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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Reviews: The Brokenhearted and The Invisible by Amelia Kahaney


Last year, I read an amazing book. That book was The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney. The sequel, The Invisible, was recently released and I just finished reading it. It blew me away. I didn't have this blog up and running last year when The Brokenhearted came out, so I obviously couldn't post the review. I want to review The Invisible, but without spoiling the previous book, so this is going to be tricky. I'm about to attempt two reviews that are as spoiler free as possible while doing them both justice... 


Do you like superheroes? Do you watch shows like GothamArrowThe Flash or Smallville? Do you enjoy movies like BatmanKickass or The Crow? Do you love to read books about dark, gritty dystopian worlds that are overrun with crime and corruption? Have you ever wanted to become a vigilante? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then these books are for you. 




The Brokenhearted (Brokenhearted #1) by Amelia Kahaney
Release date: October 8th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goosreads link: (click here)

Anthem Fleet is the daughter of rich real-estate developers in Bedlam City. She lives in a pristine penthouse apartment in the glitzy North Side of town, under the strict rules of her parents and she dedicates most of her time to studying ballet. Of course she does have a bit of a rebellious streak, so occasionally she escapes to have fun with her best friend, Zahra. While the two girls are at an underground party in the seedy South Side of town, Anthem meets Gavin, an artist from the South Side. The two get involved in a secret and forbidden romance. One night, the two are attacked and Gavin is kidnapped and used as collateral to extort money from Anthem and her parents. Although, what happened to Anthem that night was much worse. She fell to her death.

But, death is not the end for Anthem Fleet. She wakes up in a lab, covered in blood. She's become the project of a mad scientist, given a bionic hummingbird heart. This heart not only saved her life, but it made her faster and stonger, with other remarkable abilities like super hearing and fast healing. She's determined not to waste this second chance at life and swears to save Gavin, who has fallen into the hands of a dangerous crime syndicate. She learns to use her new powers with the help of Ford, a new friend and partner in crime, using her ballet skills to her advantage as she trains to fight. Anthem becomes a vigilante, but the people of Bedlam begin to see her as a New Hope, a replacement for a long-disappeared superhero who once kept the streets safe. Along with her own agenda, Anthem must also accept her role as a superhero-savior of the city, all while keeping her true identity a secret.

There were so many things I loved about The Brokenhearted. It's a real page-turner with lots of atmosphere, plenty of action, surprising twists and breathtaking romance. It REALLY has the feel of a comic book, since some things are a little over-the-top but oh-so-cool and fun. Crime, vengeance and deception lead to the origin of a new, badass, butt-kicking heroine. It made me want to throw on some more comfortable clothes and bring some bad guys to justice, vigilante style. Ok, maybe that's not such a good idea since I have no special abilities except for the power of reading really fast, which is not so good in a fight. Whatever, I enjoyed every second I spent with this book. I'm a sucker for superheroes. 




The Invisible (Brokenhearted #2) by Amelia Kahaney
Release date: October 7th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads link: (click here)


Now that Anthem Fleet has fought her first battle with the Syndicate and come out the victor (for now), she's left to deal with the fact that she's basically a superhero. She has powers and strength, but she's also just a girl trying to finish out her final year of high school, who wants to get back to practicing ballet. Ford is still nursing wounds after their last fight, so Anthem is still helping him while he heals, but she's also trying to figure out how to fit her relationship into this complicated situation. So many people expect so much from her and she knows that with great power comes great responsibility, but is an eighteen-year-old girl really ready to accept it all? She won't have much time to think about it, because there is a new Big Bad in town, a group that calls itself The Invisible. They claim to want to even the scales and help the poor people of South Bedlam, but they do it by robbing, terrorizing and blackmailing the rich people of North Bedlam. They don't care who they kill to get their way, but what is it that they really want? Who are they and who is their mysterious leader? 

As The Invisible become more dangerous and deadly, Anthem must put her proverbial cape on and fight to protect the city, to defend the people who believe her to be their only hope. She certainly didn't ask to become a hero, but when the people she cares about are in danger, she knows what she has to do. Occasionally she leaps into bad situations without thinking things through, but she's learining and she's fighting the good fight as best she can. Not only is she trying to thwart the nefarious plans of The Invisible, but she still has the Syndicate to worry about. Everything is connected though, and she will soon discover some truly shocking secrets about her family and her own past that will change her life forever.


This book was AWESOME! I haven't felt this excited and exhilarated after reading a book in a long time. Twists, turns, action, suspense, romance...it's got it all! Woo!! I was holding my breath, throwing punches at phantom bad guys, cheering, picking my jaw up off of the floor because of the shocking surprises and I even shed a few tears. I think this is my favorite book of 2014! I definitely enjoyed it more than anything else I've read this year. As much as I loved The Brokenhearted (which is a lot), I loved The Invisible even more! I don't usually use this many exclamation points, but I have to when it comes to these books. They are so much fun and they are totally kickass! Amelia Kahaney is MY hero. Keep writing more, please! 



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<3 Michelle

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