Ink and Paper

MV Reading Challenge 2012: February Link-Up

2012-02-01T18:17:00.000Z

Hey everyone!

Here is your post to link up your February reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 and enter to win prizes! For the sign-up post, go here.

Firstly, the winners for the January link-up are:

US: Nobody entered for January, so the prize will roll over.

UK Bundle 1: Aishah W

UK Bundle 2: Sarah

Congratulations! Your details have been passed on to my contacts, and you'll be receiving your prizes soon.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page, which will explain how and why prizes are given as they are.

For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Bite Club by Rachel Caine and Immortal Anthology

UK: Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, Flying Blind and Winging It Deborah Cooke

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of Bite Club by Rachel Caine from Penguin US and the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books.. UK entrants will be entering to win Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, Flying Blind and Winging It by Deborah Cooke, the first two books in The Dragon Diaries series, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos from Allison and Busby.

Thank you to both Allison and Busby and Penguin US for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

For UK readers to enter for the copies of Working Stiff, Flying Blind and Winging it, please fill in this form. For US readers to enter for a copy of Bite Club, please fill in this form. For further details on the Challenge contest, check out the challenge info page.

And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from February in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

2012-01-22T19:26:00.003Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine - WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. JUST DON'T STAY OUT AFTER DARK.

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters -- when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows -- one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires, and they are hungry for fresh blood... From Amazon UK

I've read Glass Houses before, before I ever started blogging, and so I'm writing a proper review for it. It's been quite a while since I last read Glass Houses, that I couldn't quite remember the story. I remembered Claire left her dorm at uni to go live with Michael, Eve and Shane after being attacked by Monica, I remembered her finding out about the vampires, and I remembered a search for the book, but there was quite a lot I didn't remember, which made the reread pretty exciting!

Some of the things I didn't remember. Claire has had black hair since when?! I've always imagined her as a blonde! Probably because of the cover of my edition (above). I'd forgotten just how psycho Monica is - who I have always imagined to look like Megan Fox; Monica is a psychotic version of Megan Fox's character, Carla in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen - and how she actually wants Claire dead! She's a cow throughout the series, but I forgot just how bad she is in this book. I also forgot the introduction of certain characters in this, I didn't think they were introduced until several books into the series! And I forgot how this book ended! I thought something that happens in a later book ended this one! It got all confusing! But almost like a completely different, unread book, as I wasn't sure what was happening! It was fun! And I didn't realise the "will they? won't they?" romance between Claire and Shane even started simmering in this book! I thought it happened later on! So that was a lovely surprise and really fun to rediscover! Ohhh, it's so sweet! I do love those guys.

The story itself is exciting! The vampires are scary, and it's sitll easy to get freaked out right along with Claire even though I've read all the other books. It's so cool to have a series were the vampires are scary, there don't seem to be many of them any more. The action is still edge-of-your-seat good as I had forgotten the specifics. However, having read all the other books, despite Glass Houses being brilliant, it's very much a first book in the series, because so much more seems to happen in the other novels. But still a great start to the series! I love it, and I'm looking forward to rereading the others!

We can't seem to buy Glass Houses as an actual book at the moment, so I have the following is for the first omnibus that includes Glass Houses

Published: 2008
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

Review: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

2012-01-17T15:37:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

NO ONE WANTS TO BE THIS TEACHER’S PET . . .

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death.

But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either.

But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life.

ANYTHING. From RachelVincent.com

Just to warn you, this review is likely to be quite long, and you may not survive the tsunami of love that will spill out from it.

I'm going to start this review by saying something outrageous. Who nees family or friends, hell, who needs food when you can lock yourself in a room and immerse yourself in the wonders that are the Soul Screamers series? I'm exaggerating, of course, but that should give you some idea as to how much I really mean my love knows no bounds when it comes to this series. No review I could ever write would ever come close to expressing how much I adore this series, and specifically this book (but I'm going to try!). If I Die surpasses My Soul to Steal, and I thought that was brilliant! I'm going to say something now I never, ever thought I would say. Are you ready? Ok, here goes. I love this series more than I love the Shifters series. I know! The Shifters series was absolutely phenomenal, and I didn't think Vincent could ever write anything that came close to how amazing it is, because how can you beat perfection?! Guess what? The Soul Screamers series is better!

Should I get on with the specifics now? Yes? Ok...

That's going to be hard actually, because there's so much that happens in this book that is major important, and it leaves very little I can talk about. I would say this is probably the most important book in respects to Kaylee's life so far. It's a turning point in the biggest way possible. Everything's changed. Everything. And it's brilliant!

As we learned much earlier in the series, Kaylee was supposed to die when she was three. However, her mother took her place, and Kaylee has been living on borrowed-time since then; she's been living the time her mother would have had had she not died, and now that line will be coming to an end in a few days. And there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to save her. As if that's not enough to deal with - having to face the fact she will die, trying to make sure everyone will be ok when she's gone, and decide what she wants to do with the little time she has left - she finds out there is an Incubus posing as the school's new Maths teacher, and has the sweet, young things he teaches in his sights - specifically Emma, Kaylee's best friend. Kaylee can't die, she doesn't have time to die! There is a freaking incubus attempting to impregnate half the student body! So, as you can imagine, Kaylee's fit to burst with everything she has to deal with and how very little time she has to deal in. It's enough to drive anyone mad, and perhaps make a few mistakes...

That's what's just so fantastic about Vincent; she doesn't shy away from putting her characters of her readers through hell. In all kinds of ways. And not one person, not one, comes out the other side unscathed, be it mentally or physically. If I Die is absolutely hellish on it's characters, it's terrifying and unbelievably sad, and yet it's also so, so beautiful. There were tears in my eyes as I closed the book because of more emotions than I could possibly name. But mostly, I was in complete and utter awe.

I have to mention Tod. My love for this boy has grown and grown with each book, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. He's just the most amazing, brave and selfless guy - and one of the funniest. He is just so completely wonderful, and I want one of my own. Sabine is still very much Sabine, and so I'm still loving her. That girl has serious spunk, and despite the way she can treat Kaylee sometimes, I love her for it. I am so looking forward to more of her. And I'm so glad I finally got an answer to a question I've been wondering about ever since reading the prequel novella, My Soul To Lose. Just shows how brilliantly talented Vincent is, If I Die is the fifth book in! She has had this book in head in some form since the very beginning. It blows me away.

I am so happy there has been a change when it comes to the titles! If I Die makes perfect sense, and I'll remember which book it is, but I'm always having to look up the others when I want to talk about them, because I can never remember whether it's MSTTake, Save, Keep or Steal. So I'm liking the chnge! I also love the cover - I love all the UK covers for this series - but it doesn't link to the story whatsoever that I can see, I have no idea of the significance of the dragonfly. So for this book, I think the US cover says a lot more about the story, it really works.

This is not a book anyone can miss. You have to read this book. Pre-order this book now, right now, because you simply cannot not read this book. It's absolutely amazing! Rachel Vincent, you are beyond amazing, and I cannot thank you enough for the joy I get through readin your books. You're a gift to readers. Now I just need Mira Ink to publish the eBook novellas Reaper and Never to Sleep in the UK so I can read them, and I will be an extremely happy girl.

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd February 2012
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)

Review: Lost Christmas by David Logan

2012-01-13T16:14:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Lost Christmas by David Logan - "Give him your hand Frank. Let him tell you what you've lost. Old lady's lost a bangle, he knows I've lost a dog, well you've lost something too. Let him tell you what."

Eleven-year old Goose is lost. It's Christmas, his parents are dead and now his dog Mutt has gone missing. Those round him aren't doing much better: his Uncle Frank's wife has walked out on him and his nan is losing her mind.

But then Anthony appears: a man who seems to know everything about those he touches by nothing at all about himself...

Who is he, how does he know so much, and can he help Goose?

So begins a dramatic journey through love, loss and the quest for home. From the blurb

I received Lost Christmas as a Christmas pressie from my Mum and Dad. I originally planned to keep it until December of this year, so I would be reading a Christmassy book around Christmas, but had to pick it up on my Mum's insistence. Why? Well, she wants to watch the film Lost Christmas which we recorded when it was on last month. She's not the type of person who can watch movies based on a book or movies where a book version has been writen (as is the case with Lost Christmas) without reading the book first, so I let her borrow it. Once she finished, she said I HAD to read the book before we watched the movie because it was brilliant, and as she wanted to watch the movie soon, I had to read the book, like, yesterday. Obviously, my Mum didn't say those exact words, but you get the idea. She was right, the book is brilliant.

I picked Lost Christmas up thinking it was a children's book, but I would say it's more a pre-teen/early teen novel, with cross over appeal. The loss of Goose's parents has had a huge, huge impact on Goose's life. He's gone a bit off the rails because he hasn't dealt with things properly, and his Nan, who is his guardian now, has Alzheimer's that's steadily getting worse. His life doesn't look good. And the lives of various other people in the book have lives that are less than perfect. Lost Christmas reminds of movies like Love, Actually, as there are a lot of characters with their own individual stories, but they're all linked. It was quite a novelty to see something like this in a book; instead of just one or maybe two narrators like I'm used to, there were a whole number of them - though some had only very small parts, it really doesn't get confusing at all. The main narrator is Goose and it's his story that is the main focus. There's such a wealth of characters, but each of them have experienced loss in some form.

Which leads on to my next point. Lost Christmas is sad. There are some very light, amusing moments, but there are a number of moments that are just incredibly sad. There's one excruciating moment where I came so close to tears, because it's one of those rare moments where you know what's going to happen - you actually know, it's not a theory or a prediction, you know - and it's nothing good, and reading it is just awful! It's drawn out over several pages, and I just wanted to put the book down. It's excruciating! Really, there are some terribly upsetting moments.

I was so surprised by the ending! All the way through I was trying to work out who Anthony was, I had various theories that were based on nothing but guesses. They were discarded and another thought up, and then brought back, but never guessed what his story was, or how he knew everything about everyone else. It's so clever! And the actual ending of the book was just so good! Oh, it was just lovely! I loved.

The cover for Lost Christmas is really beautiful, but other than the snow, I have absolutely no idea how it relates to the story. I have no clue about the tree, and it looks like the shortest figure is a girl, which makes no sense to me. I am at a lost. But it is gorgeous!
A really sweet but also sad novel that's just wonderful and brilliant and all things good! I highly recommend Lost Christmas, it's fantastic!

Published: Quercus
Publisher: 27th October 2011
Buy as an eBook on Amazon US
David Logan's Website

MV Reading Challenge 2012: January Link-Up UPDATED

2012-01-01T09:00:00.006Z

Happy New Year, everyone!

Here is your post to link up your January reviews for the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012! For the sign-up post, go here.

Due to conversations I've had with publishers regarding prizes, the way I'm going to have people enter for the prizes is going to be a little different to what you see on other blogs. People will have to opt in to enter, rather than just submitting a review.

Unfortunately, the publishers I have contacted are only able to send prizes to their own countries - the UK and the US - so there won't be one prize pack everyone can enter to win. Those outside The UK and the US won't be able to enter - I'm sorry, but I have no control over where the publishers send the prizes, I'm afraid. Hopefully you'll still continue with the challenge anyway.

However, for those who are from the UK and the US, I'm going to make this as fair as I can. There will be two forms to fill in to enter for the various prizes when possible.

Please go and read Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge Info page as there have been some updates regarding prizes - which explains why there is one prize for the US and two bundle prizes for the UK. Also, I have heard from Allison & Busby that book 13 in the Morganville Vampires series may not be released in the UK until 2013. If this is the case, I'll still count up to book 12, Black Dawn, for the levels of Myrnin and Bishop.
For this month, the prizes are as follows.

US: Immortal

UK Bundle 1:
Morganville Vampires Omnibus 1, Morganville Vampires Omnibus 2 & Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

UK Bundle 2: Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke, Winging It by Deborah Cooke & Enthralled Anthology

US entrants will be entering to win a copy of the Immortal Anthology from Smart Pop Books. UK entrants will be entering to win either bundle, which include a copy of the Morganville Vampires Omnibus 1 and Morganville Vampires Omnibus 2, Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, MV temporary tattoos, Weather Warden temporary tattoos and a MV canvas bag from Allison and Busby, or Flying Blind and Winging It by Deborah Cooke, the first two books in The Dragon Diaries series, MV temporary tattoos and Weather Warden temporary tattoos from Allison and Busby and Enthralled Anthology from HarperCollins UK. Each anthology contains a short story written by Rachel Caine in the Morganville Vampires universe. Thank you to both Allison and Busby, HarperCollins UK an Smart Pop Books for sponsoring the challenge with these prizes.

CONTESTS ARE NOW CLOSED!

ETA: I've been having issues with Mister Linky, so reviews will be submitted from now on in the comments.
And now, to submit your reviews! Everyone, no matter where you're from, can submit their reviews from January in the comments below, so we can see everyone's progress and how we're liking the books! Please link directly to your review, NOT your blog home page.

Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

2011-12-30T15:05:00.006Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles (review copy) - Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen. From Amazon US

I thought this book sounded like it would be pretty good, but I had no idea how amazing it was going to be! I absolutely loved it!

This book is creepy and freaky, but not in the usual way. This book has been classed as paranormal horror, but it didn't scare me like a horror would. I had no problems reading it at night, it didn't give me nightmares, I wasn't jumping at every little noise - though there were definitely scary parts in it, what with random girls suddenly showing up in windows. No, this book scared me because I didn't know what was going to happen. Furires punish the wrong do-ers, but what they consider "wrong" isn't set in stone - for a completely unrelated to the book example, the furies would punish you just as harshly for dropping litter as they would for kidnapping. Not oly is the definition of wrong very loose, the punishment, what they consider "justice" for what you did isn't predictable either. For the litter example, going arond wearing a bright jacket picking up other people's litter isn't as likely as you being "dropped" in some way, but what could "dropped" mean? There are hundreds of possibilities. You just don't know what the furies are going to decide you deserve. And that's what I found scary, not being able to work out, or even make a guess, at what would happen, or when. With every turn of the page, I was on edge, waiting for god knows what, just something bad. Yet having to read on because it is so exciting!

As I said, Fury didn't scare me in the traditional horror sense, but I was definitely freaked out by some of the furies behaviour. As readers, we know these mysterious, beautiful girls are furies - blurbs, descriptions, even reviews tell us so. Yet the characters in the book don't get any kind of inkling of something not-quite-human until quite a ways into the book. So the behaviour of the Furies, the things some of the characters see, not knowing that Furies exist, believing them to be human... the torment is freaky, and I was empathetically freaked out.

Yet I kind of loved them, like villians you love to hate. It sounds kind of right to have something that goes around fixing wrongs, something that dishes out karma. I'm sure plenty of us have wanted bad things to happen to bad people - I think it's natural with some of the things we see on the news. And these ladies are making sure those bad things happen. When said like that, I did feel there was a strange kind of "rightness" to them. But then you read on and see how messed up they are and things start to change. What if the furies were real? What mistakes have you made? What would they think you need to be punished for? And how? It's freaky and creepy, but all kinds of briliant!

When it comes to urban fantasy, there's a certain progression that I expect. By the time I put the book down, no matter what the story, or if it's in a series, I just expect a certain kind of ending. There tends to be a lot of action in urban fantasy, and the constant threat of danger to our main characters and narrators. There are fights, people get hurt, and you're excited, and sitting on your edge seat in suspence. But eventually, the book will still have that ending, even if there's a cliff hanger. The main characters are a little bruised and roughed up, and plan to try and kick some paranormal butt the next time when book two comes along, or at least try to live a normal life until paranormal butt comes a-knocking again. You expect certain things to go a certain way simply because that's how these thing go. It's like urban fantasy law or something. However, a little over half way through Fury I realised that the ending I expected - without even realising I expected it, because you don't expect the moon to come after the sun, it just does - wasn't what I was going to get. On a second read of this book, I would probably react differently, but the first time round, there was just complete shock. I was shaken. Miles tore up the urban fantasy law book, slapped me in the face and left me reeling. I believe my thoughts were along the lines of "WHAT?! But that can't happen!" I read on for a little while in a daze, sure there was a mistake, or some sort of joke, and things were going to change and sort themselves out. They didn't. Which makes me SUPER excited to read more of Miles books, because not only do you not know what to expect from the furies, but you don't know what to expect from Miles' writing either! I was completely blown away!

If I had any kind of criticism, at some points, some of the characters just seemed a little too young for their age, a little too naive, but it's a very small thing, and can easily go unnoticed in all the excitement. Also, on it's own, I really like the cover, but I don't think it says much about the book, except that the girl is like smoke. I guess that's true, furies can disappear like smoke, but it doesn't really say "fuies" to me, but I'm not sure what would. With the US cover, at least you know it's Ty, one of the furies, on the cover, because of the hair colour. I generally prefer the US cover.

Fury is a phenomenal debut novel, absolutely brilliant, and I cannot wait to read book two, Envy, when it's released next year. It's going to be incredible. If you haven't read Fury yet, you need to read it now!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on Amazon UK
Elizabeth Miles' Website

Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012

2011-12-01T23:08:00.010Z

There was recently news that there will be an extra three books released in the series Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine! Hurrah! To celebrate, I decide to set myself the challenge to re-read the past 11 books, and read book 12, Black Dawn, and the as yet unnamed 13th book, which are both being released next year. I know there are a lot of other MV fans, and I some people who have wanted to try them, so I thought I'd share the challenge with you!

The Details:

Anyone, from anywhere, can sign up, whether you have a blog of not - you just need somewhere to post your reviews, like Goodreads. If you do have a blog, you're welcome to write a sign-up post. Although it's not brilliant (sorry!), feel free to use the button above - just right click and save it to your computer first. Then fill your details into the linky below.

When? The challenge will run from 1st January 2012 until 31st December 2012.

Formats? All formats count - books, e-books or audiobooks!

Levels
There are levels! Pick the one you would like to complete. The levels are characters from the books in the order of their creepiness! So who are you going to be?

Sam Glass: Books 1-3
Oliver: Books 1-6
Amelie: Books 1-9
Myrnin: Books 1-13

And a final level for those hardcore fans...

Bishop: Books 1-13, plus all short stories (in anthologies or otherwise).

For information on all the books, omnibuses and short stories, head on over to the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012 Book Info page.

Monthly Link-Up
Each month I will post a link up for everyone to link to their reviews, and we can all see what we all thought. There will be prizes! What they are and how many contests there will be is yet to be decided, but I will keep you posted.

If there are any questions, please ask! This is the first challenge I've hosted, so there may be somthing I've forgotten, so just let me know!

So to sign up for the challenge just fill in your details in the linky below. Sign-up will close on 31st May 2012.

2012 Reading Challenges

2011-11-27T23:59:00.010Z

To follow my progress of the challenges throughout the year, click the 2012 Reading Challenges page link on the left sidebar

Speculative Reading Challenge 2012

Adventures of 2.0 is hosting the Speculative Reading Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of speculative fiction books from your chosen level. I'm going for In Nirvana, which is to read 24 books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Tales From the Crypt is hosting the 2012 Paranormal Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of paranormal books - bar vampire novels - from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 4, which is to read 21+ books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Vampire Reading Challenge

Tales From the Crypt is hosting the 2012 Vampire Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of vampire novels from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 2, which is to read 6-10 books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2012

Book Chick City is hosting the Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of horror and urban fantasy novels from your chosen level. I'm going for Level 1, which is to read 48 books. For more info, see the link above.

Speculative Romance Challenge 2012

Book Chick City is hosting the Speculative Romance Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read the number of horror and urban fantasy novels from your chosen level. I'm going for the Four Sexy Archangels level, which is to read 24 books. For more info, see the link above.

Review: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-27T16:23:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

SOMETIMES DREAMS DO COME TRUE...AND THAT'S THE LAST THING KAYLEE NEEDS.
Working things out with Nash - her maybe boyfriend - is hard for Kaylee. She's already coping with being a teenage banshee. Worse, Nash's gorgeous ex-girlfriend just transferred to their school. Sabine's no ordinary girl. She's a mara, a real-life walking nightmare. Draining people's energy through their darkest dreams sustains Sabine...and makes her Kaylee's top suspect in a cluster of super-creepy deaths. To win back Nash, Kaylee's determined to unearth the truth. But Sabine knows the deathly secrets of Kaylee's subconscious - and she's not afraid to use them to get whatever and whoever she wants... From Amazon UK

After finishing My Soul to Keep, I immediately picked up My Soul to Steal, desperately needing to read more of this story I am now hooked on. And it didn't disappoint!

With the introduction of a Mara, a creature that reads your darkest fears and creates nightmares for you to have while sleeping so they can feed from your fear, MSTSteal knocks the creep-factor up a level. What makes it slightly worse is that the Mara in this story, Sabine, is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and he is absolutely certain she is not behind the seriously bad things that happen in the book - which means that what she does might not be because of some evil scheme, but because she simply wants to torment Kaylee. To me, the possibility of her not actually being the one who is killing these people, but just sending Kaylee nightmares through jealousy makes her creepier, because if she's not the villain, how can you get rid of her?

I love how amidst all the urban fantasy, Vincent can still give us a human element, or more specifically, in the Soul Screamers, the teenage human element. In the last book it was teens using drugs, in this book, it's boyfriend stealing. Kaylee and Nash are on a break after she discovered, while he was addicted to Demon's Breath, he let Avari, a Hellion in the Netherworld, possess Kaylee's body, and never told her about it. Although she still loves him, she doesn't trust him, and is still hurting from the betrayal. Then along comes Sabine. As I said, Sabine is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and she is determined to get him back. She complicates everything for Kaylee, because although she doesn't want to lose him, she can't be with him right now, where Sabine is quite happy to accept he's done some bad things and love him anyway - and give him things Kaylee is not yet ready to give. Kaylee can't deny that Sabine and Nash obviously have a strong bond, and is terrified Nash will turn to her if she doesn't take him back soon, but how can she take him back so soon when she's still struggling with her trust issues? Add to this that Sabine is happy to play dirty by tormenting Kaylee with seriously freaky nightmares among other things, and you will have yourself one seriously stressed out bean sidhe!

As creepy as she is, I actually really liked Sabine. Sure, she goes about trying to get Nash back completely the wrong way (though frankly, I think she shouldn't have just accepted he loves Kaylee and gave it up), I have to admire her determination, and was impressed, along with sometimes shocked and angry, at how far she was willing to go to get what she wants. She is unbelievable! But I empathise with Sabine too, even if I can't relate to her. She has had such a tough life, and for all her tough front, she just seems so insecure and, well, desperate. Nash may belong to someone else, but he is all she has in the world, and she really does need him. And beyond Nash, Kaylee has absolutely everything Sabine doesn't - a family, friends, people who care about her, and a generally good life. Sabine is just a really complicated character, and I feel sorry for her. And I also think she's going to make make future books that little bit more interesting!

What I've discovered from reading MSTKeep and MSTSteal is that what appears to be the main conflict for the story, despite how big a deal it seems at first, it's nothing compared to what is around the corner - and there's always, always something. And the magnitude of these somethings is just beyond anything you can imagine! There is so much more going on in this book than the freaky events surrounding the Kaylee-Nash-Sabine love triangle, so much more, but I can't say anything about it! It's one of the things I love about the Soul Screamers Series, the mix of urban fantasy - Kaylee and friends in our world, and high fantasy - all the goings on in the Netherworld, which is completely made up by Vincent, so you never know what's going to come next! I love it! It's always big, and scary, and freaking awesome!

And, if I'm reading things right, I believe the current love triangle might actually become a love diamond (sounds much better than a square or rectangle, don't you think?)! There might just be a certain someone who also has feelings for our little bean sidhe, and I think I might possibly be rooting for him! Another incredible book, and I cannot wait for If I Die! I think the Soul Screamers might just be, dare I say it... possibly a little bit better than the Shifters series! I am addicted to these books!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 21st October 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)

Review: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-25T14:56:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. Until something does.

Demon’s breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow, the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves. From RachelVincent.com

Oh my god. In my previous reviews of the Soul Screamers series, I have always said how much I enjoyed them, which was and is true. However, as much as I enjoyed them, I did feel they weren't as exciting as Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, which I was reading at the time. I enjoyed them, but there was no urgent desire to read the next ones, I'd just read them when I read them. I was recently sent My Soul to Keep and My Soul to Steal by Mira Ink, and during a lull in my reading where I didn't know what I fancied, I decided to pick MSTKeep up. And WOW! I have said I loved the previous books in previous reviews, but that love comes no where near the love I have for this book! Now this is on par with the Shifters series!

Before I continue with my review, there's something I have big issues with. It's not the contents of the book, it's with the outside: the blurb. Above you will see I used the description from Rachel Vincent's own website. The description on the Amazon US isn't too bad, and was usable, but on Amazon UK, and on the actual UK edition of the book, there is what I believe to be a major spoiler. I highly suggest that if you plan on reading this book, do not read the back of the UK book or read the description on Amazon UK. As you can see from the description above, you're told enough. There is an extra detail that is on the UK blurb that is simply not needed, and without, would have made a major part of the book that much better for me if I didn't already know it was coming. It is such a big deal to the whole story of the book, and in one sentence in the blurb, they've taken the shock and surprise away from you. It's not fair, and it's really frustrating. Rant over.

Oh, my love for this book knows no bounds! It's creepy! Really! I actually found myself getting fairly freaked out at some points in the book. I am anti-drugs with a passion, and so this book really played to that side of me, and although Demon's Breath doesn't actually exist, the things it did and just how dangerous it was scared me on a normal, real-life level - this drug may not exist, but drugs are dangerous, and the effects they have on people... it scares me! But add on top of that the creepy urban fantasy element, and it's really warped.

What I absolutely loved, though, was how, unbelievably, the fact that Kaylee's school friends are getting high off a Netherworld narcotic ends up seeming so... almost trivial when other events unfold. And they just keep on and on unfolding, until you're on the verge of a heart attack with all the tension and anxiety for these characters and all the stuff that happens. But it's all genius! And the action! It is literally one of those moments when you can't see any good outcome, or any way out of the trouble their in. It's serious edge-of-your-seat, nail biting excitement! And I am liking Tod. I know in previous reviews I've been all about Nash, but I'm changing my mind. Tod, for all his jokes and annoying behaviour, he's actually a really nice guy, and when lives are in danger, or people are being treated badly, he steps up to the plate and he really surprised and impressed me. He's really cool!

Vincent is one of those authors whose mind I'd quite like to take a tour of, because just how she manages to write stories like this that flow so seemlessly and so believably I'll never know. I am just left in complete and utter awe! Incredible book! This is a brilliant, brilliant story, and I've already started the fourth book in the series, My Soul to Steal. If the series carries on like this, I believe I've just found myself another favourite series! Oh, how I love Rachel Vincent!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 15th April 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the Soul Screamers series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)

Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

2011-11-11T17:40:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Last Breath by Rachel Caine (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Claire Danvers is concerned when three vampires vanish from Morganville without a trace. The last person seen with them is someone new to town - a mysterious individual named Magnus. Claire is convinced creepy Magnus isn't human ...but is he a vampire, or something else entirely? Claire's hunt for answers leads her to solving another mystery that's long been puzzling her: why do vampires live so far out in a sunny desert when they're sensitive to sunlight? The answer has nothing to do with sunlight, but with water - and an ancient enemy who has finally found a way to invade the vampires' landlocked community. Vampires aren't the top predator on earth. There's something worse that preys on them ...something much worse. Which means if Claire, and Morganville, want to live, they will have to fight on to the last breath... From Amazon UK

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Rachel Caine is a genius! With every book she writes, she brings us something new, unique, unpredictable and completely engrossing! And Last Breath is no different!

As weird as this may sound to fellow Morganville Vampires fans, considering all the weird stuff that happens in previous books, I think this might just be the creepiest of all the whole series so far! Seriously! These new creatures that prey on vampires... well, if you thought the vamps in these books could be bad, you've read nothing that. I was Freaked Out. Yes, with capital letters. These new beasties gave me the heebie-jeebies. Not necessarily for what they do or how they do them, but for what they are. You know how mean and evil Caine's vamps can be, seriously creeptastic! Yet this new creature scares them! They're nasty and they're.. ohh, they're just not right. For a lot of the novel it seems like there isn't any mythical creature that we know of that they're actually like, until they started doing one thing, and I actually said outloud, "Oh, they're like them!", except "them" was actually the creature I was thinking of, but I'm not going to spoil it for you. Them, but 100 times worse!

If these weird creatures weren't bad enough, we get some serious jaw-dropping moments in this book where you're just like "what the hell?!" Readers, once you get to this point, you'll know what I'm talking about. Because you know what that means! And you know it's going to change absolutely everything for Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael in massive ways! Yet, do you know? Caine is just so good at this writing thing that she's throwing you curve balls left, right and centre so you don't know which way is up let alone trying to come up with any kind of theory on where this book is going to go. She takes everything we think we know, and then BAM! turns it on it's head, in a completely believable way for the world she's writing - there's no "that can't happen, because she said XYZ before!" It all makes sense, you just never would have believed it before. No, believed it is wrong, you wouldn't even have thought of it. Caine's brain must be the size of a planet, because she thinks of absolutely everything - and this isn't her only series!

I loved how Caine carried on with adding other characters' points of view that she started in Fight Club. It's all mostly Claire still, but as well as her and Shane, we also get Michael, Eve and Amelie too. Yes, Amelie! And oooh, I want more of being in her head! She thinks like someone from centuries past, very proper and formal, with a lot of "one" instead of "I" going on. And she's just fascinating! This scary ice queen that rules with an iron fist isn't as strong as we all think. It's just wonderful to see all these different points of view! And things happen in this book where it's absolutely necessary to see through other people's eyes. No, I won't say more than that!

And the ending! Oh my god, the ending! I actually didn't know it was the end until I turned the page expecting the next chapter, and found Caine's playlist for the book. This is not a stand alone story! I don't know how many books it will cover, but this story is not completely wrapped up in this book, and there's so much more to find out, and EEEEI, I am so excited that we've got another story that carries on, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, Black Dawn, which is out in May 2012! MV fans, you have to buy this book immediately! This is not one to miss! Incredible!

Thank you to Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy.

Published: 28th October 2011
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

Other reviews from the Morganville Vampires series:
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires Book 6)
Fade Out (Morganville Vampires Book 7)
Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires Book 8)
Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires Book 9)
Bite Club (Morganville Vampires Book 10)

News: Cover Reveal for The Shifting Price of Prey by Suzanne McLeod

2011-11-07T20:40:00.003Z

Some lovely news! The cover for Suzanne McLeod's The Shifting Price of Prey has been released!

The Shifting Price of Prey by Suzanne McLeod - Sometimes a bit of magical help might cost more than you bargained for...

London is hosting the Carnival Fantastique, and Genny's job has never been busier or more fulfilling. Only not everyone is so happy. The fae are in trouble again and Genny learns the mysterious Emperor may have the solution they need – if Genny can find him.

Genny needs help. She turns to the vampire, Malik al-Khan, only to find he’s wrestling with his own demons. Genny’s own problems are about to multiply too. An old flame arrives with a tragic situation, just as the police request her urgent assistance with a magical kidnap. Is it all unconnected, or can the Emperor help her solve more than the fae’s troubles? From Suzanne McLeod's Blog.

I love the cover! And how good does this book sound?! I am so excited to read it! I can't wait for it to come out in February 2012!

Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire Series Omnibuses

2011-11-02T16:51:00.002Z

You may or may not know what a huge fan I am of Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series. Massive fan! I love this series! This is one of those series where, even if I have a huge TBR pile, I will buy the next book, even if I don't have much money, I will go without something else - chocolate, coke, etc - so I can buy a copy. This is a series I can't wait for. As soon as it's released, I am getting me the latest book.

So loving this series as much as I do, and with Christmas not too far away, I thought I'd let you know about the Morganville Vampires Series Ombinbuses for those who think they'll be an ideal gift for people they know or an early gift for yourself if you've not yet started them.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 1 (released 4th October 2010) - The New York Times bestselling series following Claire and her friends as they survive in the town of Morganville, run by vampires.

A chance for fans to own a stunning hardback edition of the first three books in the bestselling Morganville Vampire series: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance and Midnight Alley. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 2 (released 31st October 2011) - In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans have learnt to coexist in relative peace. Then comes Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead and let chaos rule - and Claire and here friends are the only ones who stand in his way...

Comprising of books four to six in the series - Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule and Carpe Corpus - this beautiful edition is a must for old and new fans of the chart-topping Morganville Vampires series. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

2011-10-23T18:35:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Abandon by Meg Cabot (ARC) - Last year, Pierce died - just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: tall dark and terrifying, it’s his job to usher souls from one realm to the next.

There’s a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the underworld. But now things are getting dangerous for her, and her only hope is to do exactly what John says... From Amazon UK

I hadn't read any Meg Cabot before picking up this novel, but as it sounded right up my street, I thought I'd give a go and see why people love her novels so much. I was expecting to be wowed, I was expecting to be blown away. The truth is, I didn't get any of those things. I was hugely disappointed.

Nothing happened in this book until half way through. The first half was mostly showing Pierce feelings over now living in Isla Huesos, and all these different events that happened in the past, like what happened when she died, and various other big events. This wouldn't be so bad if we were told everything at once, but we aren't. We're given dribbles and trickles, never fully finding out what happened at each event until you reach the middle, and in my opinion, it wasted a lot of pages and time. It wasn't as exciting, because we already knew it was all in the past, so she didn't die permanently, or end up seriously injured, so there was no suspence, it was just finding out what happened, and it took so long.

Then things finally get moving... except, they don't really. It's full of things that you think will be subplots - a banned high school tradition, animosity between Pierce's cousin, Alex, and the popular kids - but they never amount to anything. They may be continued in the next book, but I don't see any point as they're so inconsequential to the main story. All that's really interesting is a conversation Pierce has with a cemetary Sexton, where you finally start finding things out, but nothing major really happens until the last 20 pages.

The whole story just dragged for me, unfortunately. It was very much the first book in a series, just setting everything up - but I've since been told by a Cabot fan that that's what all her fisrt books are pretty much like, so I guess die-hard Cabot fans will still enjoy it. But I have to say I was bored quite a lot of the way through, and in my opinion, a lot of it could be cut out, and it would be snappier and more interesting as a novella. There is potential for it to get better though, and I'm undecided on whether or not I will read the sequel, Underworld, when it's released next year. We'll see.

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2nd September 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Meg Cabot's Website

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

2011-10-12T22:26:00.002+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter (review copy) - It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. From Amazon US

I am so intrigued by Greek myths that when I picked up The Goddess Test, I was excited to read about lots of gods and godly events and general excitement. Unfotunately, I was disappointed. This isn't to say I didn't like the book. I did, I really enjoyed it. But there could have been so much more!

I was expecting perilous quests and lots of action when it came to the tests. However, the tests Kate has to take may happen without her knowing, so the reader doesn't know about them either. Very few gods make an appearance too. Most of the book is just Kate spending time in the Henry's Manor, making friends, learning about the Greek myths, and spending time with Henry.

The book is quite short, and so Kate's time at the manor flies by, weeks, sometimes months going by with nothing major happening, but I would still liked ot have read more of the time Kate spends with her friends and Henry, seeing the friendships grow better. I would especially have liked more development of Kate and Henry's relationship. I just didn't find the feelings between them believeable. It all just happened too quick for me - although weeks were going by for Kate, it was only a few pages for me. I would have liked things to have been slower, and believed it.

I did enjoy it though, as I said, and with the ending, I think there is a lot of potential for this series to be really good. I think the parts that feel lacking to me just have to be put down to it being a first book in a series, and it's setting everything up. Goddess Interupted, the sequel, sounds brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to reading it! All in all, not a bad book.

Thank you to Mira Ink for the review copy.

Published: 22nd September 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Aimée Carter's Website

Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

2011-10-12T15:31:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

The noise between Patch and Nora has gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for - and their love - forever. From Amazon UK

I absolutely love this series, so I was so excited to readthis book when it arrived! And I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed!

Nora was kidnapped eleven weeks ago, and has no memory of the last three months. Nothing but the image of black and some eyes. She has to start from scratch finding out about her life before she was kidnapped, and trying to piece together what happened. Who kidnapped her? And why can't she remember?

I can't tell you much more than that, because it's just all so interlinked, and I would end up spoiling it for you. But wow! It's clever! Nora has such a hard time; she's scared, and she has to meet several people all over again, trying to piece her life back together and believe the impossible. There is also the left over story of the Black Hand from Crescendo, and everything just comes together, and, oooh, is it good!

I'm really struggling trying to figure out what I can say, and I'm finding it really difficult. Because of the previous books, the reader knows a lot more than Nora does, and we're just rooting for her to remember,to fiige things out. But even so, there's still plenty of surprises for us. There's action, danger, or mystery around every corner, and I could barely put the book down, sitting n the edge of my seat the whole time! It's just brilliant. What's also lovely is seeing Patch and Nora together. Nora doesn't remember enough, so it's almost like staring out with him for the first time, and it's just so cute the way he is with her. It really is awesome!

There really isn't much else I can say without spoiling it for you. It's fast-paced and action packed, and just brilliant! A little different from the previous novels with Nora's amnesia, but just brilliant! And the ending is just incredible! And I'm so excited for fourth and final book in the series next year! I just know it's going to be amazing!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy.

Published: 4th October 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Buy on Amazon US
Becca Fitzpatrick's Website

Other Reviews of:
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush Book 1)
Crescendo (Hush, Hush Book 2)

Authors, Boycott Yourself!

2011-10-08T16:44:00.003+01:00

So there is this group called The Write Agenda. Supposedly, they're all about authors helping authors. Except, they're bashing other author-helping groups. Writer Beware, Absolute Write Water Cooler, and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), all helpful and informing sites for authors, are the groups The Write Agenda has attacked.

Now, I am from the UK and not a writer, so these groups aren't ones I tend to visit or know that well, but I have read them mentioned, and highly praised on several author blogs, and know they are brilliantly helpful sites. So The Write Agenda attacking them, well, it's not on.

But what's more, they have made a list of authors, authors connected to any of these groups in the smallest way, that should be boycotted. Disgusting, huh?

But the wonderful authors over at The League of Reluctant Adults have reacted in a brilliant way, with a highly amusing post (which also goes into more detail about this whole issue, with links) explaining why they are livid about not being boycotted, and why they should be. Basically, they're showing they're support for the attacked groups by making a mockery of the boycotting. And it's soo funny! They even encourage other authors to give reasons why they should be boycotted in the comments, and each member of the League will be donating $15 to SFWA's legal fund if 100 authors boycott themselves. It's brilliant! So if by any chance any authors are reading this, get yourself over to the post, show your support and boycott yourself!

Review: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

2011-10-08T13:50:00.003+01:00

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

How do you send a killer to the grave when he’s already dead?

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’ voodoo queen just keeps on giving–leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity–forever. But one wrong step and they’ll be digging their own graves. From JeanieneFrost.com

Being such a huge Jeaniene Frost, I automatically bought this book without putting much thought into it. Why would I? I loved her books! But reading as many books as I do, sometimes I only have a hazy memory of what happened in the previous book. This was the case with This Side of the Grave, I couldn't remember too much of what happened, so before I opened One Grave at a Time, I reread my review of the previous book. Which reminded me that I found the last book a little disappointing. There was a "Oh no!" moment, worrying that this book might go along the same route, but I pushed it aside. Different book, different story, no reason why it should be disappointing. And it wa a lot better than the previous one!

I know I've said it before, but authors really do amaze me with the plots they come up with. Seriously, a murderous ghost who's already dead, so you can't kill him? That's just clever! What was also pretty cool was the fact that the ghost, Heinrich Kramer was actually a real person way back when. An actual witch hunter, who not only murdere innocent women at the stake, but tortured them into confessing - if they didn't, they were burned, because they were obviously lying; if they did, they were burned, because they're a witch - and raped them. Nice guy, huh? And that's what makes this book so awesome, and much more credible; its villain actually existed, but not only that, he existed and was truely evil. We already hate him for who he was, so we're already rooting for this guy to get whatever Cat and Bones throw at him. It just intensifies when the character is brough to life in the pages, and we see what Frost has made him into now. Ooooh, do we want him to get it!

But how on earth can you fight someone you can't touch? To make things worse, this someone has poltergeist powers, so can throw things - like, say, silver knives. Aimed at your heart. It's just genius! Cat and Bones have no idea what they're supposed to do. And even when they do come up with a plan, they have no idea if it's going to work because it's never been done before. This all adds to brilliant action scenes, because there's very little they can do to stop him, but a lot of damage they can do to him. And time's a-ticking when on Halloween, Kramer will be flesh again, and will torture, rape, and burn the innocent women he has chosen as targets. They have to stop him! And the action scenes once Kramer has a body? Dear god, it's horrific!

Despite all that, there were some areas that seemed lacking for me. There was less humour, less emotion, less romance between Cat and Bones, and so on. The key word here is "less"; it's not gone completely, but it's almost like Frost has taken a step back. The emotional depth that was so strong in previous books where I felt like I could cry is kind of shallow in this book. I guess that could be because with such a deadline of only a few weeks to try and find a way to stop him, to find his accomplice who's going to grab the targets for him, find out who the targets are to keep them safe, and live when Kramer is throwing things at you at every opportunity, all before 31st October, there's little time to waste on emotion, you've just got to push it aside and do.

However, there was a brilliant moment when Bones had to force Cat to realise this may be one time when they don't win, and that she would have to let it go if they couldn't stop him. With Cat being such a fiercely strong woman, the idea of giving up, of allowing Kramer to kill innocent women every single year for all eternity, because they simply couldn't stop him, is just completely abhorrent to her. But it's a strong possibility. It was a great moment!

There are some things that are left to be continued in the following books, such as the fact that Don is now a ghost after his heart attack in the previous book, and Cat is having trouble finding him a way to cross over. And an arrogant git with a superiority complex, Madigan, has taken over Cat's old team, who's going to cause all kinds of trouble, but has an ulterior motive behind it all. It seems it's ultimately to make Cat's life hell, but he's keeping his cards close to his chest.

Over all, a pretty awesome book! Just so clever! Not quite on par with some of Frost's previous books, but still amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. Frost's next release will be Once Burned, the first book in the Night Prince series, set in the same world as all Frost's others, but starring Vlad! Once Burned is due to be released on 27th March 2012.

Published: 5th September 2011
Publisher: Avon Books
Buy on Amazon US
Jeaniene Frost's Website

Other books in the series/world , in reading order:
Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress Book 1)
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress Book 2)
At Grave's End (Night Huntress Book 3)
Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress Book 4)
First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World Book 1)
Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World Book 2)
This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress Book 5)

Review: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

2011-10-03T21:41:00.007+01:00

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane - The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit.

Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She's got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she's keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that's landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump's ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah. From Amazon UK

I've wanted to try a novel by Stacia Kane ever since I followed the Fangs, Fur and Fey group over on Livejournal years back. I found her posts on there just so fascinating, so my interest in her books was her rather than because they sounded like something I would enjoy (fortunately, they did sound my like my cup of tea as well). So I pulled Unholy Ghosts out of my TBR pile and got cracking. And it was brilliant!

I have to say, from the very beginning, I thought this would be a book I didn't like. Chess is a drug addict. For reasons I won't go into, I am so strongly opposed to drugs that there aren't even words. She was constantly taking various drugs, and enjoy the effect they had on her, and it made me angry. It made it very hard for me to warm to Chess, and made it very hard to read. It took me a lot longer to read than it normally takes me to read an adult urban fantasy simply for the drug taking. I just kept putting it down.

However, Chess' job and the situation she got herself into intrigued me, so I persevered with it and kept reading, and it was really good! A much darker read than I expected, taking part mostly in the dark gang ruled underworld of a world where ghosts can kill. The ghosts are only kept at bay by the Church, a dictatorial establishment that took over after people lost their belief in the government when the ghosts rose. When her drug dealer wants payment for the huge debt she's run up, he decides she can clear it by helping Banishing the ghosts from an old, unused airport he wants to reopen for his own uses. But when she stumbles on a black magic ritual and a human sacrifice on the airport grounds, she finds there's more than a Banishment on her hands.

The book almost works as a mystery as Chess tries to work out whats going on. Who did this ritual? Why? And who is the malevolent, creepy, hooded ghostly figure that seems to be following her around? It's seriously creepy, and there's so much going on! The action in the book has some physical action, but it's mostly magical, which makes it so much more suspenceful; how long does it take from deciding to swing a punch to actually make fist-to-face contact? Seconds. But to cast spells? This isn't Harry Potter, it's not simply waving a wand and uttering incantations, there's making the alter, the protection circle, the burning of the incrediants needed, things done in a precise order, and incantations said at the right time. It can take a fair few minutes, which isn't too good when some terrifying ghostie with outstretched hands and sharp pointed teeth is coming for you. It's seriously scary! Gave me the jitters!

All in all, an awesome book, and I can't wait to read the next in the series, Unholy Magic! I just know it's going to be awesome!

Published: 27 May 2010
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Buy on Amazon US
Stacia Kane's Website

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2011-09-29T11:41:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (review copy) - Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought. From Amazon UK

One word for you: Wow! Seriously. I thought this book sounded good when I read the blurb, but I never expected to find what I did within it's pages. And all I can say is wow!

What I find really awesome is how Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy - and perhaps sci-fi? Beings that are not human in a world that is not our own? Karou works for Brimstone, a chimaera - a being that can have the body parts of humans and various different animals - and wishmonger. An orphan, Karou has been with Brimstone for as long as she can remember, and works as his errand girl, trading teeth and wishes across the world for reasons she doesn't know of. Why does Brimstone want these teeth? She travels through the door in Brimstone's shop that will lead to anywhere on Earth he wants at any given time. For Brimstone's shop isn't here, it's Elsewhere. A door that will only open into the shop when Brimstone wants. Brimstone and the people who work with him are the only family Karou has, if she is on the other side of the door and it won't open for her, she will be completely alone. So when the angels arrive, marking every door around the world that will open into Brimstone's shop with a black handprint, well, things get a little worrying.

To be honest, I can't really say much more than that about the plot. It sounds like a lot, but I'm barely skimming the surface. You find out a whole lot more about this in just the first few chapters. There's the rest of the book to read, and it is epic. It's so much more than I imagined it could be. I am simply amazed at the imagination of Laini Taylor to come up with such a full and awe-inspiring world (worlds?) and story! It's just fantastic.

But wait, there's more. Move over Patch and Nora, Edward and Bella, and Daniel and Luce. Who are they, anyway? Hello Akiva and Karou! The love that sparks, kindles and burns in these pages will have you melting into your chair. Really. Beautiful, beautiful Akiva who's soul was practically dead, and art student Karou who constantly feels like something in her is missing, when they meet, it's electric, even if it's not in the best of circumstances. When they're apart, it feels wrong. This is not obsession or addiction, this is physical, this is a need that goes far beyond anything I've ever read before. And when they are together, well, they burn hotter than a bonfire. Just so you don't confuse my meaning, I am not talking sex here, I'm talking simply of the depth of their feelings, their love for each other. It is that big. And they will take your breath away.

I am completely blown away by just how amazing this is! I absolutely love it! It's one of the best fantasties I've read for quite a while, combining what I love about all the sub-genres, and creating such a believable, wonderful, and exciting story! I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough. I can't even fathom why anyone wouldn't like it. It's perfect. Bring on book two!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.

Published: 29th September 2011
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
But on Amazon US
Laini Taylor's website
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Website

Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

2011-09-27T16:57:00.002+01:00

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station - and she also happens to be a werewolf. One night, sick of the usual lame song requests, she accidentally starts 'The Midnight Hour', a late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. Almost immediately she's deluged by calls from desperate vampires, werewolves and witches from all across the country, wanting to share their woes and ask her advice. Kitty's new show is a raging success, but it's Kitty herself who could use some help, not least because her monthly change is a deep and dark secret to all but a very special few. And when she finds one very sexy werewolf-hunter on her tail, not to mention a few homicidal undead, she realises she may just may have bitten off more than she can chew... From Amazon UK

I've recently been in the mood for more adult urban fantasy over YA so have been reorganising my TBR pile to find them. I knew I had Kitty and the Midnight Hour in there somewhere, and thought I'd give it a go. And now I'm not sure what I think.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, I did enjoy it to a certain degree, but it did feel very much like a first novel in a series. Despite the fact that there was a fair bit of action and excitement, and there was a complete plot. The way it's set up just seemed a little random to me. Kitty's radio show because an almost supernatural problem/discussion show, and because she now has the show, she ends up finding out things, and people want her to help them. It's like things just fall in her lap randomly. Things link together and make sense in the end, but it's how they come to her attention that I found a bit iffy.

There are two main storylines to this book; a rogue werewolf is killing young women, and someone wants Kitty dead. There is another storyline that will follow on, about a preacher who says he can cure the supernatural. Now the problem with the randomly falling into her lap is to do with the rogue werewolf, where as the trouble with someone wanting to kill her works better. Pack dynamics in this book are.. well, disgusting. I was actually moaning to my mate about how the alpha of the pack treated Kitty, and was thinking of putting it down because there is no-way reading it could be enjoyable. Carl, the alpha, is god. What he says goes. You do what he tells you to, when he tells you to do it, or else you get the beating of your life for undermining his authority. So when he says you have to quit your job, you're expected to do it. When he is "teaching you a lesson", you're supposed to take it. When he decides he wants to have sex with you, you allow him. Take out the supernatural element to this, and it's abuse, plain and simple, and it was completely disgusting to watch, seeing Kitty just accept that this is the way things are. It was awful. But when someone thinks the alpha is paying far too much attention to the "cub" of the pack, and might be gaining a bit too much power, well... instead of outright challenging, they're a bit underhanded about it, and trying to get rid of Kitty in other ways.

I have to beonest and say the way the alpha treated Kitty, and how she found out about things has kind of coloured my view of the story, but despite those things, it was actually really good. The action and excitement was spot on, there was intrigue, a possible romance, and certain things left open to carry on in the next book. So yes, through writing this review, I've decided I did enjoy this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Kitty goes to Washington.

Published: 10 January 2008
Publisher: Gollancz
Buy on Amazon US
Carrie Vaughn's Website

Review: Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen

2011-09-26T15:24:00.007+01:00

Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen (review copy) - Blind dates can be bad, but Sarah Dearly's date is a true contender for worst ever. His neck nibbling didn't just leave a bruise; it turns her into a vampire -- and the newest target for a pack of zealot vampire hunters. With her date now their latest victim, Sarah runs for her immortal life -- straight into Thierry de Bennicoeur, a master vampire who is just a wee bit suicidal. Thierry can't resist a damsel in distress and agrees to teach Sarah how to live the vampire life if she'll help him end his own. But as it turns out, Sarah may be his best reason for living. From Amazon UK

I was in the mood to try out some new-to-me adult urban fantasy, and so picked up Bitten and Smitten from my TBR pile, expecting a lot of action and possibly some romance. But got a lot more than I expected. Not only is this a really good book, but it's funny!

Sarah is your normal fashion-concious young woman. Her money is gone before she's even earnt it, spent on those gorgeous new shoes, or that to-die-for dress. Her life is pretty much based on earning money so she can buy material things, going on the odd date, but little else. And then this extremely sarcastic and seemingly shallow woman is turned into a vampire. Life stops being simple when you accidentally start sucking on your female boss' bloody papercut finger. Yeah, not good.

There is your fair amount of action in ths novel, but because Sarah is so new to being a vampire - to the point she didn't even actually believe they existed, so thought she was surrounded by nutjobs for the first 24 hours - that a lot of it is trying to survive without knowing how to fight, and involves a lot of running. When vampire hunters are hot on your tail and you're own your own, there's not much else to do.

It wouldn't be so bad if the vampire who said he'd help, Thierry, actually did more than look down on her and actually help her. But... this is a vampire who actually wants to die, can she really expect much help from him? Even if he is gorgeous, he's frustrating.

But there's more than just shallowness and running in this book. There is a plot. Someone is selling information from the inside and the vamps are in danger. Serious danger. The vampire hunters are slowing burning down all the vampire clubs in town, and they're getting closer.

It's not the most brilliant book going, but it's good for a laugh. There could have been more to the romance element, but there is still excitement and edge-of-yuour-seat suspence, but the real focus is put on the humour, an so it seems lighter. If there ever was an urban fantasy beach read, this would be it. I loved it, and I'm so excited to read the next in the series, Fanged and Fabulous.

Thank you to Gollancz for the review copy.

Published: 15 July 2011
Publisher: Gollancz
Buy on Amazon US
Michelle Rowan's Website

Review: By Midnight by Mia James

2011-09-22T17:04:00.003+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

By Midnight by Mia James (review copy) - April Dunne is not impressed. She's had to move from Edinburgh to Highgate, London, with her parents. She's left her friends - and her entire life - behind. She has to start at a new school and, worst of all, now she's stuck in a creepy old dump of a house which doesn't even have proper mobile phone reception. Ravenwood, her new school, is a prestigious academy for gifted (financially or academically) students - and the only place her parents could find her a place, in the middle of term, in the middle of London, on incredibly short notice. So she's stuck with the super-rich, and the super-smart ...and trying to fit in is when the rest of the students seem to be more glamorous, smarter, or more talented than she is, is more than tough. It's intimidating and isolating, even when she finds a friend in the conspiracy-theorist Caro Jackson - and perhaps finds something more than friendship in the gorgeous, mysterious Gabriel Swift.

But there's more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye. Practical jokes on new students are normal, but when Gabriel saves her from...something...in the Highgate Cemetery, and then she discovers that a murder took place, just yards away from where she had been standing, April has to wonder if something more sinister is going on.

...and whether or not she's going to live through it... From Amazon UK

I love me some vampires, yes I do! So for the simply fact that By Midnight had vampires in it was a definite plus in it's favour for me reading it. However, I am not a fan of books where people are popular and rich and focus all their attention on either how they look or putting others down. From the blurb above, I assumed that's what I would find, among other things, in this book, and it did put me off for a while - hence the fact that I've only just read it. But I picked it up recently when trying to decide what to read next, and vampires and murders and cememtries... well, my interest was piqued enough to know now was the time to give it a go.

By Midnight is a really good stry, but it's not what I expected. I know it's a mystery, but the fact that it's about vampires, I expected a bit more of the supernatural element. You know, maybe April stumbling across some vampires being vampish and drinking blood or being extra strong or something, but there isn't much of anything along those lines in the book until much later on. It really is a mystery. April doesn't find out the existance of vampires by accident, but through trying to work out who's behind various murders. Through clues, and books, and talking to people, and going about things the old fashioned way.

I have to say, the research part of the book was just awesome! This book is loosely based on actual real life legends of the Highgate Vamire, people actually believed there was one in Highgate Cemetary, which features hugely in this book. Real places with real "supernatural" history are the settings for this story, which just add credibility to this story which is just wonderful. I actually want to go visit Highgate Cemetary now because it sounds wonderful. But I also love the research April does herself into vampires; the old victorian books she reads that are just full of brilliant myths and folklore, and, oooh, I want those books! It was just fascinating!

The mythology James has created for her story is just wonderful, but highly intriguing. There is still a big mystery, and the mechanics of the vampire society, if you will - or what we know of it so far - is just so interesting. There's a lot of conspiracies going on, and because of this I can't tell you much more, but I can't wait to find out more about vampires as a whole, and the specifics that April is interested in in the later books.

Thankfully, there wasn't too much queen bee bitching going on to wind me up, but there were elements of By Midnight that did annoy me. April is 16 and starting her A-Levels. I remember being that age, and the people around me. April was sometimes too immature and shallow for her age, and I just wanted to shake her and yell at her to grow up. She could be so fickle, swayed too easily by good looks. And when she had an inkling as to what was going on, she would jump back and forth over whether she was right or wrong, without actually listning to what would give her the answers she would need to know either way. She really wound me up, and I have to say, I'm not her biggest fan.

But still, the story was really, really intriguing, and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel Darkness Falls. A pretty good book!

Thank you to Gollancz for sending me a review copy.

Published: 22nd July 2010
Publisher: Gollancz YA
Buy from Amazon US
The Ravenwood Mysteries Website

Review: Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance

2011-09-19T13:21:00.005+01:00

Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance (Review Copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous books in the series. If you plan on reading the Cassie Palmer series and don't want it spoiled for you, don't read any further.

Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off.

But when your job is being Pythia - the world's chief clairvoyant - you don't get a lot of R&R. Cassie is busier than ever, discovering her power, figuring out her complicated relationship with enigmatic and sexy vampire Mircea, and preparing for her upcoming coronation.

But someone is dead set against Cassie being Pythia, and will go to any lengths to stop the coronation ceremony from happening - including making sure that Cassie is never born.

Now, Cassie has to save herself - and the world, if she can find the time ... From Amazon UK

Oh. My. God! I am completely reeling after finishing this book! Regular readers of my blog will know by now how big a fan of Karen Chance's novels I am, so it will be no surprise to hear I was more than a little excited to read Hunt the Moon. But, despite the fact that Chance is a genius and always, always, surprises and wows me more than words can say, I would never have expected to be blown away to such a level as I was when I had finished reading.

I don't even really know where to begin. So much happens in Hunt the Moon, like in the others, it's hard to know what to say without spoiling the book. There is the usual chaos that follows Cassie where ever she goes, with more action than you can shake a stick at - yet it all flows beautifully together to create a story that's just unbelievable. In every review of a novel by Chance, I always go on about howbrilliant the action is, but there isn't really much more to add - but it all still stands. Just incredible.

There is a new element in this book though; questions regarding the Norse and Greek myths - or at least where they overlap. We saw this a little witht he introduction and demise of Apollo previously, but more comes into it in this book. If there was Apollo, and all those other gods held back by the ouroboros spell, then what else that is considered myth - even in Cassie's world - is actually real? And what does that mean for Cassie? It's siply fascinating, and Chance has put so much research inot the myths and worked them seemlessly into her book. It's just brilliant.

We find out a lot more about the pasts of both Mircea and Pritkin, - one based in actual history, the other pure imagination, both completely believavble. It's this combination of fact and fiction that make Chance's novels that more credible. We're not just told their histories for the sake of it though, there is a point, as there always is, in everything in these books. It gives insight into who these people are and what they've been through, and explains why deicions hae been made or actions taken in the past, in the present, and they may be made or taken in the future. It's more jigsaw pieces that make the whole person for both characters, but also ad to the bigger picture of the story.

The romance between Cassie and Mircea goes up a notch in this book. Not only do they sizzle like they always do, but there is real emotion that comes through. But there is another person on the outside who is a "will they? won't they?" love interest that Cassie simply doesn't see. There have been hints in the previous books and a fair few more in this, and I just wish Cassie would open her eyes, and Pritkin would open his mouth and just say it! Actually, "hints" is the wrong word for this book because it's so obvious! And I think I might prefer PRitkin to Mircea a bit. I really do like him!

And then there's the ending. Oh my god, the ending! The ending that had me shouting at the book in anger and denial, the ending that had me on the verge of tears, the ending that had me fall in love just a little bit. The ending that has probably had a bigger emotional impact on me than any other urban fantasy has had before, and has me literally desperate for he next book in the series, on which I can find no info about! I think I might have actually got a little too emotionally involved in this series, because I would be quite willing to jump into it's pages and try and be a hero(ine).

The book is the best in the series sp far, it's completely amazing, and Chance fans simply cannot miss out on it. It's jaw-droppingly good!

Thank you to Penguin for sending me a review copy.

Published: 18 August 2011
Publisher: Penguin
Buy on Amazon US
Karen Chance's Website

Other books in the series:
Touch the Dark
Claimed by Shadow
Embrace the Night
Curse the Dawn

Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

2011-09-14T16:50:00.003+01:00

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - They say blood is thicker than water. They have no idea. As a blood tracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv s learnt to survive by her own rules. Rule number one? Trust no one. But when a friend's daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe. And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam. A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv's tired of being a slave to destiny. She's ready to play the forces controlling her world at their own game. No matter what the cost. From Amazon UK

Rachel Vincent is one of my favourite auhors, so when the Shifters series finished, I was really quite sad that it had com to an end, but really excited to see what she would come up with next in the Unbound series. I threw myself into the story, and I was absolutely amazed!

Blood Bound is nothing at all like the Shifters series, as is right, but as you read further into the story, you pick up things that are...not similar, but very Vincent. Like the complexity of of the world's she builds. With the Shifters, it was in the politics of the werecats. With Unbound, it's with the Skills the characters have - the ability to track someone by their name or their blood, the ability bind oaths so that the one who took it absolutely has to carry out what they promised, people who can walk into one shadow and out another somewhere completely different, and so on. There are so many! But with binded oaths... wow. They cause pain that can lead to the shut down of your body if you try to go against the binding, they can stop you from actually speaking about something, and, if your oath is the right kind, it can make you do absolutely everything you are told to by the person you're bound to. Complicated huh? So when people of various Skills and bound to various people are brought together on a mission... well, things can get a little tricky. And I cannot tell you just how complex it is, and how much detail goes into it, it's just brilliant!

There is your fair share of action in Blood Bound - where it kind of puts me in mind of other urban fantasies I love; The Cassie Palmer series and Dorina Basarab series, both by Karen Chance, and the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost - and it's edge of your seat exciting! But there's also the planning, the discussing, the working things out - the revelations and the strategising, basically, and it's just brilliant! This is where Vincent shines, in my opinion, because it's all in the detail! And there is no detail too small, every little thing is a jigsaw piece to the puzzle of the bigger picture, and it's just incredible seeing it all fall into place! I am seriously in awe of Vincent's ability to have so much that so complicated, but have it work and make completely sense! It's unbelievable!

Blood Bound is also a lot darker. There are characters that are absolutely disgusting, gangsters who care very little for anyone, who will go to any lengths to get what they want - whatever they want, and, my god, it's really awful. There are characters in this book I would quite like to see die a very brutal death, that's really drawn out. They just... oh, they make me sick.

This time round, Vincent has gone for a dual narrative in that Liv and Cam both tell the story. It was really interesting to see their relationship develop through both their eyes, yet to see what one doesn't know about the other and sometimes we, the readers, only get hints at until later. It was awesome! And I think I would say Vincent has made a step up on the romance side of things too. The love they feel for each other is just so strong, it's massive, but there are other things in their way, and it's just a little heart breaking to read, and seeing them trying to fight all sorts of obstacles. It was really moving.

What was really, really nice in this story was mother-daughter part of it, where a main character, Anne, has a young child and is absolutely terrified for them. That's the type of emotion we don't see a lot of in urban fantasy. Ok, so the child isn't Liv's, so we don't have the direct narration of the mother in her turmoil, but even getting it second hand is just so powerful! It was really lovely and really upsetting at the same time. There really should be more of it in urban fantasy.

Blood Bound is an absolutely fantastic book, and with the ending, I am dying for Shadow Bound! Is it asgood as the Shifters series? That's not a question I can answer, because they're nothing alike, but Blood Bound is just fantastic! A must read for Vincent fans! Why? Because Rachel Vincent has still got it!

Thank you to Mira UK for sending me a review copy.

Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Mira UK
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2011-09-12T14:54:00.007+01:00

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoilingthe Vampire Academy series. Do not read any further if you haven't read the VA series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.

Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one... From Amazon UK

I am a seriously huge fan of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, huge! I loved how the series ended, but was sad it was over, and sad for some of the characters. So when I heard that there wa going to be a spin-off series, with Sydney, Rose's Alchemist friend, I was over the moon! More awesomeness from the world! And once I had the books in my hands and opened the first page... well, I didn't stop reading until it was finished. Amazing!

I lapped the book up! However, although I read it in one day, I did have to get used to the difference. This is Sydney's story, not Rose's, and she's not as strong willed and angry as Rose can be, so although there were emotional highs and lows, it was a little less to do with immediate danger, and more to do with Sydnety's dislikes of certain people, worrying that she will fail, and going out of her mind trying to follow rules yet try to keep everyone happy - despite the fact hanging out with vampires isn't her favourite pasttime. Even so there is a big difference between the characters of Rose and Sydney, and their priorities - which makes the stories different - Bloodlines was still an amazing story!

I found it really fascinating finding out more about Sydney's life, and the role of Alchemists, and all the tricks they have up their sleaves. It's just so interesting to seethe science that they're work is based on. It's quite refreshing to have science play a bigger part in a world of myths. Yes, there's is another YA vampire series where there is a scientist, but it's different with Bloodlines. This is chemistry, mixing things together to get what you need. It's just a strange but cool way of separating the moroi from the alchemists - one used magic, one uses real, physical science. I just found the contrast really interesting.

But the science isn't the main focus, that is keeping Jill safe, and to do so, she hasn't come on her own. As well as Jill, we also get Eddie and, hurrah, Adrian! There are cameo appearances of some of the other characters we know, including Rose, but Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian are the main four we stick with. Jill is still a young, teenage Moroi girl, and wants to have a teenage life, but she's having enourmous trouble fitting in, is seriously underconfident, and feels that no-one relly cares about her, they just want to keep Lissa, who is now the Queen, safe - on top of trying to get used to the fact that they're related. Eddie is Jill's guardian, and is super vigilant, but still the nice guy we know from the previous series. And Adrian is his usual laid-back, snarky self, but he's also hurting a lot over wht happened with Rose. Despite this, I am so happy Adrian is back, because I absolutely love him! He just cracks me up!

Sydney isn't a guardian, so there's less fighting in this book that we're used to, but she is smart, so where it's a battle of the fists and stakes with Rose, it's a battle of the minds with Sydney, and whether she can out-smart those that need out-smarting. There is, however, a big, and quite disturbing, fight scene. Oooh, it was good! And worrying - as I said, Sydney isn't a guardian.

Now, I don't knbow if it's because I have read all the previous books and therefore know the signs, or just jknow the world enough, but two out of the three major plot revelations I guessed fairly early on. I don't know if it will be the same for other reasons, but they both just semed fairly obvious to me. That doesn't take away from how good the book is though; just because I already knew what these revelations would be, I didn't know how the characters would find out, what that would mean, and the consequences of finding them, so it was still really good watching the others figure things out. The third I had half right, I just didn't know the reasons for it. But I did shout at my book at least once saying, "Come one! It's so obvious!..." with frustration that the characters weren't as quick on the up-take as I had been. Still, as I said, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable.

In all honesty, Bloodlines isn't as heart-pumping exciting as the Vampire Academy series, but it's amazing nonetheless. It is the first book, so ground work is laid, and with a few hints throughout the novel make me believe that the book will get the whomp we've come to love. There are a fair few unanswered questions that I'm highly intrigued about! And the stirrings of possible feelings that you know are just going to cause all kinds of complications! Oh, I love it! I am just so excited to read the next novel, The Golden Lily, when it comes out next year. The wait makes me wish I hadn't read Bloodlines in one day! It will most definitely be worth the wait though! Mead has done it again, an amazingf start to what I can tell is going to be a brilliant series! I just have to get my hands on her adult series now!

Thank you to Puffin for sending me a review copy.

Published: 25th August 2011
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon US
Richelle Mead's Website

My reviews of thee Vampire Academy Series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound
Last Sacrifice

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

2011-09-10T16:07:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Half-Blood Prince, read no further.

'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active. "It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge.' These dramatic words appeared in the final pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In the midst of this battle of good and evil, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with Voldemort's power and followers increasing day by day... From Amazon UK

The excitement of the previous books continues in Half-Blood Prince. Not only does the wizarding community now know for definate that Lord Voldemort is back, but us readers know thisis the sixth book, that there is one book left, and after finding out at the end of the last book about the prophecy, the steaks are higher.

I absolutely loved getting to look at all the memories that show Voldemort's history in Harry's lessons with Dumbledore. It makes Voldemort seem more human, which makes it even more disturbing that he became what he did. I can't help but feel slightly sorry for him because of the events that led up to is birth and left him parentless, but god, he was vile!

The whole idea of Voldemort's horcruxes is just genius, because it's so complicated and you realise just how hard it will be to defeat him, and he great mission that it will be to find and destroy them all. It just goes to show, despite the fact that he is completely beyond evil, Voldemort is quite clever, even if disgustingly so. The one thing I didn't understand completely was Dumbledore's explanation of how Nagini is a horcrux. I can understand that she is, but Dumbledore said that Voldemort used her to kill an old man - which we saw at the beginning of Goblet of Fire - and that5 was the death, that splitting of his soul, that he used to make her a horcrux. But I don't understand how, by Nagini killing that man would split Voldemort's soul. Yes she did it on his orders, but he didn't actually kill him himself, so that confused me a little.

And then there is the death of Dumbledore. Oh, it's so sad! Even now, years after first reading this book, I still get all upset. I remember how I felt about Snape the first time I read it. Although I despised him with a passion along with Harry, I did kind of go along with the idea that, well, Dumbledore trusts him, so he's just a bitte man taking it out on the only one he can, Harry. But then you read about the Unforgivable Vow, and you start to wonder... and when you realise that Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore, and that's what Snape vowed to do in his stead if MAlfoy couldn't, and I was completely shocked. And when he does... oh, the hatred! Even I felt betrayed, because I trusted him even if Harry didn't. Oooh, it was awful! And Dumbledore's funeral, and Fawkes' song! So, so sad! And Harry without the last person he counted on, he looked up, he believed would keep everyone, including him, safe.

And then Harry has to split up with Ginny after only just getting with her! I was so happy they got together, nd then he has to leave her, it's so sad! Though I would have liked to have seen more of them together anyway, I think that would have been really sweet.

Another brilliant book! I absolutely love this series!

Published: 2005
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent Released Today!

2011-09-01T15:30:00.000+01:00

Blood Bound, the first in Rachel vincent's new adult urban fantasy Unbound series is released today! You have absolutely no idea how excited I am to read this! I am a HUGE Rachel Vincent fan, and I adored herShifters series, so I'm extremely looking forward to reading this new adult series! Keep reading for more info and for links to buy!

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent - By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…

How awesome does it sound?! And check out this video teaser:

Buy Blood Bound from Amazon UK or Amazon US.

Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

2011-08-31T19:46:00.003+01:00

X-postyed from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Order of the Phoenix, read no further.

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.' Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his whole world upside down ...But before he even gets to school, Harry has an unexpected and frightening encounter with two Dementors, has to face a court hearing at the Ministry of Magic and has been escorted on a night-time broomstick ride to the secret headquarters of a mysterious group called 'The Order of the Phoenix'. And that is just the start. A gripping and electrifying novel, full of suspense, secrets, and - of course - magic. From Amazon UK

I absolutely lov this book because I have such a terrible time emotionally reading it. Hary is so, so angry all the way through this book, on the verge of completely blowing his top, and I find it quite understandable. Then he gets attacked by Dementors, expelled, unexpelled, has to go to a hearing, has to have Defence Against the Dark Arts classes with Umbridge, see Arthur Weasley attacked by him-as-snake, and then has to face Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, watch Sirius die, face Voldemort, then find out he's the only one who can defeat Voldemort, or vice versa. Pretty bad year for him - and a hard reading experience for me.

Yet I find it a completely brilliant book! Oh how I hate Umbridge, but I love her too, she's just so vile! She's completely wonderful as a villian, so disturbing in her ruthlessness. But it's because of her that the DA is started, and how wonderful are those secret classes? Wouldn't you just love to go to them?! I remember being completely disgusted by Umbridge when I first read this book, but then completely thrilled to read about the DA!

Not only that, but I was utterly disturbed, right along with Harry, when he attacks Mr Weasley from inside the snake's head. We know it wasn't really him, but at that time... the thought that he could have been possessed! This book is just creepy, on a completely different level to the creepiness of Prisoner of Azkaban. Where PoA frightens by being eerie, Order of the Phoenix frightens by being disturbing and shocking, and there's something to shock us further around every corner. It's just brilliant.

I love the big batte in the Department of Mysteries. How wonderful for the characters we love to actually fight along with Harry! And how badly it goes, it's just so suspenceful! What Im so excited for now is when Pottermore is up and running, and it gets round to Order of the Phoenix and we can find out more about the Departments of Mysteries. When Fudge turns up at the Ministry after Dumbledore has duelled with Voldemort, Dumbledore refers to the room with the veiled archway as the Death Chamber, and says later that the Depeartment of Mysteries is for study and that death, human intelligence and the forces of nature - along with another force in a locked room he doesn't name but from his description I assume is love. So I guess the Unspeakables study death in the Death Chamber, and Human Intelligence in the brain room, and forces of nature possible in the time room, maybe, but I want to know more! I want to know why they study thm, and what they've found out, and what exactly is on the other side of the veil! I pressume "the other side", seems fitting, but I want to know for sure, and I am hoping that Pottermore will tell us the secrets of the Department of Mysteries!

One shining light in the whole book is the introduction of Luna Lovegood, one of my favourite characters! She's just so dreamlike and cool, and I just love her! However, there is the death of Sirius, which is just so sad, even though I've read it for the umpteenth time. How I cried when I first read of his death, that Harry's only remaining loving family, his only chance of escape from the Dursleys - though we discover at the endof this book, Harry could never excape them until he is of age due to the charm to do with Harry's blood - has gone... it's devastating. Just so, so sad.

A fantastic book that has me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout, I absolutely love it!

Published: 2003
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Review: Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead

2011-08-23T09:00:00.002+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead, Adapted by Leigh Dragoon, Illustrated by Emma Vieceli (review copy) - This wonderfully tempting graphic novel perfectly brings to life all of the forbidden pleasures of Richelle Mead's phenomenal Vampire Academy series. Overseen by Richelle Mead, adapted by Leigh Dragoon and illustrated by acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli, this beautiful new format will be loved by fans old and new.

St Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school - hidden away, it's a place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them.

Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St Vladimir's where the girls must survive a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night time rituals. But most of all, they must stay alive. From Amazon UK

I aboslutely love the Vampire Academy series, and found the Vampire Academy, the first book in the series so engrossing! So when I heard it was going to be made into a graphic novel, I was intrigued. I've never read a graphic novel before, I've always thought I'd prefer the images in my head, but as it's one of my favourite books, I thought I would give it a go.

I have to say I was quite impressed at how well the novel was adapted for the graphic novel. I'm not the fastest reader, so the novel would take me about two to three days to read. The graphic novel took me an hour to read, if that, yet still has the whole story. All the major events of the story are there, but I did miss the detail that comes with the novel - what Rose is thinking in depth, the emotion, the explainations that come with the magic. I wasn't as emotionally involved in the graphic novel as I was in the full length novel.

Although the illustrations are fantastic, I'm not the biggest fan of the manga style. And I found the facial expressions of the characters a little difficult to read, especially for those where there was no text or speech, when there was supposed to be a tense silence. I had to try and remember that part of the novel to remember what's gong on. This might just be because I'm not used to graphic novels, and something I would learn to pick up more on as I read more.

There was a certain scene in this book I was a little worried about. I'm not going to spoil it, in case there are those who have yet to read the novel, but I'm sure those who've read the book will know which I'm on about. I was intrigued but also worried about how a certain scene would be handled with illustartions - Vampire Academy is a young adult story, after all. I was actually quite impressed, yet again. It wasn't dragged out, it wasn't over the top, but it didn't hide away the fact that that scene happens. It was really good.

I don't think the graphic novel would have done it for me if I hadn't previously read the novel, I just don't think there was enough for me, but as a different way of experiencing the story, I think it worked really well. I would say I'd recommend it only if you've read the book, but I know there are those who only read graphic novels, in which case I think it's perfect for those readers. Hopefully they will enjoy it enough to pick up the full length novel.

Read my review of the full length novel of Vampire Academy.

Published: 23rd August 2011
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon US
Richelle Mead's Website

Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

2011-08-12T19:06:00.004+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Goblet of Fire, read no further.

Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly. From Amazon US

Prisoner of Azkaban is the book where things start to get pretty exciting because of how dark it gets. Goblet of Fire is the book where things get even more exciting because it's just so much fun! I know it's generally not so great because Harry's been put into the Triwizard Tournament against his will and it's quite dangerous for him, but I just find all the tasks just so much fun to read! You have no idea how much I want to be a student of Hogwarts when I read this book! Of course, I want to be a student of Hogwarts whenever I read a Harry Potter novel, but especially with this one. I seriously cannot help the grin that comes across my face when I'm reading this book.

But then the book shifts. To me, it feels like there are three very distinct parts of the book. It's all fun and exciting while the tournament is happening, but once the Harry and Cedric are transported to the cemetery where Voldemort returns it shifts and becomes even darker than Prisoner of Azkaban. I love Voldemort's long talk before he and Harry start fighting. So much is explained! But it also shows just how evil he really is, how he taunts him. There's the wonderful connecting wands thing, and then it shifts again once Harry returns to Hogwarts. Just when you thought everything was going to be ok and Harry will be safe, then bam! Moody isn't Moody! It's just wonderful! I love each section, it just takes the story further, and keeps you on your toes. I love it!

I know he isn't actually Moody, but I can't help but love Moody anyway. If you think about it, he is actually trying to act how Moody would act, so it's pretty similar, and he's just awesome. He's mental, yet is completely for making sure everyone knows how to defend themselves, and he's just great. And who can forget Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret? Just classic.

This book also takes a step up from the others because this is the first book we actually see someone die. And not just one person either; Harry dreams Frank, the Riddle House's gardener’s death as well as Cedric's. There's a third death that happens that we don't see, that of Mr Crouch, but still, that's three deaths that happen in one book, where there weren't any deaths of those on the right side in previous books. It's a turning point both for Harry and for the reader. People are actually dying now, the threat of Voldemort means so much more.; The only that bothers me is that in Order of the Phoenix, when Harry arrives at Hogwar's he sees the Theastrals because he's witnessed death, yet in Goblet of Fire, it actually says he waits with the others for the carriages pulled by invisible horses - why couldn't he see them then? Little plot hole.

Anyway, this book is just brilliant, and might actually be my favourite of the whole series. I'll let you know if that's still true as I continue reading the series.

Published: 2000
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

2011-08-01T16:06:00.004+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Prisoner of Azkaban, read no further.

Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's always a relief after summer with the Dursleys, however, Harry doesn't realise that this year will be just as eventful as the last two! The atmosphere at Hogwarts is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, even the Muggles have been warned. The sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school and Harry, Ron and Hermione rapidly discover why all witches and wizards live in fear of being sent to Azkaban. Lessons, however, must go on and there are lots of new subjects in third year - Care of Magical Creatures and Divination among others. Plus the delights of Hogsmeade, the only village in the UK entirely populated by the magical community. From Amazon UK

Words will never be able to describe how much I love this book! This is the book where the series really takes a strong turning point for me. Harry has faced danger in the past, but not in such a huge scale.

There are the Dementors, which, even now, as an adult, I find really creepy. Harry hear's his parents being murdered by Voldemort whenever the Dementors are around. Prisoner Sirius Black, believed to be Voldemort's right-hand man when he was at his full power, has broken out of prison with the sole purpose of going to Hogwarts to commit murder. Everyone is terrified. All of which excites me and has me glued to the book!

The Dementors have got to be one of the best "creatures" in this series. As Lupin says when he and Harry discuss what the Boggart would turn into when it saw Harry, Harry fears fear itself. That's what the Demetors are, the embodiment of fear, fear personified. You never really know what they look like, happiness evaporates, and they bring terribly bad weather with them. What could be worse? It's the last one that I really like, the weather. Like the Dementors cause physical pathetic fallacy (for those who don't know, pathetic fallacy is a literary device in which the weather reflects the mood of the characters). It's not coincidence that the weather is fitting when the Dementors are around, the actually cause it. So clever! I love it! And how cool is it that the thing that will help most after being in the presence of a Dementor is chocolate? All those endorphins it releases, I imagine!

I also love Lupin. Lupin is just amazing! He is fun, he is kind, he's just awesome! Who doesn't want to have Defence Against the Dark Arts classes with Lupin?! They sound like the best lessons ever! He also brings some humour to the book with his Boggart lesson - Snape in women's clothing? Just brilliant! But so does Professor Trelawney. That women is completely barking, but I love her for it. And then you have Sirius, who turns out to be the most amazing person in the world, because he's Harry's chance of a completely happy life. That conversation when Sirius offers to take Harry in is one of the most emotional parts of the series, because for a few glorious minutes, Harry believes he will have a proper, loving family... and then it's taken away from him. So sad!

What I haven't mentioned in any of my previous reviews is Rowling's writing, but that's because it's effect is more obvious in this book. It's dark, it's scary, it's really quite creepy and at times very dangerous, yet as I turn every page, the magic Rowling weaves with her words is like warmth. I can't explain it any other way. No matter what's happening in the books, whenever I read a Harry Potter book, I am filled with warmth. They're also gold. I am unable to put into words what I mean by gold, but Rowling's novels are just warmth and gold, and reading them feels like coming home.

Published: 1999
Publisher: Ted Smart/The Book People (My edition. Normally Bloomsbury.)
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

2011-07-29T18:12:00.005+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Chamber of Secrets, read no further.

Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last ...even getting there is an adventure in itself! The three firm friends, Harry, Ron and Hermione, are soon immersed in the daily round of Potions, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Quidditch. But then horrible and mysterious things begin to happen. Harry keeps hearing strange voices, sinister and dark messages appear on the wall, and then Ron's sister Ginny disappears... From Amazon UK

Another re-read, and another just brilliant book! I had forgotten just how funny this book is! Dobby is just absolutely amazing, and I want him as my own little free house-elf! Isn't he just the cutest thing?! I love him! He's so funny and sweet, and though he's not human, I could quite easily adopt him. I also love Moaning Myrtle, how sensitive she is is just too funny. I always used to hate Gilderoy Lockhart because he just made such a mess of everything and was so completely arrogant. But reading this book as an adult, I have to say I think he was one of my favourite characters. He is just so funny, bumbling along and not having any clue! When the movie first came out, because I had built such strong images in my head of who these characters are, I was disappointed with Kenneth Branagh getting the role. However, I have wached the film recently as well as reading the book, and I hae to say, he is absolutely spot on! Just brilliant!

That's one thing I have noticed quite a bit as I've been re-reading the series - I'm imagining a lot of the cast members as the characters instead what I originally imagined when I read the books. Maggie Smith is McGonagall, Warick Davis is Flitwick (the version in the first lot of movies, not the new version), Dobby looks like he does in the movies, and even sometimes Robbie Coltrane is Hagrid! There is a story my Dad delights in telling anyone who will listen; that the first time I saw Philosopher's Stone, as soon as we first see Hagrid, I immediate said to my Dad, "He doesn't look like that!" Ooo, the imagination of a child. But as I re-read the books now, I still sometimes see a giant clean shaven biker with long greasy hair in a leather jacket that talks more cockney than farmer. Blame the flying motorbike he rides at the beginning of Philosopher's Stone.

But back to the book. Each book gts a little darker, and although humourous, Chamber of Secrets is no exception. Granted, it's not as dark as some of the later books - to be fair, nowhere near as dark as Prisoner of Azkaban, but it's the first time the life of someone who isn't one of the main three characters is in literal danger. Ginny. It takes it up a level. How bad is Voldemort, that he can actuall cause the death - or almost - of someone without actually being anywhere near, just through a memory? It's a little disturbing! And the strange voices Harry hears and no-one, not even Hermione, can explain it away... it's a little worrying! As I said a little earlier on, I did see the film recently, so when getting to the end of the book, it was a little anti-climatical. Why? Because the images you see on screen are remembered more easily than the images your brain creates, so I was expecting a lot more from the fight with the Basilisk, hen in fact, it's about 2-3 pages, if that. I do love the movies, but I think it's a little sad when a book you loved so much once is a little disappointing because of a movie. That's really not so great. I really need to shake off the movies as I re-read these books, because they are just fantastic, and I loved them long before the movies came along; I don't want them spoiling the reading experience for me anymore - the books as they are wowed me once upon a time, and they should do so now.

Before I finish, I just need to mention something I forgot to say in my review of Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling is so clever! Having read all the books, and knowing how it ends, re-reading them, I notice all the little clues Rowling planted right earlier on. Hagrid talking about the security of Gringotts in PS, Nearly Headless Nick convincing Peeves to damage a cabinet - the Vanishing Cabinet - to get Harry out of trouble with Filch in CoS, Harry's discussion with Dumbledore at the end of CoS when he finds out Voldemort put a bit of him in Harry. There are so many other little hints and clues, some just one sentence now that end up being such a big deal later on. It's amazing! Rowling is just a genius!

And onwards through the series I go...

Published: 1998
Publisher: Ted Smart/The Book People (My edition. Normally Bloomsbury.)
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

2011-07-26T14:35:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Order of the Phoenix, read no further.

Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him who's parents have been killed in a 'car crash'. He is bullied by them and his fat, spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing back overnight!) to cause him much to think about. That is until an owl turns up with a letter addressed to Harry and all hell breaks loose! He is literally rescued by a world where nothing is as it seems and magic lessons are the order of the day. Read and find out how Harry discovers his true heritage at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the reason behind his parents mysterious death, who is out to kill him, and how he uncovers the most amazing secret of all time, the fabled Philosopher's Stone! All this and muggles too. Now, what are they? From Amazon UK

Since watching the very last Harry Potter movie recently, I was bitten by the bug again and decided to re-read the series. It had been quite a few years since I last read Philosopher's Stone, as several years back I decided I prefered the latter books to the first ones and would start from them instead of from the beginning. So picking up the first book again after all these years was really nice!

There was so much I had forgotten about! Just how nasty the Dursleys were originally, Harry and Hermione getting caught after giving Norbert to Charlie's mates, the way the centaurs behaved in the forest, Snapes potion test underneath the trap door! Just so much was re-discovered, and I did go back to being the 11-year-old I was when I originally read this book. The wonder and the excitement all came rushing back.

What I did notice was how younng the writing style was, Harry is definitely a child. I am now reading Chamber of Secrets, and even in one school year, there is a noticeable difference. The language is less simple, and Harry is less self-absorbed - the business with his parents in the mirror didn't show him in the best light.

As I said earlier, I stopped reading the first few books quite a few years back, while I continued to re-read the others. What surprised me the most was how little actually happens. Obviously, the other books are quite long, so there'squite a lot of page time for different events, but I'd forgotten that little happened in the first compared to the latter. In that sense, it was slightly anticlimatical.

However, still a very enjoyable read, and I can still see why I and everyone else, loved this series so much! Completely absorbing!

Published: 1998
Publisher: Ted Smart/The Book People (My edition. Normally Bloomsbury.)
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Review: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

2011-07-07T14:45:00.001+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon (review copy) - Desire. Danger. Destiny. Little did I know that this is what I would find at Gottfried Academy. Coming from sunny California, the mist-shrouded Academy was a shock, with its strange customs, ancient curriculum and study of Latin - the language of the dead. Then I discovered that the school has more than one dark secret... I also discovered Dante. Intelligent, elusive and devastatingly gorgeous, most people can't decide whether they love, hate or fear him. All I know is that when we're together, I've never felt more alive - or more afraid. From Amazon UK

When I first heard about Dead Beautiful, I was really intrigued. Urban fantasy, as most of you know, is one of my favourite genres, and Dead Beautiful sounded right up my street. I was eager to read read it. What I didn' t expect was just how brilliant the story would be.

What I loved about this book was the skill at how Yvonne Woon told Renée's story, how the mythology is such an original take, we don't find out - and find it very difficult to work out - what is actually going on until Renée does. Literally, things will happen, new clues will arise, people will behave strangely, but there's nothing to make you think "this is about such and such a creature, hence all the XYZ things that are going on". I had no idea. There were no conventions of the normal urban fantasy/paranormal creatures about to have any hint. I was kept guessing until we find out. And what's brilliant is that we don't find out until several hundred pages in, yet there is still so much story, so much happening, you're gripped and continually turning the pages, despite having no clue where it could possibly be going. It's fantastic!

The only faults were I didn't have a lit-crush on Dante - I liked him, but he just simply didn't do it for me - and the romance didn't blow me away. It was a little luke warm for my tastes. It wasbelievable, but I didn't connect with it on an emotional level to be swept away by it. I was more interested in what was oing on than I was in the swooning, but that's just me personally.

And I'm sorry to say, I honestly cannot say much more. I can't think of what I could say without spoiling anything. I do love the school though, and all the classes, they sound so much fun! I wouldn't have minded going to a school like that. A fantastic book, and I seriously cannot wait to read the sequel!

Thanks to Usborne for sending me a review copy.

Published: 1st May 2011
Publisher: Usborne
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Yvonnne Woon's Website
Dead Beautiful Website

Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

2011-06-27T17:07:00.000+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Passion by Lauren Kate (review copy) - WARNING! This is the third book in a series. I cannot review this book without spoiling the first two. Do not read any further if you plan on reading the first two and don't want them to be spoilt for you.

Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross, before they fought the Immortals, they had already lived many lives. And so Luce, desperate to unlock the curse that condemns their love, must revisit her past incarnations in order to understand her fate. Each century, each life, holds a different clue.
But Daniel is chasing her throughout the centuries before she has a chance to rewrite history.
How many deaths can one true love endure?
And can Luce and Daniel unlock their past in order to change their future? From Amazon UK

When I received Passion for review, I was so excited to read it! Finally, the third book! Now I could find out what happened after Lue stepped through the Announcer, and what would happen between her and Daniel! Though I was slightly worried; would Passion live up to the epicness that is Fallen and Torment? Too right it would!

Following Luce as she cisited her past lives was just so awesome! seeing all the different people she was, all the personalities, was just genius. We get to witness the good, the bad and the ugly of what it means to be involved in the curse, exactly what the curse does, and it's just so cool! Kate obviously did a whole lot of research for this novel, because there is just so much detail about the time period of each life - the way people spoke, how they dresse the culture, and the "history lessons" provided by Bill - one of the Scale, a kind of Announcer tour guide, Luce meets on her time-travels. Teh things Luce learns and discovers, and the things she realises she already knew as she sees each past incarnation of herself and the Daniel of the time is just beautiful! Seriously, it's so moving and touching, and just truely beautiful!

What's also great is that we get to see Daniel's side of things too as he tries to follow and catch up with Luce as she jumps through time. How much he cares for her and how much he'ssuffered over the centuries just pours out of the pages, you can just feel it. And it's through him that we realise just how dangerous it is for Luce to jump through her past lives - changing things could be disastrous, to both their lives. Either way though, it's Daniel, and I love him, so I was always going to enjoiy being in his head.

My god, the ending! It's not quite as big a cliffhanger as the previous two, but with the immense and mind blowing events that leas up to it, a massive "what happens immediately next?" inducing cliffhanger ending isn't necessary. Because the next ook is going to be huge. No, colossal! When you think about the events that lead up to the end of Passion, and with what Luce and Daniel will have to face in the next book? There is no doubt in my mind that it's going to be more awe-inspiring than anyone could possibly imagine.

A fair few of out questions are answered in this book, but I do believe there are still some left to answer. I still think there is more importance to Luce than we're told in Passion, from the behaviour of some of the other characters in previous books, and at some points on Passin. But it's nice to have that "Oh!" moment when you finally start to understand things.

If I was to criticise at all, I would have to say I would have liked Luce's time in her past lives to have been longer. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Daneile and the various Lucinda incarnations together. However, if that was the case, Passion would have been incredibly long - it's already over 400 pages, so I can understand for the length and for the actual plot/Luce's purpose why the vists weren't as long as I would have liked.

I have asid before that no-one writes love like Kate does - not as beautifully, nor as breath taking - and that's still the case in Passion. There were moments where I could have just died over how beautiful amazing and real it all was, but because of the amount of page time spent in each past life, and because present day Luce and Daniel don't spend an awful amount of time together, these moments don't last very long It was a shame, but it was still absolutely beautiful, and despire it being fiction, it gives me hope.

Passion is a fantastic book! It's absolutely amazing and such a page turner! All Fallen fans should read it immediately. You do not want to miss out on this beilliant third installment. Now, wher did I leave Fallen and Torment? I believe I need to start reading this series all over again.

Thank you to RHCB for sending me a review copy.

Published: 23rd June 2011
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Lauren Kate's Website
Fallen Website

Review: Bite Club by Rachel Caine

2011-06-09T15:04:00.000+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Bite Club by Rachel Caine - WARNING! This is the tenth book in the Morganville Vampires series, and I can't review this book without spoiling the previous books. Do not read any further if you don't want the series spoiled for you.

Morganville, Texas is a quiet college town where humans and vampires live in relative peace. But lately a great deal of blood is being spilled - not in a feeding frenzy, but for someone's twisted idea of entertainment. After discovering that vampires populate Morganville - and surviving a number of adventures with her new night-dwelling friends - college student Claire Danvers has come to realise that for the most part, the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble. There's a new extreme sport being broadcast over the Internet: bare-knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against one another - or, worse, against humans. Tracking the out-of-town signal leads Claire - accompanied by a loyal group of friends and frenemies - to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville. And if they want to survive, they'll have to do a lot more than fight... From Amazon UK

I am such a huge fan of this series, as you all know, that I was expecting to be blown away yet again. And I was because of Caine's amazing ability to come up with a new plot everytime, keep the story unpredictable, and keep her characters so life like!

However, I must say, this one disappointed me a little. I have read better books in this series. And this was mainly because, in the greatr scheme of things, not a huge deal happened. Any other series and this wouldn't be a problem for me; I don't need lots happening to enjoy a book, and I did enjoy this one. But I am so used to this series being chock full of action and danger and edge-of-the-seat moments, and that's not really what you get in this book. It was much more of a slow burner, building up to the Big Event rather than being as action packed.

Bite Club is more of an emotional novel than the others. Claire is worrying about her relationships with so many people for so many different reasons and she is a very stressed Claire Bear in this book. But I'm not the kind of person who gets all that upset along with the character unless I actually believe things will end horribly wrong, and despite the plot, I didn't. Throughout the whole book, no matter how bad things got, I always had in my head that the characters were far too strong for them to not beat the emotional side of things - hell, they'd come up against worst physical problems. I won't tell you whether I was wrong to believe this or not, you'll just have to read and find out.

There was a really, really good thing about this book though. Most of the books in the series are third person perspective following Claire, and Bite Club is the same, but we also get into Shane's head. We get his first person perspective on events that happen in the book just after or just before they happen. How he's feeling, why he's feeling it, what he's going to do, etc. And although it was really cool - hello, inside Shane's head! - it was also completely necessary. Shane plays a much bigger part in this novel than he does in the others; he's always been a main character, but Claire is always the one we're with at all times of the day, but we also get to be with Shane too, even when Claire isn't around, and we need to be. Because things are happening and with both people, and we need both sides of the story to know what's going on. It was pretty awesome, and I really hope to see more of this in the next two books. Eve and Michael get more of a part to play in the next two, perhaps?

Overall, still a really good book, and a fantastic story, but not as good as I'm used to. I'd still highly recommend it to any Morganville Vampires fans, but just don't expect stakes to be flying as much as they normal.

Published: 2nd May 2011
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's website

Other books in the series:
Glass Houses
The Dead Girl's Dance
Midnight Alley
Feast of Fools
Lord of Misrule
Carpe Corpus
Fade Out
Kiss of Death
Ghost Town

Review: The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

2011-04-16T17:03:00.000+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Today, I have a guest review from my mate, Adam Page. This book was sent to me for review, but isn't really my thing, so Adam kindly agreed to read and review it. So thank you, Adam!

The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater - The girl lies by the canal, her face turned upwards like a stargazer. But she will never see the stars again. Her eyes have been torn out. The rain fills the empty sockets until they brim over, spilling bloody tears down her cold, white cheeks. Once every century, the boundary between the demon Netherworld and the human world weakens. Legions of creatures gather, preparing to cross over, to bring death and destruction. This time is called The Shadowing. Callum has always known that there is something beyond the mortal world - he can see ghosts. Lately, he's started to have horrific visions of children murdered by some terrible, unseen creature. And then the visions start to come true - and Callum realises he is being hunted too. But Callum must stay alive. He is bound by a dark destiny, and must stand against the demon forces that threaten our world forever. For it is nearly time. The Shadowing is coming... From Amazon UK

“Its head was a mass of wet, gleaming veins and cartilage, muscle and teeth...”

I was asked to review Adam Slater’s novel as I am quite a horror aficionado, and put quite simply, I loved it.
I must admit, I was a bit dubious when I received it. I am not really a reader of YA, but I settled down, opened it up and read the prologue. Then it was two hours later and I was almost halfway through the book.

In brief, the story follows Callum Scott, a “chime child”, who can see ghosts and prevent future tragedies. He lives with his grandmother who protects the home with a number of spells. His powers begin to increase and he finds himself being pursued by the vicious Hunter, who is attempting to kill all chime children. Finally, reluctantly, he knows he must destroy it.

From the opening page, I was hooked. Obviously most horror requires suspension of disbelief, and this is no different. But once you do that, you will find yourself sucked into Callum’s world.
The book is fast-paced but not overly so. As I say, I read nearly half of it in two hours but it is not just one action scene after another. It never feels rushed and is a joy to read. Slater never tones down the details, and that includes the gore. When dealing with what the Hunter does, and the trail of bodies he leaves, I have to say that it isn’t for the squeamish and younger readers might have trouble with it. Older readers, however, should love it. While it can be gory, it is never over-done. So many horror novels out there concentrate too much on the blood’n’guts part of their story but this strikes just the right balance. You get the evil of the Hunter without lingering too long over the details.
Callum has help throughout the novel and he does not battle on his own. But I don’t want to go into too much detail as the book is intricately plotted and to give away too much would ruin it.
For me, horror only works when you can put yourself in the character’s place. Can you see yourself in that situation? Can you feel their fear, their confusion? This is what makes true horror great. All of us like a fright. And this novel succeeds in that brilliantly. I always wanted to read on. It has a real ‘gotta’ quality. As in; “I’ll go to bed soon. I just gotta see how this chapter comes out.”
One of my favourite horror novels is Stephen King’s “It” and its themes of school children reluctantly battling a shape-shifting monster is one of the things that drew me into The Shadowing. Reading it, I was reminded positively of King’s work. The characters were real to me. I cared about them. Again, a vital requirement of horror. A basic rule is the more fantastic the situation, the more real the characters have to be. And Adam Slater creates a world, and characters, rich with detail.
I also enjoyed reading from the Hunters point of view. This is a plot device that many horror stories ignore to their cost. While the Hunter is frightening, reading first person from him puts the reader right there with him. He becomes more than just a generic monster into a character you can identify with. Much more frightening.
I love horror. Like I say, we all love a fright. Even people who profess to hate horror, still have deep in them that urge to be frightened. It’s there from birth. When Alfred Hitchcock was asked why we love to be scared, he replied; “What’s the first thing we do when we see a baby? Lean over it and go ‘Boo!’”
When I read horror, I ask myself does it make the pulse pound? Does it make the heart palpitate? Are the fear glands pumping? In this case, the answer is a resounding yes.

P.S. The copy I received contained the first chapter of the second book in the series, Skinned. If that chapter is anything to go by, the rest of the book will be as good as the first...

Thank you to Egmont for sending a review copy.

Published: 2nd May 2011
Publisher: Egmont
Pre-order on Amazon US

Trailer: The Taker by Alma Katsu

2011-04-12T19:38:00.001+01:00

Check out the trailer for The Taker by Alma Katsu!

My Copy of the Book with My Title!

2011-04-09T15:52:00.003+01:00

I had something quite special arrive in the post this week. It was a gift from an author. It was the author's book. It was the author's book that I named. And it was signed. EEEE!

THE BOOK WITH MY TITLE!!

Sorry about the flash.

MY QUOTE ON THE FIRST PAGE! (Second quote)

SIGNED BY LISA SHEARIN!

MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT!

You cannot imagine just how happy this makes me! :D

Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin is Released TODAY!

2011-03-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

I really don't need to tell you how much I love Lisa Shearin's Raine Benares series anymore, frequent blog readers will know this already. Just for the not-so-frequent readers - I LOVE them. A lot. Yesss. So much so that I entered a competition to name the fifth book. And won. And today is the day that book is released!

Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin (released 29th March 2011) - My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker who finds lost things and missing people. My relatives, on the other hand, steal things. They’re the most notorious criminal family in the seven kingdoms. Sometimes I wonder if they have the right idea, especially since what I’ve found lately is likely to get me killed. And the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone that has given me unlimited power, is to blame for every last bit of it. Ever since the Saghred bonded to me, the goblin king and the elven power brokers have wanted to possess its magic themselves. But to get it, they’ll have to get me, and their pockets are deep enough to make that happen. With the help of my highly qualified family, I’ve rigged the perfect con—one that will financially ruin the elves who are spoiling for war. My family’s run elaborate scams before, but none involving this much money, government officials this highly ranked, or a war this close to starting. In our way is a goblin thief who’s after the Saghred, and my ex-fiancé—an elven assassin who may be after me. I broke up with him. Let’s just say it could have gone better. If either the goblins or the elves get their hands on the Saghred, they have every intention of using it. Which means total annihilation will be inevitable… From LisaShearin.com

Sounds brilliant, huh? And how gorgeous is that cover? Looove! You can buy your own copy from Amazon UK or Amazon US, so get to ordering! :D

Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

2011-03-08T17:09:00.004Z

This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost - WARNING! This is the fifth book in the Night Huntress series, and I cannot review it without spoiling the other books in the series. Do not read any further ff you plan on reading them and don't want them spoiled for you.

The highly anticipated continuation of Jeaniene Frost's New York Times and USA Today bestselling Night Huntress series, in which Cat and Bones face an enemy unlike any they've met before.

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"--the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war. ...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined. From Amazon US

Regular readers will know by now how much of a fan I am of Jeaniene Frost and her Night Huntress series. I absolutely cannot get enough of Cat and Bones, and so it is with no surprise that I was hugely excited when This Side of the Grave arrived, and started reading immediately.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with this book. There was Cat and Bones being Cat and bones, so there was laughter and a few hot moments. There were some really sad moments, and some really lovely moments. For all this, this novel is well worth a read. But there was just too much missing for me.

There was very little action in this book, and the action there was didn't last very long. The story took quite a while to get going and felt quite slow, but as it was Cat telling the story, you weren't too bothered because of how amusing she is. I was thinking at times that it was probably a bit more realistic; things can't be happening all the time, there has to be moments where they're playing the waiting game. But the pace never really picked up for me. As well as there being little action, it wasn't very gorey either.

Cat goes through some important changes in this book, and there is another important event that takes place. This important event and the changes will probably lead to more things happening in later books, but it felt to me that the whole point of this book was for these two things, and a story was built around them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the story. If this was a first book in a series, it would definitely make me want to pick up the others, it's not exactly boring or anything like that. It's just having read all the previous novels - including the two in the Night Huntress World series... this book doesn't really touch them. I'm sad to say I have read better by Frost, but I really do think this is a book Cat and Bones fans need to read for the important things do occur. And you'll probably enjoy it, too - just don't expect the usual fireworks.

Published: 22nd February 2011
Publisher: Avon
Buy on Amazon US
Jeaniene Frost's Website

The other books in the series:
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave's End
Destined for an Early Grave

Novels in the Night Huntress World series (stand alone companion novels, events which take place before This Side of the Grave):
First Drop of Crimson
Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Review: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

2011-03-01T21:00:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick (ARC) - With the intrigue of Memento and the romance of The Time-Traveller's Wife, Forgotten is the perfect YA novel. Here's the thing about me: I can see the future in flashes, like memories. But my past is a blank. I remember what I'll wear tomorrow, and an argument that won't happen until this afternoon. But I don't know what I ate for dinner last night. I get by with the help of notes, my mom and my best friend Jamie, and the system works ...Until now. Everything's falling apart. Jamie's going of the rails. My mom is lying to me. And I can't see the boy I adore in my future. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much ...Forgotten is the story of a girl for whom yesterday is lost, today is an adventure, and tomorrow is a memory. An unforgettable read. From Amazon UK

I received a surprise ARC of Forgotten last week, and as soon as I read the press release, I pretty much squealed. It sounded so unique, so fresh, and so exciting! So as soon as I finished the book I was reading at the time, I picked this book. And I have just one word for you: wow!

Forgotten was so much better than I even imagined it was going to be. It was very reminiscent of the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, with the notes that London leaves herself every night. But the difference is that she remembers the future - not see the future in flashes or glimpses, but "remembers" it, like we remember the past. She recognises people she sees today from remembering them being in her future - her mother, her best friend, etc. Which is why it's so odd that she doesn't remember this gorgeous boy who shows up one day at school, and how she has to write notes every night so she knows him the next day - even after weeks of knowing each other.

It's really beautiful seeing London try and keep a relationship going with Luke when she doesn't it's like meeting him for the very first time everyday. She doesn't tell Luke about her memory problem, like she doesn't tell most people. There are a very few people who do actually know, so trying to build a relationship from what is nothing each and everyday, by the help of her notes and what her mum tells her... it's difficult, but wonderful and beautiful to watch.

But it's not all lovely moments with her boyfriend. She has a re-occuring memory from the future of a funeral, but she doesn't know who it is. At first, it's only brief, little moments that she remembers, but then she remembers more details each time. Her mum is the only person she recognises from her day-to-day life, and she has no idea what's going on, but knows it's something big. That along with fighting with Jamie, her best friend, and lied to by her mum over her relationship with her dad, along with trying to live as normal a life as possible with her condition... life isn't really all that easy.

There isn't much more I can tell you about this book without spoiling it, but it is absolutely fantastic! Seriously, I cannot tell you how good it is! Unfortunately, it's just a stand alone novel, though I finished wanting more and more. This is one book you cannot miss out on, it's just amazing!

Thanks to Egmont UK for sending me a review copy.

Published: 6th June 2011
Publisher: Egmont UK
Pre-order on Amazon US
Cat Patrick Website

Review: Siren by Tricia Rayburn

2011-02-25T17:27:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn (review copy) - Something deadly waits beneath the waves off Winter Harvour, and this summer, no one's safe.
Timid seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands has always had her siser Justine to protect her. Until Justine is found dead near their holiday home and her boyfriend aleb goes missing.
Looking for answers, Vanessa finds solace in Simon, Caleb's handsome brother. But time is running out as more men disappear, their bodies washed ashore grinning from ear-to-ear.
As Vanessa delves deeper int Winter Harbour's murky past she discoers that nothing is what it seems. Not even her. And only she may have the power to stop this.
Will she find the courage to fave up to wha she really is - before Simon becomes the next victim? From blurb.

When I first picked up this novel, I was excited to read it. I hadn't read any mermaid/siren novels before but had always wanted to, and I was intrigued by the plot. Now, although I enjoyed it, I'm feeling slightly underwhelmed.

Everyone knows the basic myth of sirens; beautiful femme fatales that sing, attracting men to them in the sea and causing their death. Knowing that was going to be what the story was about at it's very basic, I was, initially, more interested in Vanessa and Justine's relationship, and why she died. The characters are very well rounded with individual personalities, which you find with any novel, but there was something more to them in this book which I can't quite put my finger on, but made them seem more real. The characterisation definitely made all of them jump right out of the page.

The plot was really intriguing as Vanessa found out more; the strange weather, the people who died, the links between them. There's so much I would like to say, but I really don't want to spoil it for you - there is nothing small about this book, it all leads to the bigger picture, and I don't want to give anything away. It really keeps you turning the pages though, wondering what's going to happen next, and how it's all happening.

That's one thing I had issues with, the "how". It wasn't really explained, and I found it a little hard to understand. This could be because there is a sequel, and some things probably need to be discovered by Vanessa herself later on, but not understand what was going on jolted me a bit. I also had some issues with the ease with which most characters, and then Vanessa, eventually, seemed to accept that Sirens were the cause. It just seemed like everything up to the third part of the novel was carefully planned, and everything flowed, directing you to the end, but then the last third was rushed. Everyone accepts, a plan is quickly worked out and put into action. And the action scene... I didn't really see what was going on. Some writers are able to perfectly give you enough detail so that you can actually see everything that's happening, even though it's happening so fast and so much is going on. With Siren, I just got a bit lost; things didn't seem clear in regards to who was doing what, and then something else was happening, and I didn't understand why. All of a sudden the action was over, but I didn't really know what had actually happened. Perhaps this was just me, though.

Despite all this, I did really enjoy Siren. The mythology, what I know of it, was really quite interesting, and the cliff hanger with the unanswered questions will lead to a very exciting sequel, which I'm really looking forward too. A pretty good book.

Thanks to Faber and Faber for sending me a review copy.

Published: 20th January 2011
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Buy on Amazon US
Tricia Rayburn's Website

Other reviews of Siren:
Feeling Ficional
Fluttering Butterflies

Review: Siren by Tricia Rayburn

2011-02-25T17:27:00.000Z

Review: The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod

2011-02-22T17:20:00.000Z

The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the other books in the series. Don't read any further if you plan on reading the other books in the seriees, and don't want it spoiled for you.

On the surface, Genny's life seems ripple-free right now. Finn, her sexy boss, has stopped pushing for a decision on their relationship. The seductive vampire Malik al-Khan has vanished back into the shadows. And the witches have declared her no longer a threat. But unless Genny can find a way to break the fertility curse afflicting London's fae, she knows this is just the lull before the magical storm. Then a faeling - a teenage girl - is fished out of the River Thames, dead and bound with magic, and Genny is called into investigate. As she digs through the clues, her search takes a sinister and dangerous turn, exposing age-old secrets that might be better left buried. Then another faeling disappears, and Genny finds herself in a race against time to save the faeling and stop the curse from claiming its next victim - herself! From Amazon UK

Being a fan of so many authors and series, I do sometimes find it difficult to keep track of release dates, much to my annoyance. Don't ask me why, but for some reason, I don't think of pre-ordering. Thankfully, we have the wonderful social networking site Facebook, where Suzanne McLeod announced that her new novel would soon be released. And not long after that, it arrived on my doorstep.

What can I possibly say about The Bitter Seed of Magic that I haven't already said about The Sweet Scent of Blood and The Cold Kiss of Death? I'm not sure there is anything, because all of the books in the Spellcrackers.com series are just so good. They are amazing!

There is the usual amount of action you come to expect from a Spellcrackers novel, always exciting, always with you sitting on the edge of your seat. With Genny going from one problem to another, it's so difficult to put the book down! Even though I'm only reading, I find reading McLeod's novels, like Karen Chance's, to be exhausting - but in a really good way! So much happens! But this doesn't mean that they are rushed through, and before you know it something else is going on. No, there is more detail in than I've read in any other book - or that I remember reading, at least. I'm not much of a details person, it wouldn't bother me much if an author didn't give a lot of description about a setting, as long as there was a story and characters I could believe in. But with McLeod's books, I love it! Perhaps this is half down to me being from London; even if I don't know the exact places she's talking about, I can picture London very clearly, so I can get the atmosphere almost instantly. But it's more than just the setting; there's sight, touch, sound, taste, smell. We get it all! The detail in the action sequences, or the detail when it comes to the twisting plots, it's all just fantastic!

Overall, I'd say The Bitter Seed of Magic is a more emotional novel than the other two. In the previous books there are moments of emotion, but in this book, it's throughout - for Genny and for the reader. With the deaths of the faelings, and the effects of a spell put on Genny by a goddess, there are lots of moments where I felt myself mentally going "oh!" at how sad things were. There weren't any tears, but I was definitely touched by some of the things we see. That's not to say this novel is despressive, there are the light, funny moments too - got to love Sylvia the Dryad.

The only found two problems. The first was, although I remember loving it, I struggled to remember what happened in the last book, so sometimes people or event s were mentioned and I was left a little confused for a while until I vaguely remembered what was being referred to. This is my fault, the events were quickly surmised in this book, but it had been quite a while since I read The Cold Kiss of Death, so I should have done a re-read. Also, there was a bit of a problem with the timeline, I think. There is a point in the book when Genny spends quite a number of hours someplace, but we don't see her there for most of that time. Then later in the book, the characters would be discussing an event which happened "yesterday", when I thought yesterday included those hours we didn't see, so it would have been the day before. I got a little confused. It's not a big deal, really, it doesn't confuse the plots or cause any problems for the story, I just think I'm a little anal when it comes to knowing when something happened.

I absolutely loved this book, and seriously cannot wait for The Shifting Price of Prey, which is due out next year. I can't recommend this book, or this series, enough! McLeod is still up there with my favourites!

Thanks to Suzanne and Gollancz for the review copy.

Published: 17th February 2011
Publisher: Gollancz
Buy on Amazon US
Suzanne McLeod's Website

My other reviews of the series:
The Sweet Scent of Blood
The Cold Kiss of Death

Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

2011-02-15T19:07:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan (review copy) - Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. She longs for the freedom to make her own choices, but when she breaks the 'no flying' rule, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defence is her secret ability to shift into human form. And her rare ability to breathe fire makes her desirable, and important, to the survival of the draki. Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. There she meets gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: he and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slipping away, and if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy. From Amazon UK

Over the last few months, I have had a growing interesting in weres/shifters - I still love my vamps, but the way authors used or created mythology for different shifters was becoming increasingly more fascinating to me. Seeing Firelight was about Draki, people who can shift - or manifest in this case - into creatures descended from dragons, something so different, as soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to read it. I'm so glad I did!

The mythology of the Draki is just so interesting! The different types, the different abilities they have, how they live, it's just fascinating. Unfortunately, due to Jacinda almost getting herself killed, she leaves her Pride with her mother and sister pretty early on in the story, meaning that we don't get to see a lot of life in the Pride. We only get what we're told by Jacinda, but she's preoccupied with some boy most of the time, so we don't get much of it. We know Jacinda is a firebreather, an almost extinct ability, and because of this her Pride wants to control her. Otherwise, as a group of creatures, we don't find out a whole lot about them.

The romance is pretty awesome though. It does get pretty steamy in some places. Firelight is definitely a paranormal romance. Though some other YA novels may be classed as pararnormal romance, if there are issues besides the romance that have a large impact on the story, I consider them to be urban fantasy. With Firelight, the other issues that are brought up don't really have much page time, the romance being the main focus. I think in this way, Firelight is specifically the first book in a series; it builds the romance so that's solid enough for the audience, and in the next book we'll see more of the issues.

There were a few issues that I had with this book, though. Jacinda dithered too much about Will. You can understand her being cautious, but she chopped and changed her mind so often. "I should stay away from Will because he hunts Draki. I should be near Will because he wakes my Draki. But I have to stay away from him because I can't control my manifest when I'm near him. But I can gain information from him about other Draki..." On and on so that it semms not a huge amount actually happens, as it's mostly her internal conflict, with a few almost somethings. Also, I couldn't count the number of times Will looked at Jacinda intensely and hungrily. It seems he has very few facial expressions. It got a little annoying.

Saying all that, I did enjoy the story. It's not the best I've ever read, no, but I still thought it was pretty good. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, and finding out what happens next, because, god, what a cliff hanger! Well worth a read, I really recommend it.

Thank you to OUP for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd March 2011
Publisher: OUP
Buy on Amazon US
Sophie Jordan's Website

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-02-10T18:16:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (ARC) - Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away. Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she’s due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone. Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she’ll let him. But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide... From Amazon UK

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. Not because it sounded great, not because of the beautiful cover, and not because it was a debut novel. I wanted to read it because it was by Beth Revis. I don't know if other British bloggers are as familiar with Beth as they are with maybe Cat Clarke or Karen Mahoney, British authors who are prevalent in the book blogosphere, but Beth is also one of those authors. She has commented on various posts on Ink and Paper, and I have commented on hers, and remember when she was still an aspiring published author. So to me, Beth is "one of us". So of course I had to read her novel, and I really, really wanted to like it. There were two things that worried me though. Firstly, it's set in space, and I have absolutely no interest in fiction set in space in book form (put it on the TV or the cinema and I'm there). Secondly, it's dystopia, and I've found I don't get on well with them. But Beth wrote it, so I had to read it. And, oh my god, it was amazing!

I actually don't know where to start. Let's start with the space/sci-fi aspect. As I said, I have no interest in space in books, but I'd say Across the Universe is very light on the sci-fi. Of course, the story is set on the spaceship Godspeed, and there have been some technical advances since Amy left Earth 250 years ago, such as floppies - computers on floppy sheets of plastic (think tablets, but on perspex), and wi-coms, communication devices implanted behind the ear, but Revis writes it in such a way as to make it all sound so simple and understandable, it's not overly heavy and complicated. Also, there are farms, homes, a hospital and other buidings within the lower level of the ship, it's that big. So although you're always aware that the story is set on a spaceship, and how claustrophobic it is, there's still a familiar feel to it, which helps for someone like me who wouldn't normally pick up a book because it's space sci-fi.

The "world" of the ship is just wow. A lot of time has gone by on this ship, and there have been some changes to what we consider normal. How they are ruled, the process of reproduction, and the things that go on behind the scenes that the population at large doesn't know about. There are some absolutely shocking and disgusting discoveries to come across in this book, so I won't spoil them for you. But the way Revis wrote it, the circumstances on board the ship, and the reasons for what happens, you find yourself understanding and seeing the "logic" of it all, even though it's absolutely horrendous. It's just fantastic!

The plot itself is just genius! It's so intricate with the murder mystery, Amy discovering everything from technology to the way of life, and Elder and Amy finding out what's really going on, and having everything link to each other. Seriously, I was reading and just couldn't stop thinking "Wow!" It blew me away time after time, it was just fantastic!

What's not made clear in the blurb is that the novel is actually from multiple perspectives, that of Amy and Elder, which in and of itself is just genius because of how different they are, they both learn from the other about how things are, how things should be, and what's "normal". Amy is just a brilliant character. As you can imagine she's devastated to have been woken up early, that she almost died, and will be older than her parents when they are woken up, and she's suffering from culture shock over how things are just so different, and claustrophobia. Yet she's absolutely determined to get to the root of the attempted murder and keep her frozen parents safe. It's almost like it's something to focus on to keep her going while she adjusts to her new life. Elder is brilliant too. He wants to learn, he wants to know all there is to know about being Eldest - the leader - so he can do a good job, and has more than one internal conflict going on over what the right thing actually is. The romance between them is a slow burner, but it's really, really sweet! I absolutely love how enthralled Elder is by Amy's red hair, and how he describes it - being a red head myself, it was a bit of an ego boost, ha!

The ending is just wonderful! I have to admit I did work out some things earlier on in the book, but there were others that just... made my jaw drop! It was brilliant, and wonderful, and completely satisfying considering the circumstances. I absolutely loved this book! It was clever, thoughtprovoking, emotional, fascinating, and just simply...wow. Kiersten White is quoted saying, “A horrifying and deliciously claustrophobic masterpiece that’s part sci-fi, part dystopian, and entirely brilliant,” and I couldn't have put it better myself. I cannot wait to read the next book, which should be making it's way to our grubby little hands sometime next year. If there is only one book you buy this year, it has to be this one.

Thank you to Puffin for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd March 2011
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon US
Beth Revis' Website

Review: Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

2011-02-03T19:29:00.000Z

Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the first book in the series. Don't read any further if you plan on reading Some Girls Bite and don't want it spoilt for you.

Ten months after vampires revealed their existence to the mortals of Chicago, they're enjoying a celebrity status usually reserved for the Hollywood elite. But should people learn about the Raves-mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle-the citizens will start sharpening their stakes.

So now it's up to the new vampire Merit to reconnect with her upper class family and act as liaison between humans and bloodsuckers, and keep the more unsavory aspects of the vampire lifestyle out of the media. But someone doesn't want peace between them-someone with an ancient grudge... From Amazon US

After reading quite a lot of YA novels recently, I fancied a nice, funny, action packed adult urban fantasy, yet I didn't fancy trying something new. I wanted a story I knew, characters I loved, something I knew would feinitely grab me straight away, without having to learn anything knew world building wise. I absolutely loved Some Girls Bite, the first in the Chicagoland Vampires series, and as Friday Night Bites was sitting on my bookcase, I picked it up. And now wish I had read it much sooner!

Friday Night Bites has the same humour and sexual chemistry as in the first book, so there were many laughs and many hot moments. There isn't a huge amount of action in this book, but the story more than makes up for it. Unfortunately, it's so tightly wound around other things I can't tell you about, I can't really talk about it. But it's clever! And it keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat.

The characters are still as good as they once were! I love Merit, she's so strong and so snarky, yet still trying to find her way. The struggles with the "will they? won't they?" love triangle involving Ethan and Morgan is still steaming, but emotional too. Catcher and Mallory are just so great together for a reader; all over each other one minute, at each other's throats the next. I just love them all!

The ending of this book, how the story is resolved is just wow! Seriously, it was scary - not in the horror sense, but in the "what on earth is going to happen to these characters?" sense. You're sitting on the edge of seat, and you don't see the ending coming! It's just so... oh, it's juicy! And I need to read the next book, Twice Bitten, now! I loved this book, and highly recommend this series to everyone!

Published: 8th April 2010
Publisher: Gollancz
Buy from Amazon US
Chloe Neill's Website

My reviews:
Some Girls Bite

Review: The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

2011-01-27T23:05:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (ARC) - WARNING! I cannot review this book with spoiling the first book in the series, The Dark Divine. Don't read any further if you plan on reading The Dark Divine and don't want to have it spoilt for you.

The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved brother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint. From Amazon US

After falling in love with The Dark Divine, I was eager to get started with The Lost Saint! What would happen to Grace now that she was infected? What would happen to Grace and Daniel's relationship now that he is cured? Fortunately I had a copy already, so I didn't have to wait that long to read it. And I really just have one word to say; wow!

You get so involved with this book, before you know it, you're half way through the book. Though it doesn't seem like a huge amount has happened. That's not to say the book is slow at all, or filled with unnecessary drivel. Everything in this book is essential, it all leads up to the main events, which occur towards the end of the book. I did at times wonder, especially once past the halfway mark, what could possibly happen next to get to the big events, as there just didn't seem to be much left of the book, but no real clues in the story. But Despain is clever in how she sets things in motion, and it's just brilliant!

I love how you're never truely sure who you can trust. Who is Talbot? Can we trust him, can we not? What's going on with Daniel? That's one thing I wasn't too keen on, Daniel doesn't get as much page time in this book, but you can forgive it for the story. Other characters crop up, some minor, some major, but you're never completely sure who is genuine. It's not as frustrating as it sounds, it's quite fun trying to work things out and piecing the puzzle together as more things are discovered. I loved it!

With what you're told in the summary above, I really don't think I can tell you much more. Anything I say is likely to spoil the book for you. But this book is brilliant! I have to say, although I worked out some of the things going on, I didn't see the ending coming, and oh my god, what a cliff hanger! So cruel, but so brilliant! I am so keen to read the third book, because I am DYING to know what's going to happen! An absolutely brilliant book, one that fans of The Dark Divine should pick up as soon as they can! Just fantastic!

Thank you to Goodman Media for sending me the ARC.

Published: 7th March 2011 in the UK, 28th December 2010 in the US
Publisher: Egmont UK, Egmont USA
Pre-order on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Bree Despain's Website

Vampire and Shifter Reading Challenges 2011

2011-01-23T12:50:00.018Z

I am signing up for the Vampire Challenge 2011 and the Shifter Challenge 2011 run by Parajunkee's View. The aim is to read 20 books for each challenge with a vampire and a shifter of some sort as the main character. No idea if I'll complete them, but we'll see!

Books read for the Vampire Challenge 2011:

1. Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill - review
2. The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod - review
3. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost - review
4. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead - review
5. Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance - review
6. By Midnight by Mia James - review
7. Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen - review
8. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost - review
9. Last Breath by Rachel Caine - review
10...

Books read for the Shifter Challenge 2011:

1. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain - review
2. The Lost Saint by Bree Despain - review
3. Firelight by Sophie Jordan - review
4. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - review
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10...

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-01-21T16:26:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (review copy) - There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable. From Amazon UK

After reading and falling in love with Before I Fall* last year, I was extremely excited to read Delirium - except for one thing; dystopian novels and I don't really get on. There are the odd dystopias I come across that work, but more often than not, I don't enjoy them. I spend too long being angry and annoyed at the world the people live in, and although that's the whole point, I don't like feeling like that for a whole book. But Delirium is by Lauren Oliver. Lauren Oliver! There was no way I couldn't at leat give it a go, and so I warily opened it's pages, and became infected; I fell in love.

For the first few chapters, I was a little worried I wouldn't like it because it was typically dystopian. I was quite shocked. From the blurb, I just thought taking the cure was an option you could take, but you find out pretty soon it's compulsory. In the world our main character Lena lives in, no-one is allowed to love, it's illegal and punishable, in the worst case scenario, by death. Once you reach 18, you take the cure. Students about to graduate are Evaluated so they can find a match for them, and once they have graduated from college, they marry the person they chose from the small selection they were given. Free from love. People are not allowed to speak the word "love", they're not allowed to overly show affection - that means no hugs for friends, or children when they have fallen over. Oh yes, this is not just romantic love that is cured, but all love - familal love and love for friends included. Students are segregated from members of the opposite sex and have to be home before curfew, so there is no intermingling outside of school hours. And when you've had the cure, you're detached, and cold almost. Think Sheldon or Leonard's Mum in The Big Bang Theory, without being extremely intelligent or arrogant - everyone over the age of 18 is like that! It's the type of world I hate and makes me extremely angry.

But then Alex arrived, and the whole tone of the story changed. Lena's world is turned upside down when she starts doubting everything she's believed, everything she knows, and falls in love. And my heart lifted. I can't even begin to tell you just how beautiful this story is. It's probably the most powerful teen romance I have ever read simply because they fall in love against a background which has an extreme lack of love. In most other books, love is normal; it might not be happening for the main character at the beginning, but they live in a world where people have boyfriends and girlfriends, they're allowed to show effection, there is nothing life-threatening about love. But there is in Lena's world, so her falling in love is scary, dangerous, and wrong, but just so right, and beautiful and amazing. This is one forbidden love story (quite literally) that shines a hundred times brighter than all the rest, and it's just gorgeous! I really can't do this book any justice when it comes to the love in it, there just aren't words. It's just... wow, and totally blew me away.

What I also loved about this book was how genius it is. The idea that love could be a disease is quite a logical one when you look at the "symptoms" of falling in love; difficulty focussing, reduced mental awareness, periods of euphoria, changes in appetite, loss of other interests, and so on (p133). All things that people actually experience in real life when they fall in love. To take something like the effects of love, and build a whole story on that... it's just brilliant! I am in awe of Oliver's imagination!

I am also in awe of Oliver's way with words. The language in this book is just beautiful! Oliver is the queen of metaphors, and the language is almost poetic. It really is just beautiful.

"Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don't.
But that isn't it, exactly.
The condemner and the condemned. The executioner; the blade; the last-minute reprieve; the gasping breath and the rolling sky above you and the thank you, thank you, thank you, God.
Love: it will kill you and save you, both." (p352)

Isn't that just wonderful?

The ending is just cruel yet phenomenal! I can't even begin to describe it, but I finished the book wanting to pick the second book up straight away! I need Pandemonium, the sequel, now! However, it isn't released until next year. I have to wait a whole year in this agony of not knowing what happens! I love it, though! I really cannot wait. I cannot recommend this book enough, you need to read it. It might just be top of my list of favourite books.

*Review coming in July as part of Death and Bereavement Month.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.

Published: 3rd February 2011 in the UK, 1st February in the US
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pre-order from Amazon UK
Pre-order from Amazon US
Lauren Oliver's Website

Other reviews:
Writing from the Tub
The Crooked Shelf
Fluttering Butterflies

Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

2011-01-15T15:00:00.002Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (review copy) - A prodigal son. A dangerous love. Haunted yearning...Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood. Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother. As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul. From Amazon UK

I've been meaning to read The Dark Divine for a while, but I had never got round to it. I had always heard great things about it, and the premise had always sounded dark and mysterious, and as I was in the mood for some good YA urban fantasy, I decided to pick it up. This book is so good, I now wish I had read it earlier.

One part that really impressed me was the religious aspect. This book isn't preachy, but Grace being a good Pastor's daughter, religion does come into it. But there was more to it than just the characters being religious; religion linked to the paranormal element of the book. Now, as it's not clear from the blurb on the book or summary above, I'm not going to tell you what the paranormal element is, I don't want to spoil it for you - I didn't know before reading the book myself, though I had suspicions as I was reading. But I did love Despain's take on the mythology, how she incorporated religion into it, and made it completely fascinating! My only problem regarding the paranormal element was how little we "saw" of it in this book, though that is understandable for the mystery of the novel.

The characters were brilliant. Grace was a great characters, always wanting to do the right thing, but never sure what the right thing was; helping Daniel, or staying away so as not to hurt her brother, Jude. Her love for both of them causes such internal conflict for her, it's great watching her struggle to try to work out what she should do. Daniel is hot, mysterious, and troubled, and at the heart of an event that happened three years ago. He was Jude's best friend, but then he suddenly disappeared, and the rest of the family seem to hate him, but will never speak of why, or what happened. He doesn't seem all that keen to divulge any informationa bout it either.

The mystery and intensity of feeling between Daniel and Grace makes up for the fact that we don't witness the beginning of attraction. Grace fell for Daniel years ago, long before the book started, and though we get glimpses of the past and things that happened, we don't see the beginning. But it's still great to see their chemistry. It's not exactly sexual tension, but it's still awesome.

There is more than just the mystery surrounding Daniel and Jude, there are also deaths and people going missing from the town. This is one novel where I didn't work out who it was, I didn't see it coming at all, and it was just brilliant! All the clues were there obviously, but they are so subtle, I didn't work it out. And the ending, with the fantastic action scene! I didn't see that coming either! So, so good, and now I can't wait to read the sequel, The Lost Saint, which will be released 7th March 2011. The Dark Divine is a brilliant book, one I can't recommend enough!

Thank you to Egmont UK for sending me a review copy.

Published: 5th July 2010
Publisher: Egmont UK
Buy from Amazon UK
Buy from Amazon US
Bree Despain's Website

Review: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

2011-01-12T13:28:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (ARC) - Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone - especially herself...Is love a great enough power against evil? From Amazon UK

I picked up this book in the need of a great, powerful supernatural love story. I wanted to be swept off my feet by a romantic story, and spend my whole time smiling - apart from when things got a little dangerous. What I got was a pretty good story, but nothing that blew me away.

Firstly, Alexandra Adornetto was seventeen when she wrote this novel. Seventeen. That's pretty damn amazing, and so is this novel considering her age. The language and amount of detail used was unbelievable. I'm twenty three, and perhaps I'm just not as intelligent as I could be, but I was coming across words that I don't hear every day, some I hadn't heard before. Perhaps I wouldn't even had noticed had I not known the age of Adornetto at the time the book was written, but that was always in the back of my mind, and I can only describe the language as flawless and beautiful, and intelligent! Adornetto's intelligence and knowledge of the English language just shines through this novel. The amount of description she goes into is just incredible; you can perfectly picture every person, every room, every view, everything! Her attention to detail is incredible. It's like she had this clear image of everything in her head, and wanted to make sure her readers saw, heard, felt everything she and her characters did. It really was beautiful, and for this alone, I'd say Adornetto is not just an author but an artist.

The story was very intriguing. At it's basics, it's nothing new. Human and angel fall in love, then something comes along to ruin it all. But it goes much deeper. As opposed to a few other angel novels I could name, none of the angels in this book are bad in any way; they haven't fallen, and they're not feeding off of humans. They are here to do God's work. Because of this, there was a fair amount more regarding religion than I was used to. Perhaps that's the wrong way to put it. Other novels use religious stories as a mythical or folklorish bases to inspire their own. Halo mentions some stories, but leans more towards the religious as faith rather than myth. Being angels sent to earth to do God's work, they obviously believe in God, and Heaven, and know all the stories of the Bible to be true. They pray, they ask for assistance and guidance. It doesn't go into the different religions, but it discusses human belief and understanding of the divine. It was very different from what I expected, and bordered close to being preachy, but didn't quite cross the line. You have to expect that of God's angels though, they are here to bring people closer to God. I just hadn't come across it too much before.

There is more to the story than the emphasism on faith, though. The three angels, Ivy, Gabriel (yes, that Gabriel) and Bethany have been sent to earth because the Agents of Dark have been causing havoc in the world. They are sent to Venus Cove, a sleepy little beach town to take under their care. They start of by trying to encourage a love of community and try to bring people round towards the idea of God. Small things at first, community service, voluntary work, fund raisers - though this is mostly the work of Ivy and Gabriel. Being the only on to have never been to earth before, and being the most human, Bethany gets engrossed in the experiences of human life, and of first love. The Agent of Darkness soon makes his appearance, and things start to turn quite sinister, and everyone is in danger. That's one aspect of the book I really did like, how sinister it became. It really became quite spooky towards the end, and I got right into it.

However, the characters don't have too much in the way of personality. Some of Bethany's friends at school could have been the same person, so alike they were. No-one really seemed to have any actual interests that made them individual. You never really get to know any of the characters all that well. When it comes to hobbies, we know Xavier, the love interest in the story, is into sports at school, and Gabriel discovers surfing, but otherwise, I couldn't tell you much about any of the characters but only basic things. This left me feeling detached from the characters, I didn't know them enough, so I didn't get involved in their lives. At the moments when I should have been sitting on the edge of my seat worried for the lives of the characters, I wasn't that bothered what happened to them, simply because I didn't feel anything for them. This is the one major flaw of this book, I just didn't buy into it. Because of this, the love between Bethany and Xavier never felt real to me. There wasn't any sexual tension, hardly any flirting, just complete and utter adoration that seemed to come out of the blue. It just didn't work for me.

I still enjoyed the book. It kept me turning the pages, and I couldn't put it down - thanks to the wonderful way Adorenetto writes and the plot of the story. I have to say the beginning is just perfect, of Bethany's first experiences of life as a human and things we take for granted; texture, sound, taste. I also loved the way she complains about how limited human language is, how thoughts and ideas go unspoken or misunderstood because there just aren't the words to express properly. Halo is also full of literary references showing how widely read Adornetto is, and I have found myself another favourite poem - Annabell Lee by Edgar Allan Poe.

All in all, a pretty enjoyable book and a great story, just lacking in personality. I would still recommend you give it a go, and I will definitely be on the look out for Hades, the sequel which will be released on 6th October 2011.

Thank you to Macmillan US for sending me a review copy.

Published: 20th January 2011 in the UK, 31st August 2010 in the US
Publisher: Atom in the UK, Feiwel and Friends in the US
Pre-order on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Alexandra Adornetto's Facebook Page

Books Read in 2011

2011-01-11T18:48:00.030Z

I shall be doing things differently this year. Last year I had one list on this blog for my fantasy reading, and one on Once Upon a Bookcase for my fantasy reading. This year, I'm going to list all books on both blogs, so it's easier for me to keep track, yet readers of both blogs can see if they're interested. Now off we go...

1. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
2. The Dark Devine by Bree Despain
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
4. The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
6. Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
7. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
8. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
9. The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod
10. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
11. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
12. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
13. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
14. Della Says: OMG! by Keris Stainton
15. A New Dawn: Your Favourite Authors on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series
16. And By the Way... by Denise Deegan
17. Sharing Sam by Katherine Applegate
18. One Seriously Messed-Up Week in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite by Tom Clempson
19. Bite Club by Rachel Caine
20. Passion by Lauren Kate
21. It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
22. Broetry by Brian McGackin
23. Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
24. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
25. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
26. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
27. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
29. Delores Claiborne by Stephen King
30. Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead
31. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
32. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
33. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
34. Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
35. Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance
36. By Midnight by Mia James
37. Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen
38. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
39. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
40. Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
41. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
42. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
43. The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
44. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
45. The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
46. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
47. Abandon by Meg Cabot
48. Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis
49. Swim the Fly by Don Calame
50. The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
51. Beat the Band by Don Calame
52. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
53. Geekhood by Andy Robb
54. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
55. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
56. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
57. Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Review: Mortal Kiss by Alice Moss

2010-12-23T18:42:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Mortal Kiss by Alice Moss - How much would you sacrifice for just one kiss...

When smouldering Finn and sexy Lucas arrive in Winter Mill, life starts to get very complicated for Faye McCarron.

But two boys battling for her heart is just the start. Soon there’s a dead body in the woods, a motorcycle gang on the prowl, and the snow just won’t stop falling. Something evil is at work, and only Faye and best friend Liz can stop it. As Hallowe’en draws near they must uncover the dark and sinister secret... before it’s too late.

Love paranormal romance, werewolves and ethereal spirits? Then this book is for you! From Amazon UK

I originally read this story when it was serialised on Stardoll, a gaming site for teenagers. Over a period of eight weeks, a chapter was released each day. I found out about it quite late on, when it was almost finished, so I had to catch up over a series of three days. All in all, I quite enjoyed it.

Although I enjoyed it, I would say this is a book aimed at teens at the younger end of the spectrum, 11-14 year olds. Although the characters in the novel are 16, they act very young. Almost every teen girl gets really interested in clothes and make-up at some point, but as they get older, although keeping the interest, they find other things that interest them too. Where as with Faye and her best friend Liz, this is their main interest, and react to things very much like a young teen would. Young teen novels aren't really my thing, so I found this aspect fairly annoying, but I was intrigued by the story so I kept reading anyway.

I quite liked the mythology behind the paranormal aspects of the novel. The history of the werewolves, who and why they are, was pretty intriguing and pretty unique, I thought. There were some aspects, however, ones I can't get into, I felt weren't explored well enough for my liking. It almost felt like no-one asked "why?", it was just accepted that things are like that. I would have liked more detail, more information. There was just enough to keep you reading in the hopes that it would be explained further, but it wasn't. The way the book ended leaves me with the impression that there will be a sequel, so maybe there will be more in next book.

I did like that the story was loosely based on a famous poem by an English poet, I can't tell you which without giving some of the story away. It didn't fit exactly in my opinion, but I still think it was a great way to incorporate such a famous poem into a story for young teens. Hopefully it will get teens interested in poetry!

For myself, I would have prefered it if the characters acted older, I would have believed the story a bit more if they seemed more realistic through their age. I also think the story could have been longer and filled in some of the gaps, but generally, it's a pretty exciting story! It's something I'd much prefer to read as an online story than as a book, though. The style is too young for me, personally, to love in book form. I'd say this is a book you should get your younger sister, then borrow it off her.

Thanks to Random House for sending me a review copy.

Published: 6th January 2011
Publisher: Bantam Books
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US

Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

2010-12-14T22:01:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (review copy) - Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. She's always found this mysterious ability pretty annoying, wishing only that she could reverse it and have some peace. But when her boyfriend, Logan, dies unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections to the dead...

Devastated by Logan's sudden death, Aura realises that her ability to see ghosts might actually be a blessing. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all? But just when Aura is coming to terms with having a ghost as a boyfriend, she starts developing feelings for her new friend Zachary, who is understanding, supportive and, most of all, alive. Each boy holds a piece of her heart - as well as vital cues to the secret of the Shift - and it's time for Aura to choose between loving the living, or embracing the dead... From Amazon UK

I really liked this book! I was really looking forward to reading it, being a huge urban fantasy fan and having wanted to try out Jeri Smith-Ready's adult series previously, and it was so good!

To be honest, I've not read paranormal ghost stories before. I've read books which have ghosts in, but they haven't been the main focus. However, Shade is nothing I would have expected of ghostly paranormal, and, I feel, quite unique. The world she has set up is fascinating and intriguing, and not all questions are answered for the world as a whole, let alone us as readers. Smith-Ready was very clever in how she set out this story. There is a self-contained plot for Shade, about the death of Aura's boyfriend, Logan, and their relationship while he's a ghost. But there is also the bigger picture of the Shift, and the importance of Aura, who was born one minute after the Shift happened, and Zachary, who was born one minute before. Aura wants to find out what caused the Shift, and believes her mother, who died of Cancer when Aura was three, had discovered something, through reading her diaries. The story with Logan is sweet and sad and quite worrying, but it's the bigger picture that kept me reading.

The characters are nice enough, but I didn't adore them. I found Logan to be a little annoying at times, though I felt huge amounts of sympathy for him. Aura is caught between a rock and a hard place in several different ways in this story, and you just want her to make a decision either way, most of the time. Zachary was probably my favourite character, he was just charming and lovely!

There isn't much in the way of action in this book, but that's simply because it's not that type of book. Though there are some close shave when government agents are trying to track Aura down, and there are a few close shaves.

Shade isn't the best book I've read this year, but it was still really enjoyable. I'm really looking forward to reading Shift, the sequel which is released 1st June 2011. I highly recommend this book, it's a quick, enjoyable read!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster UK for the review copy.

Published: 2nd September 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse UK
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Jeri Smith-Ready's Website

Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2010-12-09T18:07:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (review copy) - She can control her pack, but not her heart ...

I wanted him to kiss me, wished he could smell the desire that I knew was pouring off me.
You can't, Calla. This boy isn't the one for you.

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: graduation, marriage and then a life leading her pack. But when she defies her masters' laws to save a human boy, she must choose. Is one boy worth losing everything? From Amazon UK

Wow! Really, just wow! For some reason, despite all the hype surrounding this novel, I wasn't too enthusiastic about reading it. I didn't exactly think I wasn't going to like it, I just didn't expect it to be brilliant. But my word, how it was!

The story and mythology are absolutely brilliant, though nothing is explained to us. This is Calla's world, so, unlike in other novels, Calla doesn't "think" about the world she lives in through the narration to explain things to us. We discover through the first few pages that she can turn into a wolf, she has a pack, and that she shouldn't save the human boy from the grizzly bear. We don't know whether she's wearing clothes or not. We don't know why she shouldn't save the boy, only that it's forbidden. Why? Because she knows the answers to these questions, so has no need to think about them. It's annoying at times, but mostly brilliant. We find things out as the story continues, either through her talking to new boy Shay, or through talking to pack mates; things are unravelled through the conversation. It's brilliant!

As I said, the mythology is brilliant. Calla is not a werewolf, she's a Guardian. Guardians are wolves, warriors that protect the Keepers, magic users who are their masters. A new pack will be formed when Calla is united with Ren, as organised by the Keepers. She's known this her whole life. She's known her job and what her future will be since she was a child, it's the reason of her existance. What's also great is the plot. On the surface, this is a paranormal romance, but as paranomal elements are uncovered, it's something much deeper. And it reminded me a lot of high fantasy. I can't really go into why without spoiling the story, but all the fantasy elements are just fantastic.

The characters are awesome. There are quite a few of them, but they all had their own distinct personalities. There's the young Nightshade pack, which Calla is alpha of, consisting of Bryn, Ansel, Mason and Fey, and then there's the young Bane pack, consisting of alpha Ren, Dax, Sabine, Neville, and Cosette. And they're all awesome, there's all kinds of tension among these group of teenagers, and the pack dynamics versus normal teenage behaviour is great to watch.

But the important characters are Calla, Ren and Shay. Calla is strong, brave, and loyal, yet not entirely comfortable with the future set before her, even though she understands it. She's fantastic, and you can't help liking her! Ren, as I said, is the alpha of the young Bane pack, and he's... well, he's a typical boy, and extremely hot. Unbelievably hot. And Shay is an orphan, human boy who's recently moved to Vail, where the story is set, with his uncle - a man who is extremely important among the Keepers. Who is also pretty hot. The damn novel is hot! The sexual tension between Calla and Ren, and Calla and Shay is at fit to burst levels! It's a wonder this girl doesn't explode! Seriously, sexual tension to give Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick a run for it's money!

The action in this book is brilliant, though it's mostly a tension builder than incredibly written choreography. Although there is a smattering of action throughout the novel, most of it is towards the end, as the main crux of the story is to develop the relationships and learn more about the mystery.

Some pretty serious themes are covered in this book as well, which was unexpected. Themes such as homophobia and abuse of power. There are some moments in this book which are seriously hard to read, and actually left me feeling disgusted and so terribly angry. Although an urban fantasy novel, this is not a "silly little novel" to overlook. This book has powerful messages to share.

I'd say this book has pretty much everything you could want from a YA novel; romance, danger, fear, action, the paranormal, contemporary themes, it has it all! And I loved it! It has a killer of a cliff-hanger, and I am absolutely dying to read the next novel, Wolfsbane, which will be out, according to Goodreads, 7th July 2011! I cannot recommend this book enough. You all need to read it! Simply amazing!

Thank you to Atom for the review copy.

Published: 28th December 2010
Publusher: Atom
Pre-order on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Andrea Cremer's Website

Review: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

2010-12-07T09:00:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (review copy) - WARNING! This is the last book in the Vampire Academy series. I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series, especially the previous book. Do not read any further if you haven't read this series but plan to, and do not wish it to be spoilt for you.

It all comes down to now.
The Queen is dead and the moroi world will never be the same.
Rose Hathaway is awaiting wrongful execution and there exists only one man who can stall this terrible fate. Rose must look to both Dimitri and Adrian, the two great loves of her life, to find him.
With her best friend, Lissa, in a deadly struggle for the royal throne, the girls find themselves forced to rely upon enemies and questioning those they thought they could trust...

But what if true freedom means sacrificing the most important thing of all?
Each other. From the back of the book.

What can I possibly say other than WOW! I am just... completely out of words. I have no idea what I could possibly say or where I could start to make you understand just how brilliant this book is. I am just completely blown away!

As we found out in the end of the last book, Spirit Bound, Rose was framed for the muder of Queen Tatiana - who had left a note for Rose stating that Lissa's father had an illegitamate child that Rose needed to find in order to give Lissa the vote on the Council, or things were going to get worse for all in the Moroi and Dhampir society. So that left three tasks for this book; find the Queen's murderer, clear Rose's name, and finding Lissa's sister.

As with any Vampire Academy novel, there is a fast pace with brilliant action. But there is also extreme emotion, for the characters and the readers. There are some perfect, perfect moments, and some terribly sad moments where you could just cry. Things are much more dangerous for our two girls than they have been before, and the tension is palpable. There is shock after shock as the twists unfold - you will not see these things coming. So much goes on in this novel, new things not even the characters have come across before, and it's hard to see how all of it fit into one 584 page novel. So much that I am going to refrain from going into any sort of detail, because there is just so much you should discover as you read - you're going to thank me!

We do get our answers though. We find out who killed the Queen. We find out who Rose's sibling is. We find out who lives and who dies. We find out the resolution of the love triangle. We find out where Rose and Lissa's lives will head. We find questions that aren't answered, issues that arise, and just a brilliant set up for the next spin of series, and the perfect ending to what has been an incredible series. And I absolutely cannot wait for the next series! We have no info about it yet, except for what Mead says on her website:

"Last Sacrifice will be the last book about Rose, but it'll be followed by a spin-off series still set in the Vampire Academy world. Side characters we know from the current series will now be our main characters, and there'll be a whole new storyline (not the last one told from a different perspective). So far, there is no exact release date, but you can expect it near late summer/early fall of 2011.

At the moment, I'm not allowed to reveal the title, premise, or full cast of characters. I can tell you that it'll be written in third person, so we'll get a number of characters' perspectives. One of them will be Sydney. The others are a secret for now. Also, expect a cameo from Rose. :)"

And after reading this book, I have only three words for you...

BRING IT ON!

Thank you to Razorbill UK for sending me a review copy.

Published: 7th December 2010
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Richelle Mead's Website

My other reviews of the Vampire Academy series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound

Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011

2010-12-01T19:02:00.033Z

Book Chick City is hosting Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011! I'm not a massive fan of Horror, but I do have a few YA Horror novels in my TBR pile, and I looooove urban fantasy, so this is the challenge for me!

So for this challenge, I have to read a minimum of 24 horror and urban fantasy novels through the course of 2011. I'm looking forwad to it!

Books read for the challenge:

1. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
2. The Dark Devine by Bree Despain
3. The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
4. Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
5. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
6. The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod
7. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
8. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
9. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
10. Bite Club by Rachel Caine
11. Passion by Lauren Kate
12. Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
13. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
14. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
16. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
17. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
19. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
20. Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
21. Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance
22. By Midnight by Mia James
23. Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen
24. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
25. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
26. Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
27. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
28. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
29. The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
30. Last Breath by Rachel Caine
31. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
32. Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Review: Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

2010-11-25T18:46:00.001Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Ghost Town by Rachel Caine - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the other books in the series. If you haven't read the previous book and do not want them to be spoiled for you, don't read any further.

This title includes a brand new and exclusive Morganville short story. When Claire is ordered to repair the systems that protect Morganville, it's not just cutting into her study time, it's a life-threatening problem. If there's one thing this vampire-infested town is serious about, it's security. But achieving the impossible only brings a whole new set of problems, and the upgrades have unexpected consequences: people inside the town are slowly beginning to forget who they are, even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment - before she forgets how to save Morganville... From Amazon UK

Oh my god, there are no words to describe the awesomeness that is Rachel Caine and her Morganville Vampires series. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Rachel Caine is, quite simply, a genius. Fact. Every single time I read one of these books, I am blown away by this woman's imagination and how far it stretches. It seems there is no end to what Rachel Caine can think up to put our wonderful Claire, Eve, Shane and Michael through. It is amazing to me that these characters are still alive, let alone sane. Caine sure lands them in a lot of crazy, but, man, you've got to love the crazy that is Morganville!

In Carpe Corpus, Ada - the human turned vampire turned vampire brain controlling the computer/machine that keeps the town running - died, leaving the computer without a brain to control. The boundries that stop people leaving Morganville and the memory loss that effects people who are allowed to leave Morganville aren't working. Amelie is tired of the town being at risk, so she gets Claire and Myrnin to fix it. And they do. Sort of.

But then strange things start happening. People start to get confused and forget things. They try to go to work in places that no longer exist. They go home to houses they no longer live at. They think they're back at school. They think relatives who have died are still around. They lost three years of their lives over the course of a few days. And it's not just the humans, vampires are forgetting too. Not so great for a human when they turn up to see a vampire who now has no recollection of who they are and why they are intruding. Those who were once assistants now become snacks. And because of the machine.

What follows is the crazy I have mentioned before. Seriously, crazy crazy. If you didn't think Morganville was safe before, think again. You have vampires being the kind of vampires we would expect them to be; terrifying, fast, strong hunters who want nothing more than your blood. Which is even worse when one of those vampires happens to be Myrnin, who was never really sane to begin with. Myrnin becomes the most terrifying monster; crazy, mad scientist who likes to play with his food.

Claire has to race against time to get the machine sorted before she forgets herself. And with more and more people around you not knowing who the hell you are, it becomes much more difficult. Not to mention lonely. I can't really say much more without causing lots and lots of spoilers, but this book is quite literally... mad. But amazing. And just completely genius!

There is the amazingly awesome action that you come to expect from a Morganville Vampire novel; fast paced, seriously dangerous, and leaving you on the edge of your seat. There is also a lot of emotion flying all over from everyone; hearts break and people go almost half mad. It's just too brilliant!

This really is an amazing yet unbelievable story from Caine. My jaw was literally dropping when I read the last page, and I'm dying for the next book! The stories just get better and better. If my review isn't enough to make you want to pick this book up, the fact that Ghost Town made the Number One Children's Bestseller List in the UK should!

There is also an exclusive to the UK short story at the back of this book called Worth Living For, which happens between Fade Out and Kiss of Death. Following Shane, it's about the possibility of Michael helping a fugitive, and it's awesome. It's Shane. It's Michael. It's amazing.

And I am so, so, so glad there are three more books before the end of this series, though I would much rather it went on and on. Bring on Bite Club, which is coming out in May 2011!

Published: November 2010
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Buy on Amazon UK
But on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

My Morganville Vampires Series Reviews
Carpe Corpus - Book 6
Fade Out - Book 7
Kiss of Death - Book 8

Other Reviews of Ghost Town
So Many Books, So Little Time

Review: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2010-11-22T15:19:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (review copy) - Pack life is about order, but Bryn is about to push all the limits, with hair-raising results. At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. Now fifteen, Bryn's been as a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule. Little fazes her. But the pack's been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum's orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her parents come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It's Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences. A thrilling new YA adventure, with an electrifying link between a tough heroine and an exciting boy-were at its heart, Raised by Wolves will leave you howling for more. From Amazon UK

Werewolves and the paranormal, you've got to love it. Or you would if you're me. Regular readers of my blog will know how much of a fan I am of all things fantasy and paranormal, so I was really looking forward to reading Raised by Wolves when I picked it up. Having finished reading this book, I'm not sure what I think. I liked the novel, but I wasn't as wowed as I expected to be.

The whole premise of this novel is something I haven't come across before - not in anything other than The Jungle Book. An orphan child, Bryn, is taken in by a pack of werewolves after a rabid wolf attacked and killed her parents and went for her. The alpha of the pack, Callum, Marked her (read: bit), and through doing so, created a bond between her and the rest of the pack. If she doesn't keep her walls up, Bryn will be mentally connected to every single wolf in the pack. She knows pack law, she knows about dominance and she knows she isn't really one of them, but it's the only life she knows.

It's intriguing. For the purpose of the world building, the pace starts off fairly slow. The reader needs to find out about the alpha, about the pack, about Bryn's place in it. The reader needs to know enough about this world to get why, when things start happening, something isn't right. That isn't to say that the world building is dull, it's really interesting finding out the rules and positions of the characters in the book. The only thing is, when things do start happening, the plot's pace gets only a little quicker, and stays there for most of the story. There aren't too many highs or lows, and though it's still a good story, it wasn't as action packed as I was expecting for a werewolf book.

There were times when the book started to remind me of some of my favourite adult urban fantasies; the Shifters series by Rachel Vincent, and the first book in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, Halfway to the Grave. The plot is in no-way similar to these other novels, but aspects of the novel reminded me of them. The training, the way the werewolves shift. There was enough to make the meerkat in me stand to attention and rekindle my interest. But they were only moments.

The climax of the book, how things went, was a complete surprise to me. I didn't see any of it coming, and thought it was a pretty awesome twist, but it ended to quickly for me. I turned the last page expecting more. The danger didn't feel that dangerous, the love didn't feel that powerful. The book just generally wasn't as exciting as I was hoping it would be. Still, as I said, I did enjoy it, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in the next book in the series, Trial by Fire.

Thank you to Quercus for sending me a review copy.

Published: 16th September 2010
Publisher: Quercus
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Website

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

2010-11-15T09:00:00.000Z

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Matched by Ally Condie (review copy) - On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her Match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life. Except he’s not. In Cassia’s society, Officials decide who people love. How many children they have. Where they work. When they die. But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own. And that’s when her whole world begins to unravel... From Amazon UK

When I first heard about this book, I was so intrigued! A book where the government chooses who you spend the rest of your life with?! This has got to be worth reading! Now I'm finished, I have to say, I was pretty disappointed.

The plot is pretty fascinating; a world set way in the future, where everyone is governed by probability and statistics. They live a way an "optimal" life as worked out by Society. They are Matched with the optimal partner, to produce optimal, healthy offspring. They eat what Society has found to give them the optimal nutrients to keep them healthy - regardless of taste. They are given the job they will do best at - the possibility of them may not liking it doesn't come into it. They die when Society states they've lived an optimal life, and it's probable that they will deteriorate and have a less than optimal life from that time onwards. The perfect life, right? Where everyone has what's best for them, live the best life they can? No!

There is no free will. It seems like there is, but there isn't. How they spend their free recreation hours on a Saturday evening is up to them - as long as it's either games, a showing, or going to the music hall. They get to have a free summer activity which they can choose - but involves them doing work. Society declared their culture was too cluttered, so everything was sorted, so there are now the Hundred Songs, the Hundred Paintings, the Hundred Poems, etc. Everything is controlled. Everything is worked out. Society considers all possible factors, and predicts the probability of even everyone's reactions to different events, their behaviour, and the type of person they will be. It's Big Brother gone mad.

This book is all about fighting, striving for change, for the right to choice and free will. What I liked most was the power that words held for Cassia. During his Death Banquet, Cassias grandfather gives her paper with two poems on them. Grandfather's own Grandmother was one of the people who were called to sort out the poetry and narrow it down to just the Hundred Poems. She stole some, and handed them down. These poems hold such importance for Cassia; not just because they are forbidden, but because of what they tell you - to fight. Society has also forbidden writing, so no-one ever learns how to write. They have their Scribes, where they can type, but they can't write with their hands. Ky, one of the guys who lives in her borough, can. And he teaches her. First, Cassia learns to write her name, and it's such a powerful moment, of almost ownership - she can write her own name. All these acts of rebellion - forbidden writing, forbidden poems, rebellion actually in the poem, and eventually, forbidden love - spark something inside Cassia. It's great to see her change from someone who believes in the Society, and that it keeps them safe, that they all live good lives, to someone who questions everything she knows.

However, apart from Ky, I didn't find the characters believable. They were two dimensional as opposed to three dimensional. I didn't feel anything for them, because there wasn't enough to make me feel. I was indifferent to everyone except Ky. I think this was also because of the pace. It's not fast or slow, it's average. And there's no real suspense. It all seems to be chugging along on on flat level. No rollercoaster in this book. At the beginning, I was intrigued, but then, until things started to develop with Ky, and we learned more about him, and the importance of words, I just wasn't interested, and, to be frank, bored. I read on because I can't start a book and not finish it. I just can't do it. But if I did, I would have stopped reading. I also think I've discovered that dystopian novels aren't really my thing. There may be a few dystopian novels that I like, but as a genre, I don't think it's my cup of tea.

I must say, it is the kind of book I think will make an amazing movie, so I'm really glad there will be a chance to see it on the big screen!

However, there is a lot about this novel that fans of dystopian will love. The way people are governed, the technology, the sheer wrongness of it all that makes a dystopian. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will - and who have - loved this book. I suggest you check out some other reviews of Matched (see below) before you decide just by my review. Matched could have turned out to be such an amazing boook, it had a lot of promise, it just unfortunately fell flat for me.

Thank you to Puffin for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2nd December 2010
Publisher: Puffin
Pre-order on Amazon UK
Pre-order on Amazon US
Ally Condie's Website

Other reviews of Matched:
I Was a Teenage Book Geek
Fluttering Butterflies
Pure Imagination

Review: Angel by L. A. Weatherly

2010-10-28T17:56:00.002+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Angel by L. A. Weatherly (review copy) - Willow knows she s different from other girls. And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into peoples futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where she gets this power from... But Alex does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows Willows secret and is on a mission to stop her. The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous and irresistible. In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy. From Amazon UK

I was so excited to read Angel when I received it to review. I had heard nothing but extremely enthusiastic praise, and it sounded amazing! Plus, on top of that, it involved angels, and I can't get enough of them lately. So I picked it up expecting to be wowed, and thankfully, I was.

Willow, our main character, is psychic and can tell the future. She just thinks she has a gift, but in reality, she's a half angel. And Alex, an Angel Killer assassin, has been sent by the CIA to kill her. Cue a whole lot of trouble coming Willow's way. Why? Because angels aren't exactly the nicest beings around. Yet Willow might be the only person who can save humanity.

Angel mythology in this book is pretty awesome, and it creeped me out when I first started reading. Angels are coming into our world to feed. They feed off of human energy. Which means they appear to humans in their angel form - gloriously beautiful, amazing winged humanoid beings seemingly made of brillliant white light, touch the human and absorb their energy, while the human is... well, completely blissed out and amazed and filled with wonder. They come to adore angels and want to be "blessed" by them, not realising that they're suffering from angel burn, which will lead to serious illness - physical or mental - and eventually death. Vampirism in it's most freaky form, if you ask me. I was actually really disturbed while reading. Seriously unsettling.

The action in the book is pretty great too. Almost throughout, there's a sense of urgency to keep moving, to keep safe, and when the fighting does happen, it's fast, it's violent, it's dangerous, and oddly beautiful, with these angels flying around. And you wouldn't believe how violent angel fanatics can be when they're told there's a threat to their precious angels. he climax to the story is so fast paced and suspenceful, you're sitting on the edge of your seat. It's huge! Seriously, the action and the mythology are enough to keep you turning every page.

If I'm fair though, there was some disappoint me for me. The anticipation of seeing whether or not Willow and Alex will get together was brilliant. The tension, the yearning, the trying to fight it - it was all fantastic, and had me practically begging to just get to it already. But once they did, it all got kind of cheesy, in my opinion. There was too much gazing and touching and repeating the same things. One would ask a question about their feelings, only to be asked it themselves a few paragraphs later. There were several pages of non-stop clichéd swooning. I stopped believing it. It just didn't feel true to the characters who had so much chemistry and tension beforehand. It was just too much for me.

Saying that, I still loved the story. It was addictive, it was different, unique, and the plot was just brilliant! Despite the romance part letting me down, the paranormal part was just genius, and I'm really looking forward to the second book in the series, Angel Fire, which will be released in June 2011. A pretty awesome story, definitely worth a read!

Thank you to Usborne for sending me a review copy.

Published: 1st October 2010
Publisher: Usborne
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Angel Fever Website

Halloween Interview with Rachel Vincent

2010-10-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

Today, I have a Halloween mini-interview with Rachel Vincent, author of the Shifters series and just released Alpha to celebrate this freaky month!

Have you had any creepy real life experiences?

Nope! My life is frighteningly normal. Which is probably why I write fantasy. ;)

Every year you make a Haunted Gingerbread House. How did this tradition start?

We’ve been making traditional Christmas gingerbread houses for six or seven years now, and a few years ago, I saw a Halloween magazine (the kind with recipes and crafts and stuff) with a haunted gingerbread house on the cover, and I thought it was a great idea. So now, it’s my first official holiday baking project every year.

Our first one was more of a shack than anything, but they’ve gotten more and more complicated over the years. In fact, we’re assembling and decorating this year’s Haunted Gingerbread House tonight. It’ll probably be up on my blog before this post goes live. ;)

**It did, and you can see it here.**

What is your favourite horror story and why?

Horror story? Like, horror novel? It, by Stephen King. Hands down. I’m a huge King fan, and IMO, that’s the scariest thing he ever wrote. An exploration of childhood fears personified, and the hook is that in the book, none of the characters outgrew them. Well, that, and their fears were real. ;)

What was your favourite Trick or Treat costume as a kid?

I actually haven’t been able to find a single picture of me dressed for Halloween as a kid. And I can only remember one costume—my last one. The year I was eleven or twelve, I dressed up as a hobo-clown, and I refused to wear my glasses because I thought they’d mess up my face paint. So I was blind. I actually fell into a ditch full of wet leaves. ;)

Can you tell us about the werewolf movie drinking game your characters play in the Shifters series, and have you ever played it?

Ha! I’m always surprised when I get questions about that. That started off as a joke between me and my husband. We were watching...I think it was The Howling...and noticed an abundance of werewolf clichés, and my husband mentioned that the movie would be impossible as a drinking game, because if you had to take a shot for every cliché spotted, you’d be drunk before the opening credits.

I thought that was hilarious, and decided to use it in Stray, which I was rewriting at the time. Only in the book, as a world-building element, instead of werewolf clichés, I used howls. Because in my Shifters world, werewolves are extinct—they were hunted out of existence because they were too stupid to quit howling all the time. Which is my addition to the age old debate over which housepet is better, dogs or cats.

In case it isn’t clear, I’m a cat person. ;)

Rachel Vincent is the author of Alpha, part of her Shifter’s series about a pride of werecats which is out now from MIRA books £6.99. For more information on Rachel’s books visit http://www.nocturnbites.co.uk/

Thank you Rachel for taking the time out to answer my questions! Check out Rachel's website and her blog, and if you haven't yet, read my review of Alpha.

News: Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin Cover

2010-10-23T18:31:00.005+01:00

I am ECSTATIC to share with you the cover for Lisa Shearin's next novel, Con & Conjure, which will be released in 29th March 2011.

Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin - My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker who finds lost things and missing people. My relatives, on the other hand, steal things. They’re the most notorious criminal family in the seven kingdoms. Sometimes I wonder if they have the right idea, especially since what I’ve found lately is likely to get me killed. And the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone that has given me unlimited power, is to blame for every last bit of it.

Ever since the Saghred bonded to me, the goblin king and the elven power brokers have wanted to possess its magic themselves. But to get it, they’ll have to get me, and their pockets are deep enough to make that happen. With the help of my highly qualified family, I’ve rigged the perfect con—one that will financially ruin the elves who are spoiling for war. My family’s run elaborate scams before, but none involving this much money, government officials this highly ranked, or a war this close to starting. In our way is a goblin thief who’s after the Saghred, and my ex-fiancé—an elven assassin who may be after me. I broke up with him. Let’s just say it could have gone better.

If either the goblins or the elves get their hands on the Saghred, they have every intention of using it. Which means total annihilation will be inevitable… From LisaShearin.com

HOW GORGEOUS IS IT?! And it's got my title on! In case you don't know, I won a competition to name this book! AND THERE IT IS ON THE COVER!

Go, I don't even want to imagine how good itt must feelfor an actual author to see their book's cover, because I only named it and I can barely sit still! :D

Review: Alpha by Rachel Vincent

2010-10-22T17:43:00.006+01:00

Alpha by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! This is the sixth and final book in the Shifters series. I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous books in the series. Read no futher if you plan on reading the Shifters series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Power, revenge, and justice - prepare yourself for the final battle! In the final chapter of "The Shifters Series", Faythe and her Pride must fight a tyrannical werecat intent on taking over the territorial council, and the south-central Pride in particular. It's down to Faythe to take on the role of Alpha before she feels completely ready for the job. Forced to rise to the occasion, Faythe must balance experience, advice, and the urge for vengeance. She must also finally choose between Marc and Jace...No decisions will be is easy, and not everyone will survive this epic fight to the death. From Amazon UK

As the final book in the Shifters series, I was really looking forward to reading Alpha yet not at the same time. I'd get to find out all the answers to the questions left over from previous books, but I'd also have to say goodbye to Faythe, Marc, Jace, and everyone else. Now I've finished it, I can only say this: what an amazing way to end the series!

All those ends get tied up; we find out who ends up being the head of the territorial council, we find out who Faythe chooses between Marc and Jace, and we find out the outcome of the war. And I can't tell you how amazing it is! I actually think "amazing" is a bit of an understatement.

What I loved most about this book is the politics. Alpha is as action packed as all the other books in the series, but it also has a lot of decision making, organising, strategising, and a lot of Faythe having to use her head. But it's not all plain sailing. Vincent drops stumbling block after stumbling block in Faythe's path, causing her to re-think, re-group, restart. Faythe's strength in such impossible situations is incredible, especially when you consider the emotional turmoil she's also under.

Marc and Jace find it difficult to wait for Faythe to make her mind up over who she wants, and what's so difficult is she loves them both so much. There are a few times throughout the novel when one or the other's reactions to certain events made me think I knew who Faythe would end up choosing, but then wonder if they were just red-herrings, so I was never really sure who would end up being Faythe's guy. I won't say whether I was happy or not with who she ended up choosing, because that may give it away, but I will say it was emotional and heart-wrenching to read Faythe try and make a decision.

There were a few other emotional events throughout the book that would have left me in floods of tears if it weren't for the fact that I was at work at the time and couldn't be unprofessional. No-one writes such excruciating scenes like Vincent. The agony that these characters go through emotionally is just so raw, it's literally painful to read.

The action in this book is just phenomenal. Really. The war is just terrifying in that everything is happening so fast in so many places, you don't know who's hurt, who's dead, who's alive. Having read the previous books in the series, I know that violence and gore are to be expected, but Alpha takes it to a completely new level. I didn't think I could be shocked by the violence that I read, or by the actions of some of the disgustingly evil antagonists, but I was, time and time again.

But now it's finished. I closed the book feeling extremely happy with how the story ended, but so, so sad that that was it. That there would be no more from Faythe and her family. I get so emotionally involved in books, and in this series especially, that I actually feel that friends have died. I finished reading right before going to bed, and I laid there not sleeping for ages, not being able to get the story out of my head. As sad as it may sound, I miss them all already.

This is not a book to be missed! It might possibly be my favourite of the series. Vincent has far surpassed my expectations, and my awe of her has no limit, it seems. An incredible finale from an incredible author. I seriously cannot wait to see what adult series Vincent brings us next.

Thank you to Midas PR for the review copy.

Published: 1st October 2010
Publisher: Mira
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

My reviews of the other books in the Shifters series:
Stray
Rogue
Pride
Prey
Shift

Other reviews of Alpha:
Sarah's Book Reviews

Review: Bloodline by Kate Cary

2010-10-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Today, I have a guest review from my good friend, Adam Page. This book was sent to me for review, but isn't really my thing, so Adam kindly agreed to read and review it. This is Adam's first ever review, so be nice!

Bloodline by Kate Cary (review) - WARNING! This is a sequel to Dracula by Bram Stoker. This book cannot be reviewed without spoiling Dracula. Read no further if you plan on reading Dracula and don't want it spoiled for you.

This is the original vampire romance: go back to where the bloodlust began! When nineteen-year-old John Shaw returns from World War I, he is haunted by nightmares - not only of the horrors of battle, but of the brutal midnight exploits of his superior, Captain Quincey Harker. When Harker appears unexpectedly in England and lures John's sister, Lily, to Transylvania, John must confront the truth. Only the love of pure Mary can save him from Count Dracula's poisonous bloodline. But the line goes further than John and Mary can possibly imagine. A new seductive evil walks among the living... From Amazon UK

Bram Stoker's 1897 novel ‘Dracula’ is a work that resists classification even now. Some say it is straight vampire literature, others that it is horror fiction, a gothic novel or even a dark romance. The debate rages even today among various chat rooms, message boards and fan sites. Indeed, many bookshops seem at a loss as to where to stock it. Wander around a few in your local town and you will see it on the shelves of general fiction, horror, love stories and teen.

Whatever the classification, no-one can deny that this novel is a classic of the time, and thanks to the surge in vampire fiction on recent years, continues to sell.

113 years after ‘Dracula’ was published, Kate Cary, one of the authors of the ‘Warrior’ series, has published ‘Bloodline’. A direct sequel to ‘Dracula’ it is a very ambitious project and certainly not one to be undertaken lightly.

Set in 1916, in the trenches of World War One, it features the descendants of characters established in ‘Dracula’. We have nineteen year old John Shaw, communications officer who translates German radio messages, his commander Quincy Harker who is the son of Jonathan and Mina Harker, Mary Seward , daughter of Dr. John Seward and now running her father’s sanatorium.

It is an epistolary novel, like the first, written in journal entries, newspaper cuttings and letters. When used well, this technique balances believability and dramatic tension. The reader is aware of everything going on in the story and the pace moves along at a steady speed. In ‘Bloodline’ the pacing is somewhat erratic and you don’t believe you are reading a journal. At times, Cary slips into writing first-person narrative. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is jarring to read in the middle of a journal entry: ‘“I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean...” I stammered.”
The reader is pulled out of the story. And while the original novel was sometimes guilty of this, I do not think characters breaking out of a vampires castle would stop to write their journals.

I think my main point of contention was in the reappearance of Mina Harker. Fans of the original novel will recall her redemption at the climax. When she was brought into the story here, I found myself reading back a few pages to see if I had missed anything. The Mina of ‘Dracula’ and the Mina of ‘Bloodline’ share markedly few similarities. Also, she is no longer married to Jonathan Harker but to a character I really didn’t expect. This could so easily have been a positive point but it felt almost shoe-horned into the plot as a way to shock the audience. But I must admit I just felt incredulous. A shocking plot twist at this point could have been done, and done well but unfortunately this failed to deliver. And her actions towards the books climax almost made me give up reading. Definitely not in keeping with the established character. At times it felt like Cary was writing a sequel to Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Dracula’.

Granted, I am hardly the books target audience. I am a 25 year old male and this is aimed at the Young Adult group. But I must be honest and say I found the characters as almost cardboard cut-outs with no development, the plot was quite contrived and far too “Hollywood style” with questions about a main characters paternity. And by the end I just did not care about the characters.

I think the main problem is that Cary has undertaken a monumental task. Writing a sequel to one of the most iconic horror novels is no easy task and unfortunately she falls far short. As I was reading, that was always in my head. I am a huge fan of the original novel and this book just did not work as a sequel. However, read as a stand-alone Young Adult book, it isn’t the worst. As with the original novel, it has romance, horror and action-adventure. But it could have been so much more.

Thank you to Egmont UK for sending a review copy.

Published: 4th October 2010
Publisher: Egmont UK
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Kate Cary's Website

News: Jeaniene Frost Contracted for Two More Night Huntress Novels and Vlad Series!

2010-10-10T19:36:00.003+01:00

Yes, you read right! Jeaniene has just announced there will be nine Cat and Bones books, and Vlad will get a series of his own! Jeaniene said this on her blog:

"Well, I am thrilled to announce that I will be writing two more novels for the Night Huntress series, ending Cat and Bones’s storyline now at book nine instead of seven. AND, if that wasn’t enough to make my day, I am also contracted to write the first two books in a new series featuring – you guessed it – Vlad as the hero and a new character named Leila as the heroine."

You can read more on this announcement on Jeaniene's blog.

This makes me super excited! More Cat and Bones! And Drac gets his own series! I love Drac! I love Bones! I love Cat! I am ecstatic! :D

Review: Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

2010-10-02T14:40:00.002+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling (review copy) - "You have half our gifts, I have the other..."

When English girl Sky, catches a glimpse of bad boy Zed in her new American high school, she can't get him out of her head. He talks to her with his thoughts. He reads her mind. He is the boy she will love for ever. Dark shadows stalk her past but a new evil threatens her future. Sky must face the dark even if it means losing her heart. From Amazon UK

This book was just so good! There are quite a lot of YA paranormal romances around these days, a lot of vampires, werewolves and angels. I love them all, but in Finding Sky, we have something new; Savants. People with special abilities. You know that question people sometimes ask - if there's any super power you could have, what would it be? A fair number of responses you could come up with are found in the pages of this book.

There was something strangely unique to this storyline, even though at it's very basic level, it's not completely different from other stories we know. Girl moves to new place, makes friends, and is drawn to this rude guy who isn't all he seems. Boy and girl fall in love, then bad stuff happens. How many books can you think of that that sounds like? The thing is, it works! How many of those same books are huge among their fans? And I think Finding Sky will be the same. But as I said, there's something strangely unique about the story. Could it be the characters, who seem like they've stepped out of a movie and into the pages of a book, they're THAT lifelike? OR the beautiful scenery? Or the whole idea of what the Benedicts do, that leads to the conflict? I have got to say, that is just genius! Superheroes in their own right!

Although I've just said "superheroes", do not think Spiderman, Superman, Batman, or any other "insert here"-man. They have ordinary lives too. Zed is the bad boy at the school; staggeringly gorgeous, never looks twice at any girl in town, and treats everyone like crap - yet there's something else to him. Think Alex Fuentes, but with a special ability. Ok, I know to some, liking Zed to Alex Fuentes is going to cause them to think, "Yeah, right!" But I'm serious. Really.

Then there's Sky. She's short, has a silly name (Sky Bright - she's heard it all before), and has a dark past she's blocked out. She has her quirks; she daydreams and enjoys thinking of things in storyboard/comic form, but she also has a mind of her own. For a good part of the book, she doubts what she is being told. Special powers? Yeah, ok. She's Zed's Soulfinder - the one and only for those with special abilities, mate for life? Oh, come on, life is not a fairy tale. This is all just some clever ploy to make a fool out of her. And I love her for it! This is the first time I've really seen a YA paranormal romance protagonist really fight against believing the impossible, and it's so refreshing!

There are lots of other characters that are awesome, but if I went on about them, it would take too long. I will just say bom-chika-wow-wow about Zed's brothers, Trace, Uriel, Victor, Will, Xavier and Yves! Sally and Simon, Sky's parents, are lovely and wacky. And Sky's friends Tina, Nelson and Zoe are just too cool! Love them all!

I've touched on the plot and the conflict. I really can't go into anymore detail without spoiling the book for you, but it's just brilliant! I can only think of one series of books that comes anywhere close, but that's only by a little bit. Seriously, brilliantly unique, and I really hope there are more books that follow, because there are so many avenues to go down!

Like what else can the Savants do? Why are they called "Savants"? Who else is in the Savant Net? What happened before there was a Savant Net? There are just so many places Stirling could take this, and I want more! Especially more of those Benedict boys!

If I was to give one criticism, there's a little less of what I'm going to call romantic description than I'm used to. A kiss in this book can last one sentence, where a kiss has had it's own paragraph in other books. I can understand the attraction of Zed, but there isn't a huge deal about how awesome it is being with him. Though there are lots of cuddles, which is always good. It's not a big deal, and doesn't ruin the book, just a tiny niggle.

All in all, a fantastic debut novel, a brilliant addition to YA paranomal romance, and a book you should all pick up! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for further books by Joss Stirling - who happens to be one of us Brits! Yes, a brilliant YA paranormal romance by a Brit! Who'd have thought it?

Thank you to OUP for sending me a review copy.

Published: 7th October 2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Book Depository
Joss Stirling's Website

Other Reviews of Finding Sky:
Narratively Speaking
Portrait of a Woman
Girls Without a Bookshelf

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2010-10-01T09:00:00.000+01:00

X-posted from Once Upon a Bookcase.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous books in the series. Do not read any further if you plan on reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and don't want spoilers.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge... The thrilling final instalment of this ground-breaking trilogy promises to be one of the most talked-about books of the year. From Amazon UK

After being reminded how amazing this series is when I finished Catching Fire, I immediately picked up Mockingjay and got stuck in*, and all I can say is wow!

I really don't know where to start. I cannot believe how much happened in this novel. I would be reading at later points in the book, and realise what Katniss was talking about happened earlier in Mockingjay, not in another book. Seriously, so much goes on, and it spans quite a period of time, I'm amazed it all fit in one book. And as you would hope for the finale in such a spectacular series, there is action and suspense like you wouldn't believe! And there is no way I can really talk about any of it without spoiling the story, because it starts right from the beginning.

Katniss' journey in Mockingjay is probably a lot more chaotic than in previous ones. The range of emotions she goes through, the thing she has to witness and experience, the choices she has to make, the goals she achieves - it's just phenomenal, especially when you think that she is just 17 and has been forced into this life. She might just be one of my favourite protagonists, I love her!

As the book is the finale, things are resolved. We find out if Katniss chooses Peeta or Gale. We find out whether the Capitol is beaten or not. Did Mockingjay end how I wanted it to? I'm not sure, simply because I couldn't think of an ending I wanted. This series is just so complicated and so real, I couldn't picture an ending. But my god, what an end to the series! I really don't know what to say. I absolutely loved it, and I think Suzanne Collins is just a genius. This has got to be one of the best series ever written.

*As a lot of bloggers were all posting their reviews around the same time, I have held mine back. But I did read Mockingjay closer to it's release date.

Thank you to Scholastic for sending me a review copy.

Published: 25th August 2010
Publisher: Scholastic
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Suzanne Collins' Website
The Hunger Games UK Site

My reviews of the other books in the series:
The Hunger Games on Ink and Paper
Catching Fire

Other reviews:
So Many Books, So Little Time
Empire of Books
The Crooked Shelf

Rachel Vincent Over on Bitten By Books!

2010-09-29T21:26:00.003+01:00

Rachel Vincent is over on Bitten By Books all day answering questions! She is also awesomely giving away signed copies of ALL her books, Shifters and Soul Screamers series, including an ARC of My Soul to Steal! Nine books! Get over there and check it out!