Three-for-One Reviews ~ WICKED, VEX, and EXPEL (Celestra #4,5,6) by Addison Moore

Hi, all! Today I am continuing my three-for-one reviews of the CELESTRA series by Addison Moore. On Monday, I reviewed books 1-3:  ETHEREAL, TREMBLE and BURN. Today's reviews include books 4-6: WICKED, VEX, and EXPEL.

Seventeen year-old, Skyla Messenger is wishing people would just stay dead. With Chloe back, Skyla finds it difficult to live under her tyranny and threats. A seemingly innocent misstep in Skyla’s past comes back to haunt her and could end up costing her relationship with Gage. ~From GoodReads

"This is what I know. These are my truths."

(ebook, 2%)

Addictive. The CELESTRA series is so crazy addictive that I am exhausted. I have stayed up until 2am reading these books for four days now. I don't know quite how to explain what it is about the books that have me so hooked. Actually, there are a lot of reasons. But I think the main reason is, author Addison Moore has kept me on my toes. I literally don't have a clue what will happen next. I've quit trying to guess. The safest assumption is to take what you think will happen, spin it 180 degrees, crank it up like a wind-up toy and let it fly.

Like I've said in my past few reviews for the series, my hands are kind of tied. I want to shout about the insanity of WICKED. I want to go over my theories about why Gage did this, Logan said that, what Chloe is going to do, why Marshall told her this, and how the freaking heck Skyla is going to react to all of it!

In WICKED, the stakes are higher for Skyla than ever before. The book opens with a shocker. A HUGE shocker. Everything she thought was true is a lie. She doesn't know who to trust, who to turn to. Her worst enemy is in her face and trying to ruin her life. Logan and Gage are both still trying to win her heart. And yes, Marshall is still around. That dude is seriously hot...and crazy. I just don't know!

The ending. The ending hit me, and Skyla with a shocking twist. I'm not sure what to make of it. I wanted to scream and cry. So of course, I headed straight into book five, VEX, to learn what on Earth (or not) Skyla has gotten into now.


Favorite Quote(s):

" 'Skyla.' His hand runs down my hair, swift as a waterfall. 'There is nothing on this planet, in heaven or hell, that can keep me from you. I more than promise.' " (ebook, 6%)

"I land soft in the arms of a wall of strength. My eyes open, and I'm greeted with an explosion of gorgeous dimples-eyes the color of the stratosphere.
'You caught me,' I say breathless.
Gage presses a kiss onto my lips. 'I'll always catch you.' " (ebook, 79%)

Published September 15th 2011 by Addison Moore


You can purchase WICKED (Celestra #4) at:
Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Seventeen year-old, Skyla Messenger finds herself lying on an altar as a sacrifice to the enemy. Being an angel of the highest Nephilim order hasn’t been easy. Her first love has cast his allegiance to the Countenance, the Sectors and the Fems see her as nothing more than a celestial pawn, and the dead girl she helped bring back to life has blackmailed her into relinquishing her boyfriend. Skyla is determined to change all that. She's decided to never trust Logan again, to turn the tables on the Sectors and the Fems, and get dirt on Chloe to blackmail her into leaving Gage alone. But, when one obstacle after another gets in her way, Skyla can hardly find the strength to carry on. The only solution seems to be to sacrifice herself to the Sector in her life and put everything in order while losing everything she values most. ~From GoodReads

"I can endure all things in the holy name of love. And I will."

(ebook,

Gah!! At this point in the series, I feel as if I'm repeating myself. The CELESTRA series is absolute insanity, crazy, unpredictable, funny, scary, suspenseful...You name the emotion, and I'm pretty sure I felt it.

When book four, WICKED, ended, Skyla had been betrayed. Big time. By someone she loves. The fallout of the supposed betrayal is terrifying and heartbreaking. It definitely alters the course of the story.

The usual suspects are still around. Marshall... I still don't know what to think about him. One moment he does something that squicks me out. In the next, he acts in a way that makes me, and Skyla, melt. I can't say I love him as a romantic interest, but I certainly get the appeal. Logan and Gage. Gage and Logan. I still don't know which Oliver boy, if either, is right for Skyla. I just have a feeling that things are far from settled when it comes to Skyla's love life.

I still hate Tad. What a creep. I mean, the jerk is almost comical when he starts in on Skyla or her mom. He makes me twitchy, and stabby. Speaking of stabby, someone has to kill Chloe. Pronto. That is all.

There are plenty of faces from the past to dot the landscape of VEX. And that's something I find extremely cool about this series. Little things that happen, or people who are mentioned, from the previous books have a way of showing back up. Things are starting to make a bit more sense.

I know I said the ending to WICKED was shocking. But this one takes the cake. The last few pages of VEX are brutal. I feel awful for the readers who waited months for EXPEL. Definitely buckle up when you dive into VEX.

Favorite Quote:

"Gage and I need to harness the power of our love to accomplish all of the good things the future prompts us towards, but not tonight-tonight we spin it into gold." (ebook, 45%)

"His gentle grazing sends a shiver through my spine, makes me feel alive in the most splendid way. 'I know how it ends,' he puts it out there in a broken whisper. He presses his lips to the back of my hand as a seam of tears lines his lashes. 'Do me a favor. Save something for me in here,' he taps lightly over my chest." (ebook, 73%)


Published November 29th 2011 by Addison Moore
You can purchase VEX at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

A death. A war. Regret. Heartbreak. An old enemy. A new enemy. A well-placed boyfriend. An ending you won’t believe. Seventeen year-old Skyla Messenger discovers love is stronger than death and deception. In an effort to rectify those horrible truths Skyla’s life changes forever. Love and heartbreak become obstacles that overshadow the faction war and in the end may cost her everything.~From GoodReads

"There are no accidents in my life, no coincidences, no blind love at first sight."

(ebook, 3%)

 I am exhausted. EXPEL was an emotionally draining adventure. All my emotions were taut as a live wire while reading this book. I just...I can't even begin to encompass how much happened in VEX. And in the interest of remaining spoiler-free, I won't even try.

But I will say, all of Skyla's past misdeeds come home to roost. Skyla hasn't always been the most sympathetic character in my eyes. She's a bit wishy-washy when it comes to Logan and Gage. And really, who can blame her with those two on the menu? But I don't think she means to be that way, she honestly loves both of them. Skyla can also be vicious at times, especially when it comes to her enemies. She's not a "turn the other cheek" kind of girl. That's completely fine with me. Even though she's reckless and impulsive, I adore her. In fact, maybe I love her because of her indecisive, impulsive, crazy, but always heartfelt choices. Who needs perfect when you have this much fun?!

But back to consequences. Skyla has to face a lot of them in EXPEL. And she doesn't try to explain or worm her way out of them. She doesn't deny anything. She owns up to her bad decisions and acknowledges them. But she doesn't lay down and die. Skyla does her very best to apologize and make things right. She doesn't white-wash her bad choices or push the blame on anyone else. And for that, I have mucho respect.

EXPEL was crazy, crazy intense. Logan and Gage are both very much in the running for Skyla's heart. As is Marshall. And yes, I will finally, begrudgingly admit that I like Marshall. Once he quit trying to deal his way into Skyla's pants, quit sleepy around incessantly, and let down his guard a bit, he became an alright guy. I'm not convinced he's a viable candidate for Skyla, but I'm not going to dismiss him either. Skyla has some big decisions headed her way.

EXPEL had, for me, the best of what books offer. I had fun, laughing at Skyla and her crazy family. I was angry, mainly because of that evil witch Chloe. I was sad; for Skyla, Logan, and Gage. Those three are in an impossible position. I was shocked, and shocked, and shocked again. Over and over, the hits just kept coming. The ending?! It made me want to scream, and flail, and cry. I need book seven, Addison. My heart can only take so much!


Favorite Quote:

"Logan leans in and bumps his forehead to mine, his nose, his lips, closes his eyes as a thin seam of tears lines his lids.
'You love me,' he whispers in a long strained hiss like steam from a kettle." (ebook,48%)


"Being married to Marshall would be like falling into a supernova. I'd be swallowed up and blinked out of existence before I knew what hit me." (ebook, 58%)

" 'You love Gage,' he expels softly with tears glistening, 'but you love me, too. A powerful, hungry, unstoppable love that deep down, you can never deny. I can see it engraved inside your heart just as it is in mine.' " (ebook, 78%)
You can purchase EXPEL at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble



Source: I received these books as a gift from the author.