate. Pages: 338 | ASIN: B06W58K67L. Share this: Like this: Limbo. In the world created by Marko Pandza, Death is not one hulking figure haunting our last moments of life, but rather a whole society of different Reapers. One Reaper, Grim, though at the top of his game and the ranking of the Elites, despises his job and what it stands for. He longs for a time long gone, of his mortal life as John Grim and his wife, Dora. On a chance encounter with an Engraver, those beings tasked with creating and intertwining souls, he discovers his love is back in the living realm and is informed of a way to return to his beloved. He must fight Heaven, Hell, and everything in-between to be with his true destiny. This book spares little in ways of imagery and wit, though both are steeped in valleys of dust, it is so dry. The intriguing and original concept of the book helps the reader get through the slow beginning. The author can conjure up a rich and enticing vision through his words. However, this works to both his advantage and disadvantage. It is easy to envision the characters and scenery he creates, but when the creations become grotesque, the reader can feel ripped from the moment, hindering the story. The overall story and world was fully fleshed out. The setting of Limbo itself was a solid induction into the story, and the home of the Reapers had much to offer, along with the mortal realm, personal paradises, and even rooms from the Maker of Limbo Itself – the audience experienced plenty, and again, this is where the author showed his expressive talents. The reader could easily see the home that Grim shared with his wife, or the performance hall of the Reaper awards. The characters were never floating in a gray area without much detail. The characters the reader is introduced to throughout the story each have a different motivation, and is it laid out for everyone to see. Grim is the main focus, but by no means the only view point explored. Friends, strangers, and even deities have their stories told. Because of the switching between voices, the reader can live through many stories. However, when the author chooses to pursue narrow avenues for these characters that leave a lot to be desired, it detracts from the quality of the story. Limbo, much like death, is not a story that everyone is ready for, but it is not without value. This story is by no means badly written, nor does it fall into many typical tropes, but where the concept and the fluidity of descriptions are absolutely high points, the choices to include the depressing overtones and the highly unpleasant imagery of many deaths – they are Reapers, after all – cause the story to fall a couple of notches away from higher ratings. The morbidity and grim tone for the entire book causes the reader to walk away shaken and more than a bit prone to contemplation on their own existence. This may not deter every reader, however, and its commitment to tone and atmosphere is to be applauded. This book won’t appeal to the vast majority, but those who enjoy it will praise its value for a long time to come. Top Ten Tuesdays: Kick-arse Heroines of Fantasy. The guys have had their turn, now it’s on to the girls. From epic to urban to apocalyptic to historical and seemingly everything in between, here’s my Top Ten butt-kicking heroines of the fantasy genre: Lyra Belacqua – His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Yes, in my opinion, the most kickarse of all the female fantasy butt kickers is a twelve-year-old child. His Dark Materials is one of my absolute all-time favourite series, and has been since I was a kid (I seriously feel so old thinking about how I first read it almost twenty years ago!). One of the reasons I loved it so much was Lyra, who is so amazingly different to a lot of the other female characters I was reading about at the time (this was back in the late ‘90s). She is fierce, wily, loyal, and incredibly brave in the face of every obstacle thrown at her over the course of the series. ‘How can I just go and sit in the library or somewhere and twiddle my thumbs, knowing what’s going to happen? I don’t intend to do that, I promise you.’ – Norhtern Lights (His Dark Materials #1) Cleiona Bellos (Cleo) – Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. Introduced in the beginning of the series as the pampered younger daughter of the King of Auranos whose main passions in life involve parties and gallivanting with her friends, Cleo’s priorities soon undergo a drastic transformation as her entire world is ripped apart and she is forced to live amongst enemies, all the while scheming and plotting to take back her family’s crown. Unlike the other female characters in this series who are skilled in magic and weaponry, Cleo needs to rely solely on her wits to navigate the treacherous waters around her. Like in the rest of this series, the character development with Cleo is fantastic. And I’ve particularly loved seeing the highs and lows of her relationship with Magnus as they’ve unfolded. ‘…you should remember that charm opens far more doors than harsh words do.’ – Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4) Feyre – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Feyre is another character that undergoes a drastic transformation throughout the course of her story (so far). Originally taken into the faery world in order to pay a debt, Feyre starts out kind of timid and naïve. Of course, from her first person POV, she doesn’t recognise these traits in herself and it is not until the second book after she has undergone quite a bit of character development that we can really see the true Feyre—and that Feyre is pretty damn awesome. Like many characters on this list, she resolves to do whatever is necessary in order to achieve her aims, including sacrificing herself. I think, perhaps, the thing I like most about her is the way she sticks to her guns—something that does sometimes get her into trouble, but also has been known to work out in the long run. “I was not a pet, not a doll, not an animal. I was a survivor, and I was strong. I would not be weak, or helpless again. I would not, could not be broken. Tamed.” Kestrel Trajan – The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. While this series isn’t technically a fantasy (there’s no magic in it) it is set in a completely made up world, so it’s generally counted as such. If you’ve not yet read The Winner’s Trilogy now is a great time to go out and get it. The series is now complete so there’ll be no freaking out about how on earth you’re possibly going to survive for the next year without knowing what happens next after those epic cliff-hangers. Kestrel is a fantastic character (complemented brilliantly by Arin, who just missed my YA Book Boyfriends list)—she is incredibly clever, resourceful, brave, passionate, self-sacrificing, and ruthless when she needs to be. The twisting and turning plot of this series had my heart-racing from the very first page, but I doubt it would have had nearly as much effect without a character like Kestrel. ‘If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.’ – The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) Tessa Gray – The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. Tessa is a seemingly normal 19 th century New York girl, brought over to London upon the death of her aunt and caught up in the Shadowhunter world after being kidnapped by two crazy old women (who turn out to be warlocks). From that point on, Tessa becomes the centrepiece of The Infernal Devices trilogy, handling every challenge that is thrown her way with grace, dignity and no small measure of bravery. The Infernal Devices is one of my all-time favourite series, and a big part of that is the characters, including Tessa. I love all of Cassandra Clare’s books, but when you’re comparing Tessa to the likes of, say, Clary—there’s just no competition. “’I know there are monsters on this earth,’ said Tessa. ‘You cannot tell me otherwise. I have seen them.’” Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) Penryn – Penryn & The End of Days by Susan Ee. In the midst of an angel apocalypse, Penryn has to work with Raffe, ‘The Wrath of God’ in order to save her sister from the renegade angels who kidnapped her. Penryn is a really wonderful character—she has so much spunk about her, and is constantly proving herself capable of doing whatever might be necessary to get to her sister. She’s resourceful, quick-thinking, and brave, and can literally kick butt with her awesome karate skills. “I’ve never killed anyone before. What frightens me isn’t that I’m killing someone. What frightens me is how easy it is.” Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days #1) Evie Green – The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. In this epic, apocalyptic fantasy where teenagers have the identities and powers of the figures on tarot cards, Evie Green is one hell of a contradiction—she can be incredibly sweet and kind but also incredibly ruthless. And when she turns into The Empress—her tarot identity—you’d better watch out! I love her humour, which comes out a lot in her first person POV, even in incredibly serious situations. And I also love the loyalty she has towards her friends and her no-bullshit attitude towards people who cross her. ‘Remember my titles? I don’t get poisoned, I do the poisoning. I’m the Princess of it.’ – Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles #1) Shahrzad al-Khayzuran (Shazi) – The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Andes. In this retelling of 1001 Nights , Renee Andieh’s Shahrzad absolutely steals the show. After volunteering to wed the 18 year-old Caliph of Khorasan—who is known for marrying a new girl every night and having her executed the very next dawn—Shazi sets herself two tasks: 1. Survive the dawn, and 2. Kill the Caliph. Of course not everything is as it appears and the longer Shazi spends in the palace the more the comes to realise the Caliph is not actually the monster everyone thinks him to be. Shazi is perhaps one of the most strong-willed characters on this list—which is saying something. Throughout the course of the duology she finds herself coming up against challenges set by both friend and foe and handles each new hurdle with grace, tenacity, and fierce bravery. ‘I will live to see tomorrow’s sunset. Make no mistake. I swear. I will live to see as many sunsets as it takes. And I will kill you. With my bare hands.’ – The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and The Dawn #1) Meg Corbin – The Others by Anne Bishop. I think Meg is probably the nicest of our female fantasy arse-kickers, giving Tessa a real run for her money. The Others is such a unique story, so it stands to reason it would need a unique heroine. One of a very few select humans living amongst The Others in a world where humans have become more monstrous than the creatures they are fighting against, Meg represents the very best of humanity, even though she’s only ever experienced the worst of it. “She would always be short, but she wasn’t helpless and she wasn’t small. Not anymore.” – Written in Red (The Others #1) Alina – The Grisha by Leigh Bardugo. I almost didn’t put her in the Top 10, because even three years later I am still a little mad at Alina for her choice in guy… But taste in men aside, I think it is fair to say Alina got a hell of a lot of butt kicking done during The Grisha trilogy. Raised as an orphan, when her magical gifts are discovered Alina is caught up in a battle for power but ultimately manages to maintain control and prevent herself from being used. In the process, she gathers a cult following, amasses unfathomable power and basically saves the world. Pretty awesome, right? ‘If I told you I’m trying to save the world, would you believe me?’ – Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) Top Ten Tuesdays: Kick-arse Heroines of Science Fiction. From dimension jumping to time travel to aliens next door to dystopian futures, these ten series would not have been the same without the awesome heroines leading the way. Heads up – there are a few spoilers in here, so if you haven’t read these books, maybe skip past those ones. Marguerite Caine – Firebird by Claudia Gray. She steals her parents’ dimension-travelling device in order to jump into another dimension in the hopes of chasing down her dad’s (supposed) murderer. That sentence alone should explain why she’s at the top of this list. But throughout the series, Marguerite is constantly proving how awesome she is, over and over again. She has to constantly think on her toes, bluffing her way through each new dimension. And then there’s the whole saving Paul Markov ( sigh) from his hideous fate and destroying the multi-dimensional corporation that is trying to use her. “My hate is stronger than the dimensions, stronger than memory, stronger than time. My hate is now the truest part of who I am.” A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) Juliette Ferrars – Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. When we’re first introduced to Juliette, she’s fragile, weak, and frankly a little boring. She has very little confidence in herself (understandable given what she’s been through) and is completely dependent on Adam for reassurance and acceptance. But that’s just in the beginning. Over the course of the series her character grows and changes until she is barely recognisable. She learns how to control her ‘curse’, becomes self-dependent and ends up being a totally kick-arse leader in the fight against the supreme commander. “For so many years I lived in constant terror of myself. Doubt had married my fear and moved into my mind, where it built castles and ruled kingdoms and reigned over me, bowing my will to its whispers until I was little more than an acquiescing peon, too terrified to disobey, too terrified to disagree. I had been shackled, a prisoner in my own mind. But finally, finally, I have learned to break free.” Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’m not gonna lie, after three books and four movies I’m kinda a little over The Hunger Games. But that doesn’t change the fact that Katniss is one of the most kick-arse heroines of YA fiction and deserves a place near the top of this list. Coming from practically nothing to become the ‘girl on fire’, she survives in the arena against all odds and defies the Capitol when she chooses to save Peeta as well. She sparks a revolution as the ‘Mockingjay’…and then she becomes a totally loose cannon in book three, executing the wrong leader. “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) Linh Cinder – The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Fun fact: The Lunar Chronicles is the only series on this list told from a third person POV. In this series we had not one, not two, but four incredible heroines, who could all easily be on this list in their own right. I’ve chosen Cinder because she was there from the very start—she was what drew me in and got me addicted to the series in the first place. Cinder is a cyborg and an alien—I don’t think we can get much more sci-fi than that! Living in futuristic Beijing, where prejudice against her kind runs rife, Cinder toils away her days as a mechanic, until her path crosses with that of Prince Kai, when he asks her to mend his android. This is such a fascinating series, combing science fiction with some of our favourite fairy tales, and despite the fact that there are other strong female leads, Cinder really is the centrepiece of it all. “Soon, the whole world would be searching for her–Linh Cinder. A deformed cyborg with a missing foot. A Lunar with a stolen identity. A mechanic with no one to run to, nowhere to go. But they will be looking for a ghost.” Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) 5. June Iparis – Legend by Marie Lu. I mentioned the Legend series in my YA Book Boyfriends list, because I’m totally head over heels for its main man, Day. June is the lucky girl that gets to spend all her time with Day throughout the series. And fortunately, she’s just about as awesome as he is. The teenaged ‘Prodigy’ of the Republic, June is the perfect soldier—brilliant, resourceful, an exceptional fighter—until she uncovers the truth about her brother’s death and joins forces with the Republic’s number one enemy, creating a superteam of awesomness. “I could be compassionate, if I wanted. Metias would be merciful. But I was never as good a person as my brother.” Legend (Legend #1) Ellie Linton – Tomorrow by John Marsden. So technically the Tomorrow series is not sci fi. It’s more of a ‘what if’ kind of story— what if you went camping with your friends and returned home to find out your country had been invaded? But despite the fact that there are no aliens or ‘out of this time’ technology and the like, it is often categorised as dystopian, and considering how awesome Ellie is, I’m rolling with that. Ellie is the narrator of the series—a regular Aussie teenager who returns from a fun trip away with her friends to find her world changed forever. I think the thing I love most about Ellie is how real she seems. So many of her reactions to the ever more dangerous situations are so genuine you start to feel like you actually know this girl. “I felt that my life was permanently damaged, that I could never be normal again, that the rest of my life would just be a shell.” Tomorrow When the War Began (Tomorrow #1) Kricket – Kricket by Amy A. Bartol. Here we have us another alien. Kricket thought she was just a normal girl—a foster runaway living on the down low—until the is kidnapped by a group of guys and taken to another planet, where she is apparently at the very centre of a war that is breaking out. Despite the drastic overhaul in her life and the amount of adjustments she has to make, Kricket handles it all pretty well. She manages to master diplomacy (sort of), kick some serious butt, and fall in love… twice. “Oh, I’m so going to put a knife in the other side of your chest, I think, feeling stabby.” Sea of Stars (Kricket #2) Tris Prior – Divergent by Veronica Roth. I will admit, Tris really got on my nerves in book two, Insurgent , but she was pretty damn awesome in the first and third book so I’m giving her a pass. In a world where being different is the most dangerous thing possible, Tris finds herself a mix of three different factions— Dauntless, Abnegation and Erudite— she chooses Dauntless (and who wouldn’t with guys like Four running around there), which goes to show just how kick-arse she is. She is the first to jump from the roof, and she spends countless hours working on the physical component of her training and mastering her fears in the simulation, putting her at the top of the board at the end of initiation. And then she has to save everyone from Erudite’s evil plan to take over the world (or Chicago as it happens to be). “I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am Divergent.” Divergent (Divergent #1) Kate Pierce-Keller – The Chronos Files by Rysa Walker. Using an ‘out of this time’ medallion given to her by her grandmother, Kate has to travel through time to save the world from her grandfather’s (whom she has never met) plan to re-write all of history. In the process, of course, she re-writes some of history but ah well… I love Kate because she pretty much has to save history armed with nothing but her wits (and Kiernan… sigh). Her adventures see her thrown into dangerous situations time and again (kidnapped by one of America’s most notorious serial killers; caught up in a riot in 1960s Georgia), and she is constantly forced to make decisions that could have a ripple effect through to her own time. And all in all, she handles the pressure pretty damn well. “Watching people you love walk into danger is a hundred times harder than walking into it yourself.” Time’s Divide (The Chronos Files #3) Katy Swartz – Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Katy is right down the bottom of this list because, for some reason, in the final book she turns into a complete idiot. She becomes needy and whiny and everything I absolutely hate about a lot of YA heroines. BUT prior to that she is freakin’ awesome. She has so much spunk about her and her sense of humour is fantastic. She’s a human trying to find her place in a world where she just learned aliens are real and live next door, and I have to say she adjusts to things pretty well, albeit with a few bursts of her fiery temper. She’s a target for everyone from enemy aliens to the DOD. And then there’s all those pesky new powers she needs to deal with after Daemon saves her life and she becomes bonded to him… ‘Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m a coward or unethical. I’d never do anything that would put Dee in danger. Why would my life be more valuable than hers?’ Obsidian (Lux #1) Who are you favourite heroines of sci fi? Did they make my list?