Mar 31, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill, that spotlights releases that we're eagerly anticipating."

This week I have :
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: April 6 2010
Hardcover, 400 pages
ISBN-13 978-0061662836

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.



Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Release Date: May 4 1010
Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN-13 978-0441018642

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

Contest Alert--at BBB


There's a contest over at BBB, Melissa Marr was going to hang out for the day and answer questions about her new release and other things, but due to her busy schedule she couldn't make it. However there are a series of questions that she answered and they were all pretty good! Lots of info to take in too.

Plus there is still a contest! Yes, you can still have a chance to win a signed copy of Radiant Shadows, not scheduled to release until April 20 2010!

So head on over contest ends 4/2/10 at 11:59 Central.

More good news, within the BBB Q/A Melissa posted a schedule tour of where she's going for the Radiant Shadows release and she's coming to St. Louis! Another big surprise! Usually authors skip my town, but now I have 2 coming in 1 calendar year!!

Mar 30, 2010

Review--Inside Out


KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN. DON'T GET NOTICED. OR ELSE.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at rise is my own...until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Only took me a little over a day to read Maria's debut in her new YA series, Inside Out! It was fantastic!

I'm going to admit, I was a little confused at first. In the beginning there is a lot of new vocab that just didn't make sense at first, I was trying to see where Trella lived, what her life was like and what she does on a daily basis. What made it confusing was I couldn't figure out where it was that she lived, it seemed complicated what with talks of levels, but soon it becomes easier to understand the layout of the place.

The characters were excellent, Trella is amazing young girl, she's 17, and kind of a loner except for one friend, Cog, who is a very well loved guy. I guess you could call him Joe Cool in a way, he's funny, nice, everyone loves him, Trella is the opposite. Where Cog believes in the idea that one day he, along with Trella and the other Scrubs who work the lower levels of this place will be saved, there is the Gateway that is basically the ideal paradise where everyone lives in harmony and equality. Trella doesn't believe in the Gateway though.

But when a new Scrub comes from the Upper levels and starts spouting off more ideas about the Gateway and its existence, claiming to have proof, Trella is tricked in a way, to help him retrieve some disks--mostly so she can prove to Cog that Broken Man is wrong. But that's where the trouble begins.

Soon everything goes into chaos, and Trella is caught in the middle while trying to not get caught by the Pop Cops. Along the way she ends up befriending an Upper, someone who lives in the Upper levels. And she learns a great deal of more information than she would like, all while leading a revolution as the BOC says. Trella starts as a non-believer, but soon becomes the leader.

It was amazing! And the secrets that are within the story are mindblowing! I tell you, I didn't see any of them coming really. I mean one probably should have been obvious, but I just didn't see it or think about it. And then another one was just like whoa! And somethings that were said early make sense in regards to this BIG secret that I cannot reveal.

Inside Out has a sort of futuristic quality going on, at least that's what I think. The name for all the gizmos that Trella and her friends--she makes new friends--use are pretty complex. A year is never given, but I think it's safe to say that it is sometime in the future.

The characters are all different and flavorful. There are "geeky" guys, "fun" guys, "mysterious" guys, "the weird old dude", "the b*tchy commander" and tons more! It was refreshing to see such different characters.

Also since there is this hierarchy structure to the Uppers and Scrubs, there are rules and certain jobs that are also added in. The Scrubs basically do the work, but just the way that these people live is interesting...I mean it's horrible too because the Scrubs are treated poorly, but...it's hard to explain exactly without giving anything away.

There are a few surprises near the end as well, besides the BIG secret that I cannot mention. There are a few others too. And the ending, while it is satisfying in some ways, still leaves you craving for more. Because while some things were wrapped up, there are a list of new developments that arise that will have to be taken care of in Outside In, coming out at the beginning of next year according to Maria.

Again, I highly recommend this book, not only because I love Maria's books, but her writing style is just wonderful! She creates these different worlds--literally in her adult series--that you just get sucked into. I could've finished this yesterday but I had some homework that got in the way. Her books are that good, I lose track of time when reading her adult books and the same goes for her new YA one as well. I am looking forward to reading more of Trella and her friends. So, again, if you are looking to get lost into a good book, into a different world where almost anything can happen then Maria's books are for you. Her Study series and Glass series--the adult ones, seem to be set in the past (a good assumption since there is no electricity or other technology involved) and her YA series has a more futuristic quality to them. So pick your poison! ;)

Maria's adult books

The Study Series:
Poison Study
Magic Study
Fire Study

The Glass Series:
Storm Glass
Sea Glass
Spy Glass--coming September 1, 2010!

Cover Art--from Jocelynn Drake

I meant to post this earlier, but I forgot. Jocelynn released the cover for Pray for Dawn over the weekend. In case you haven't seen it yet, here it is. It's been floating around on other blogs too. This one is bound to be good because Danaus is the narrator of this story. Mira is still there, but Danaus narrates. This releases June 29, 2010 and then the next one Wait for Dusk comes out July 27, 2010!

Here's the BOC:
Pray for salvation… Pray for daylight…

Murder has pulled Mira out of the shadows and back into the living world…
As the fire-wielding enforcer of the Nightwalker Coven wrestles with the mind-destroying ghosts of her dark past, the slaying of a senator’s daughter in Savannah threatens to expose her kind to the brilliant light of day. The dawn of chaos has come. The naturi have broken free of their eternal prison to feed on the defenseless and unbelieving of an unprepared Earth.
Mira and Danaus—vampire and vampire slayer—must unite to prevent the annihilation of their separate races. But for Danaus the challenge is intensified, for he must also fight the bori who covets his soul. And Mira, the Nightwalker he must protect—whose power is the Earth’s last hope—is rapidly going insane.

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday time again. I almost have this one finished, so check back later today for a review. It's really good! I love Maria's work and this is her first YA series as well. More on that later in my review!

Rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Turn to a page
3. Pick out two sentences that are SPOILER free
4. Name the book and author so others can have the correct info to buy it

"Even faced with punishment, he still kept quiet. A strange sensation rolled through me--relief mixed with... I couldn't name it. Odd." p93

*Okay that was three, but it was just one little word!

TITLE: Inside Out
AUTHOR: Maria V. Snyder
GENRE: Futuristic Fantasy--YA
RELEASE DATE: 4/1/2010--but you can find it now

Mar 29, 2010

Contest Alert--at BBB

Today at Bitten By Books Jaye Wells is stopping by for a chat, there's a vlog to watch and then she'll answer any questions you may have about writing or the books or whatever! The prize is a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card--which you can use to buy her book! Although the book releases tomorrow and there's no way I would want to way real long to buy it since I just re-read Red-Headed Stepchild and cannot wait to read The Mage in Black.

Head on over to BBB and enter today! Contest ends 3/30/10 at 11:59PM Central.

Mar 28, 2010

Review--Soulless


ALEXIA TARABOTTI IS LABORING UNDER A GREAT MANY SOCIAL TRIBULATIONS.

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinister whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Finished Gail Carriger's debut novel, Soulless, last night and it was amazing! I heard good things about it from other bloggers, but wasn't entirely sure if I would like but decided to give it a shot. The time place being in the 19th century made me wary, because I was expecting something...I don't know, awkward even though the book was written in 2009, but I did NOT see that at all! This book reads wonderfully, Ms. Carriger writes in way that is both 21st century and 19th century.

Told in third person from different perspectives at different times--which seems complicated but it really does flow wonderfully--the characters use terms or phrases that you would never hear today but it works for the novel and is so easy to comprehend what they are saying and mean! It was seriously wonderful! I do not think that this book could have worked if it was told in today's time in the same location. Alexia being a "spinster" is one reason. Today lots of women her age are single and are not seen as a disgrace to the family.

Alexia's family is a handful, two half-sisters who are the gems of the family and a mother who does not know how to act her age are enough to drive Alexia crazy. And when Lord Maccon begins to pay visits to the house to discuss the case that the BOC talks about, oh boy, does that make her family curious and they press Lord Maccon to marry Alexia instantly!

The relationship of Lord Maccon and Alexia is very good, it's not that they start out hating one another, they just have one of those friendships where they trade witty banter, almost name-calling but not quite. You can tell by this alone that they are attracted to one another. That and the BOC's description of Lord Maccon are more proof to that.

The secondary characters are wonderful, there is a vampire that Alexia is friends with who is very comical. The plot was well paced too, the action picks up within the first paragraph! And then proceeds at a good pace throughout. Something bad is happening to the supernaturals in the area. They are disappearing and new ones are appearing as the BOC tells us. And there is a stranger that is following Alexia and keeps trying to kidnap her, which puts Lord Maccon into action and sets a 24 hour guard at her household, which he sometimes watches over as well.

The romance between the two as I said, builds up slowly, but you can tell that there is something there between them. It doesn't take them too long to figure this out either. We sometimes change the character we are with, as I mention and the transitions are written smoothly, so you don't get confused as to what's happening.

Overall an excellent book! My TBR pile continues to grow so it may be awhile before I can get around to the second book in the series, Changeless but I will get around to it eventually. This new series is just too good and intriguing to pass up! Thanks to Jess at Book Reviews by Jess for one of the many compliments of the book that led me to buy it!

Mar 24, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Okay thought I would try the Waiting on Wednesday thing that is going on in the blogger world. Of course there are sooo many books that I am waiting on it will be hard to choose. To be short and sweet I will stick with 2 titles.

** If you haven't read any of the previous books yet, please refrain from reading the BOC that I posted, there will be some spoilers for previous books, including the one that precede the new release.

Richelle Mead's Spirit Bound
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Published by Razor Bill
Hardcover, 496 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1595142504

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Author's website:
www.richellemead.com

Rachel Vincent's Alpha
Release Date: October 1, 2010
Published by Mira Books
Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0778328186

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE...
The unscrupulous Council chair charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we've been busy. But now it's time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother's death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.
It's not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I'm heading for a final showdown that can--that will--change everything forever.A showdown I'm not sure I'm ready for.

But life never waits until your ready.



Author's website: www.rachelvincent.com


What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link at Jill's in the comments section.

Mar 23, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

It's Teaser Tuesday time again. I just read the first chapter of Soulless by Gail Carriger before classes today, so my two lines will have to come from there because if I jump ahead I might spoil something for myself.

Here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page and pick out two lines (SPOILER FREE)
3. Give the Title and Author so others can add the book to their TBR pile if they wish too.

"In this particular case, what he did not know could hurt him. For Miss Alexia had been born without a soul, which, as any decent vampire of good blooding knew, made her a lady to avoid most assiduously." p 1



Title: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 10/1/2009

Mar 22, 2010

Review--Deep in the Woods

**Spoilers for The Path of Razors

BLOODY HELL...

With one of the masters of the London Underground in her hands, stuntwoman turned vampire hunter Dawn Madison must fight off the vampire's followers, a vicious pack of undead teenaged girls who put the vamps Dawn had to deal with in Los Angeles to shame.

But Dawn must also wring all the information she can out of her captive. For Costin--her boss and sometime lover--has disappeared into the labyrinth under the girls' school to pursue the other master of the nest. Every moment counts as Dawn and her team race to save Costin, not only from the threat of death but from the more terrible danger that he may succumb to his own vampiric nature--and be lost to them all forever....

The third in the second trilogy of the Vampire Babylon series, Deep in the Woods, was great! It's the 6th book in the series, but the series is seen in forms of trilogies, so the reference to the Los Angeles Underground is in reference to the first trilogy, books 1-3. It's a mouthful to say but does make sense!

Anyway onto the review. My memory is fuzzy on the first two books of the series, or books 4 & 5 in the series as a whole, but can recall some details as they are brought up again. I do remember the last book ending with Dawn and her team catching one of the master vampires of the London Underground and we learned a secret of sorts about this master. Claudius is a shifter of sorts, like Wolfie. He takes on the form of Claudia, another older woman and a cat. He does the Claudia thing to please Wolfie, the other master and that still seems odd to me, which is why I think re-reading The Path of Razors would've been a good idea. Anyway, that's where the story sort of begins, chapter 2.

Dawn and crew have been questioning Claudius trying to get the location of the Underground out of him, but Claudius is a complicated guy. He still cares for Wolfie, but he is realizing that the girls he helped create now resent him or him in Claudia's form--the dual personality/form thing complicates some of my review, but it does make sense when reading the book.

Basically this becomes a search for the Underground and Costin, still in Jonah's body goes off looking for it. Ones more Underground defeated puts him closer to saving his soul and finding peace. But things go wrong, as the BOC tells us, Dawn and crew don't know where he went because they didn't get the location out of Claudius only Costin and one other team member were privy to the information.

There are still other problems and mysteries occurring and even opens up with a mysterious murder. A young man is dying and is recalling the mysterious figure who slew him. We don't find out who this is until the near end of the book. But the mystery behind that said person remains a mystery. **Again, it will make sense once you read it, I don't want to give out too much info for spoiler purposes.

More complications arise as well, what would a book be without more complications. Other problems arise among other characters. Told in third person, the narration changes, as we've seen before and we get to see more of Della and the other girls and see what happens to them. Some things do get resolved in this book, but the ending leads me to believe that there will be more. I don't know for certain, if anyone else knows please share what info you have. The Vampire Babylon series doesn't seem like it's done yet, based on this ending. New problems will arise as they are wont to do.

The characters are still wonderful. Dawn is amazing. Her psychic abilities are still her strong suit and yet she's having more inner problems as well that stem from her short time as a vampire and it's having strange effects on her. Kiko is still having his similar problems that he's been having but seems to be getting better, he and Natalia have a growing friendship that I think, if there is more books, we should hopefully see more of said friendship. Eva is still very interesting as well and is holding a secret over from the last book as well, her little stint with Frank in the last book is still an issue here.

With much intrigue and a lot of secrets this book was an amazing read! I can't wait to see what happens next to Dawn and crew. I'll keep my ear out of the web and will post any info once Chris releases anything regarding the Vampire Babylon series.

I was hoping my next book to read would be Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, but it didn't come in the mail today and I have a bad feeling it won't come tomorrow either despite my online invoice saying that it should arrive tomorrow. My faith in the postal service has been slim. They don't even update the tracking device very often either. So my next read will finally be Soulless by Gail Carriger, which I have heard many good things about. Until next time readers!

Contest Alert--at BBB

Today Carrie Vaughn is over at BBB doing a Q/A about her debut YA novel Voices of Dragons. I have yet to get a hold of this book yet, have many other books ahead of it too, so it might be awhile until I get it. But I love Carrie's Kitty's books so I thought I would read her YA one when I get the chance.

There's a contest at BBB to win a Dragon Gift Package which includes a signed copy of Voices of Dragons. Contest ends March 23, 2010 at 11:59PM Central.

Good Luck!

Mar 18, 2010

Another Award!


I just received my second award! Yea! Thanks goes to JAD at Cafe Pearl!

Now as per the instructions on her blog, I pass this onto 15 other bloggers and then they do the same. Then they can go ahead and share 7 things about themselves.


Seven things about me:
1. I loooove to read! Big surprise! ;)
2. I want to be a writer really soon
3. I'm graduating from college on May 1, with a BA in English and a minor in writing
4. Some of my characters in my writing reflect myself and bits of my life
5. I'm a bibliophile
6. I love alt. rock and heavy metal music which surprises people at first
7. I'm going to the Romantic Times Booklovers' Convention this year as a graduation present to myself and am SUPER excited!

Mar 17, 2010

Review--Red-Headed Stepchild


THINGS TO DO:
1) INFILTRATE RIVAL VAMPIRE CULT AND ASSASSINATE LEADER
2) GET RID OF DEMON HOUSEGUEST
3) DITCH THE HOT MAGE STALKER
4) BETRAY FAMILY

In a world where being of mixed blood is a major liability, Sabina doesn't really fit in. And being an assassin--the only profession fit for an outcast--doesn't help matters. But she's never brought her work home. Until now.

Her latest mission is uncomfortably complex and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races. As Sabina scrambles to figure out which side she's on, she uncovers a tangled political web, some nasty facts about her family, and some unexpected new talents. Any of these things could be worryingly life changing, but together they could be fatal....

Finished re-reading Red-Headed Stepchild, since the sequel The Mage in Black comes out in a few weeks and man was my memory really bad with this story. I recalled a few things as they came along, but whew, so glad I re-read it.

It was still phenomenal! Sabina is a total kick-a$$ character/assassin. I mean have you ever met an assassin that wasn't kick-a$$ in some way? I mean it's like a job requirement, one that Sabina meets fully.

The secondary characters were all fantastic! Adam, he is freaking awesome! I love his sense of humor and how it seems so real. I feel like I've seen that kind of humor before in other people I've met in life, but cannot recall now. Sabina's grandmother who is one of the head honchos for the vampires is...well, let me just say by seeing her character, she fits the bill perfectly. I don't want to produce spoilers by calling her one thing or another. And Sabina's friend Vinca is to die for! She's a nymph and holy cow, you can tell by her up beat and perky personality that contrasts well with Sabina's slightly moody vampire like one! They are definitely the odd couple or something. And the demon cat that comes along is very comical as well.

Their friendship development was very nicely done, it started out with Sabina not quite liking the perky nymph, it's like the goth girl and cheerleader or better yet, Galinda and Elphaba becoming friends from Wicked (Might have botched the spelling on those names, sorry). But eventually the friendship forms and becomes real.

Adam starts out as one of those annoying nuisances but that in itself is comical. Basically Sabina is sent on an assassination mission to prove her loyalty to the Dominae and her grandmother by killing this "guy" who is a threat to the vampire community, but then soon dark hidden secrets from Sabina's past come to front and she questions everything she has ever known since she was a child.

The whole vampire growing up thing is a little confusing based on what others say about vampires and aging, and doesn't really make sense here, so it is best to ignore it. I mean Underworld did too.

But the secret overload that is revealed is BIG. I mean huge! I forgot how deep it went and all the questions that arise from it. Not all are answered here, obviously, since the questions are just coming up. Hopefully The Mage in Black will shed some light onto the mystery that is Sabina's family heritage. As a half vampire, half mage, Sabina only knows about the vampire part of her. The mage half was seen as an abomination, so she knows almost nothing at all. But Adam is there to help shed some light on to the matters, but that's when things get really complicated with the enemy, only thing is there is more than one enemy!

Cue dramatic music!! ;)

I know it says Soulless is next, but I got a call from Borders yesterday and they told me my book came in, so next up is Chris Marie Green's Deep in the Woods, since I should've read that earlier this month. And most likely after that, Soulless will still be put on hold, because in theory Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls by L. J. Smith will be in and I am dying to read that! I read the Vampire Diaries 10 years ago when I was in middle school so I have the trippy 90's covers or one version of them. And now Vampire Diaries are back as of last year! So that one will likely be read before Soulless and then after that I hope to come back to Soulless and then continue on with my TBR list as the releases come out.

Until next time readers!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Mar 16, 2010

Teaser Tuesday


It's Teaser Tuesday time again! I am currently re-reading Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells which I will later have to post a review on because when I looked over my past reviews this was not there.

Anyway here are the rules:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others.)
  • Share the title & author too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

"He looked into my eyes then, as if he was trying to see into my soul. Something told me he might just succeed." p100

Title: Red-Headed Stepchild
Author: Jaye Wells
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 4/1/2009

Mar 15, 2010

Contest Alert--at Scifiguy

Scifiguy has an interview with Devon Monk regarding her Magic series and it's very good. Devon talks about the birth of the series and how far she plans on going with it so far. She also mentions some of the other projects she has in the works. And there is a contest to win an ARC of Magic on the Storm!! Granted you don't get to have the awesome cover, but a signed copy of the book, EARLY is incentive enough to enter this contest asap! Hurry, you have until midnight EST March 22, 2010!

Mar 14, 2010

Contest Alert--at Book Reviews By Jess

One of my fellow bloggers and a blog that I follow is having a contest! Over at Book Reviews by Jess, Jess is celebrating have 400, over 400 now, followers! Plus she will be soon moving her blog to a new site! Yea Jess! Congratulations!

Anyway she's hosting a simple and yet amazing contest where you have to be a follower, feel free to follow her blog now and you can have a chance to win a book! ANY book you want! Even if it has to be preordered!! This is an awesome contest and it's easy! Follow today and you could be a winner!!

Contest ends March 28, 2010 at noon Eastern time.

Good luck!

Mar 13, 2010

An Award!!


OMG, I just saw that I received an award from Off My Bookshelf! Aieee!! I feel so honored! This is my first Blog Award ever!!

And I apparently get to pass this on to 5 other bloggers! And then they pass it on to 5 other bloggers! Here goes:

Cem over at http://cemsbookhideout.blogspot.com/

Jackie over at http://jacaburintexas.blogspot.com/

Jessica over at http://bookreviewsbyjess.blogspot.com/

Brooke over at http://reviewsbybrooke.blogspot.com/

Tina over at http://fantasticbookreview.blogspot.com/

Review--Mark of the Demon


COP AND CONJURER OF DEMONS, SHE'S A WOMAN IN DANGER OF LOSING CONTROL--TO A POWER THAT COULD KILL.

Why me? Why now? That's what Beaulac, Louisana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a serial killer who's already claimed the lives--and souls--of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he's back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.

Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac's small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head...

Finished this last night, but was too tired to post a review. And all I have to say is WOW! A friend of mine at the Pride, told me how good it was and that I should read it. So since I'm still waiting on a book to come in the mail, I did! And it was GREAT!

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland was beautifully written! The demon names are so rich and flavorful for them being mostly self-serving creatures. The names are so complex and it's amazing that Rowland was able to continually type their names with what was likely ease! I wonder what kind of research she had to do to know things of demon lore or if the names were made up? Anyone know?

The police procedures were even written nicely, having no knowledge of police procedures outside of television shows, I was able to follow it easily enough. For the most part, TV has it down pat, but some details get left out because they are not TV worthy and we get to see some of that in the book.

The characters were just awesome, I loved Kara! She is totally an original character that is relateable to several people in the world today. She knows she's not the perfect image of a woman, not being super skinny and having a plain face, but yet she is successful at her job after being promote recently and then she's given the Symbol Man case and has a lot to prove that she is worthy of this job and position.

But then all hell breaks loose. Not literally, yet... That's really not a clue or anything, hell doesn't not break loose, but the shit does hit the fan as it is wont to do! The Symbol Man case, that went cold for a few years is back in action with the return of the killer himself, who still remains a mystery. With Kara on the case she sees what no one else can, that the Symbol Man is adverse with demonic lore and procedures, like she is. The Symbol Man is a summoner, she finds this out fairly easily.

Soon things get really intense, Rhyzkahl, the demon that entered her summoning circle somehow continually visits her dreams and she is wary of him. Demons are self-serving creatures, so the fact that he has been hanging around her for so long nags at her. Plus she still has to deal with the FBI agent who seems to belittle her as do a few others who think she is too much of a rookie for the case.

Kara has to prove everyone wrong, because she knows what she is doing. But the murders keep happening, the body count rises and the boss doesn't like that and threatens to take her off the case. She buys herself 1 day to make headway or else risk getting fired. But a lot more happens and soon the Symbol Man is revealed.

The secondary characters are very important to this story, it may be Kara's p.o.v. and her story, but the others in her life play very key roles in the mystery itself. The mystery aspect was good too, never saw it coming as to who the Symbol Man was. I had another theory coming completely! Going to buy the second one, Blood of a Demon, today and add it to my TBR pile. Instead of reading Soulless next, I feel I need to re-read Jaye Wells' Red-Headed Stepchild, because I can't remember it very well. Read it last year in like 1 day so my memory is fuzzy and book 2 in that series comes out in 3 weeks. And of course still have homework and work and all that other fun stuff to work on in between as well.

Cover Art--Jealousy


OMG! Just saw this 2 seconds ago at Book Reviews by Jess who saw it over at Bloody Bookaholic! Eek!! Looks freaking awesome!

So wondering who the guy is, Jess thinks it's Christophe, which I say is a good guess, unless he is someone new. As she points out Graves is supposed to have some Asian features to him.

Jealousy comes out July 29, 2010!

Here's the BOC: It’s a good thing Dru Anderson is fast. Because the sucker chasing her isn’t slowing down—and he won’t rest until he has tasted her blood and silenced her heart...

Dru’s best friend, Graves, and her strange and handsome savior, Christophe, are ready to help her take on the ultimate evil. But will their battle for Dru’s heart get in the way of her survival?

Mar 12, 2010

BIG NEWS!


Okay was just checking a blog of a friend of mine and she posted some interesting info that I thought I would pass along here, thanks again Cem! Check her blog out at http://cemsbookhideout.blogspot.com/, she's a book blogger too and loves a lot of the same stuff I read and then some!

So anyway, she saw on Richelle's livejournal that there is now a title for Vampire Academy 6 and it is...Last Sacrifice.

Already my mind is brimming with possibilities as to what that might mean. Really wondering and I haven't even read Spirit Bound yet, that one releases May 18, already preorder my copy at Borders for a lovely $10 practically, but since delivery takes forever, I will probably have to buy another copy because...

Richelle has released her tour schedule for Spirit Bound and imagine my surprise when I saw that she was actually coming to St. Louis!! No one ever comes to St. Louis! I was freaking shocked and amazed! I am sooo going to go. Granted I'll see her in April at RT, but this way I can get Spirit Bound signed!

Of course as I just mentioned postal service is extremely slow, and since the book releases the Tuesday before she arrives I doubt my book will be here by Friday. So I'll end up buying another copy there most likely.

Here's the link to her livejournal account where she posted the cities and dates: http://blue-succubus.livejournal.com/235677.html

Almost finished with Mark of the Demon. About 50 pages to go, so I hope to have my review up by Sunday. It's pretty damn good so far. Been reading all day, true I should be doing other things, but I want to enjoy reading while I can, soon I will have to get a real job and then I'll be writing on the side--positive thinking--so I want to enjoy my reading days while I can!!

Mar 11, 2010

Some Girls Bite in the UK!














Some Girls Bite is releasing in the UK! The cover (the one on the right) is very different than the one here in the US (left one), usually are too. I like this one though because you get to see Chicago behind Merit. Although I think I like Merit a little bit more on the US one because her outfit is more her style, is even described as such in the book! Maybe it's just because we can't see her shirt clearly on the UK cover.

Mar 9, 2010

Teaser Tuesday


I decided to jump in with the Teaser Tuesday that's been happening around the other book bloggers lately. Of course, I've had to set this book aside today to start reading one for school, but still I'm going with this book because it is my current "Read" and not homework!

Here are the rules, taken from Brooke Reviews Blog:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to random page
3. Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to ruin the book for others.)
5. Share the title and author too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Title: Mark of the Demon
Author: Diana Rowland
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: June 23, 2009

"'I'll be there in twenty minutes,' I promised. I raced back inside to change as soon as I hung up, suddenly deeply grateful to my drug-addicted intruder for choosing tonight to break into my house." p18.

Mar 8, 2010

Prequel of Night's Cold Kiss


Okay, I'm a bit behind on keeping up with all my authors that I enjoy reading. But I stopped by Tracey O'Hara's website today and saw that she wrote up a short prequel to Night's Cold Kiss. Dante Rising: The Birth of a Venator is basically what happened when Antoinette was a child and witnessed the murder of her mother. It was really good for being a nice little prequel. Very enjoyable and we get to see a younger side of Antoinette, what she was like before she grew up and became a Venator.

Death's Sweet Embrace is the next novel in the Dark Brethren Series. Haven't found a release date yet, but my guess is it will be close to when Night's Cold Kiss came out, so possibly around August 2010. But I'm just guessing.

Review--Demon Possessed



A ROMANTIC INTERLUDE...OR A DATE WITH HELL?

Psychologist and psychic Megan Chase has grown remarkably comfortable hanging out with demons. The demon "family" she leads is happy, her solo practice is stabilizing, and she and her steamy demon lover, Greyson Dante, are closer than ever. But when the couple books a week at a luxury hotel to attend a meeting of demon leaders, some unanticipated problems occur. An FBI agent with an unhealthy interest in less-than-legitimate demon business practices shows up; the demon community is urging Megan to undergo the rite that will maker her a real demon; and a slightly shady minister is holding on of his wildly popular "weekend exorcisms" just down the road. And oh, yes, someone with scary magical abilities is attempting to kill her. Then, just when it seems as if things couldn't possibly get any worse, a secret comes to light that could jeopardize Megan and Greyson's future--if Megan manages to live that long. With things heating up, it's becoming difficult for her to keep a cool head...

Finished Stacia Kane's Demon Possessed, which from what I heard on her website, is the last Megan Chase book. In May she starts a new series that "is a cross between Ghostbusters and Escape From New York, with an awesome punk rock soundtrack, black magic, greasers, drugs, human sacrifices, and a black 1969 Chevelle." It sounds pretty interesting to me!

On a side note, my reading is going to be put on hold, which is a shame because I read the first 2 chapters of the Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland and was really getting into it, but I need to get going on some homework reading and write up a lovely 7-8 page paper. Fun. I will still try to read some of my regular books when time allows though and always I tend to post random nonsense that's happening that is of interest and relates, sometimes, to what I read.

Onto the review: The book starts off with a bang in that Megan is already being questioned by the FBI agent and things get really interesting, because this woman seems to know an awful lot about the demons, not in the sense that they are demons, but the things that they do. Megan has to do her best to dodge the questions and give unhelpful answers, and the poor thing has her own birthday coming up and she has to go through all this hell before she gets to it! Anyway the demon retreat, so to speak, becomes the center of attention for the remainder of the book.

But while packing there is the first attempt on Megan's life by the unknown stalker/killer and it leaves her and Greyson both worried. The retreat leads to some very interesting bits of info, as that a few demons are not pleased that Megan is head of her own demon group and yet she is still human. Yes, she still has two hearts and part of a demon inside her or something to that fact--that bit still confused me, so I just accepted it at face value. When there is a second attempt made on her life at the hotel things get really serious and Megan and Greyson soon come to the conclusion that the person who is behind all this is at the meeting--this actually may have been their conclusion after the first attack.

But around this time is when the problems between Megan and Greyson come up and begin to really develop into A BIG PROBLEM. There are arguments, disagreements, wanting different things...you can see where this is going.

I hate-hate-hate to say it but it was almost like a Ross and Rachel kind of thing, although they didn't call it a "break". But they both clearly still love each other and want one another in their lives.

I'm surprised to find myself admitting how heart-rendering it was when they broke up and it seemed like they were never going to come sort of resolution where they both could be happy. I kept taking sides, thinking first Greyson's right, than Megan's right, but then I thought Megan is kind of wrong, but then so was Greyson. Major confliction. And someone is still trying to kill Megan and having to still need Greyson's help in finding out who makes things rather sticky.

All the characters are back, Brian, Tera, Nick, the brothers--who are just too funny! Those guys crack me up sometimes, they really do act like children at times and it's very humorous!

The big mystery as to who was behind Megan's death threats was written very good, while I had my suspicions with one particular character, it all got thrown out of whack by the conclusion--which I won't go further into those details. One suspicion I sort of had but didn't think too much on was right though.

As for the complete ending of this series, I say it was pretty good. All the lose ends were tied up and while there was an ending, it is possible for another story or event to take place later. Isn't there always? Even if all the characters live HEA, there could always be something that pops up later in their lives that brings the chaos back.

When I think of it, this was a fairly fast read, I read a lot yesterday even though I had to be at work, but since it's slow at my pt job, I just did my work and then sat in a corner and read a good chunk of the book and finished it today.

Although, I do wish I could've read the series, short as they were, back to back, or close to it. I've read too much in between that I couldn't remember all the details from the previous ones. But it wasn't so bad, all the important details from the past two books are mentioned here and there when necessary, I'm just weird and would like to remember those details a little better.

Overall a very good conclusion to the series and may be my favorite of the three. Looking forward to the Chess Putnam series coming in May though. I like ghosts!

Until next time readers, it may be awhile before my review of Mark of the Demon, but I will get to it eventually.

Mar 5, 2010

New Winner

Okay I had to draw a new winner, and the new winner of a signed copy of Shift is...

BETHANY WIGGINS

Bethany please email me your address at jessbess2505@yahoo.com, and I will get your prize in the mail.

**Please email me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner**

Mar 4, 2010

Contest Alert--at BBB

Rachel Vincent is over at Bitten By Books today answering some questions about her books, including ones about Shift!! There are some super cool prizes too! Head on over today! Contest ends at 11:59PM Central on 3/5/10.

Here's the link: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=20585

Book Questionnaire

I saw this on Brooke Reviews this morning and she in turn saw it on Gail Carriger's Blog, so I thought I would do it because it sounded interesting.

Rules of this survey is that no two answers can be the same book and all books have to be fiction.

1. Book next to your bed right now: (my current read tends to sit on my desk, but same thing) Demon Possessed by Stacia Kane
2. Favorite Series: Shifter Series by Rachel Vincent
3. Favorite Book: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
4. The one book you would have with you if stranded on a deserted island: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance edited by Trisha Telep
5. Book/series you would take with you on a long flight: The Weather Warden Series by Rachel Caine
6. Worst book you were made to read in school: Mumbo Jumbo
7. Book that everyone should be made to read in school: Dracula ;) ...okay The Count of Monte Cristo
8. Book that everyone should read period: Poison Study by Maria V Snyder (I loved it, but then everyone I know doesn't share my taste in books)
9. Favorite Character: Jenks from Kim Harrison's Hallow Series
10. Best Villain: Calvin Malone from Rachel Vincent's Shifter series (downright dirty b*st*rd! You just gotta hate him, so I guess that makes him the best villain.)
11. Favorite Concept Series: uh...Jaye Wells' Sabina Kane series is a good start, vampires coexisting in the world.
12. Favorite Invented World: Maria V. Snyder's Study series
13. Most Beautifully Written Book: beautifully? Uh...I really enjoyed the writing style of Victoria Laurie's Ghouls Gone Wild. Yeah the title doesn't sound exquisite does it?
14. Funniest Book: Mark Henry's Happy Hour of the Damned

Which of these questions was the hardest to answer: Well since I can't say all, I'd go with 13 I guess.

Mar 3, 2010

Review--Ghouls Gone Wild



M.J. Holliday has an unusual ability: she can talk to the dead. But when she finds herself investigating an ancient curse, even her gift might not get her out of a witchy situation.

ONE HEX OF A MYSTERY

When M.J. and her friends travel to Scotland to film the first intallment of their new cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, they find plenty of spooky action in a series of supposedly haunted caverns. But then they discover the body of a maintenance worker, and the cause of his death is reminiscent of an old legend.

Centuries ago, a mob of angry townsfolk chased a witch, her lover, and her five sisters into the caverns and killed them one by one. Since then, it is said that every hundred years, seven of the town's residents will perish under mysterious circumstances--victims of the witch's vengeance.

Now M.J., Gilley, and Heath have to figure out whether the curse is just superstition or it something more sinister is at work--before anyone else falls victim to the witch's wrath.

I was able to read Victoria Laurie's Ghouls Gone Wild in 1 day! Probably the last time I'll be able to do that because come the next release I will no longer be a student. I am enjoying my "spring break" is wonderful winter weather, by keeping myself in the house reading all day. It's still a treat. Of course come the weekend I will probably have to trade a GREAT read for my textbook and notes to study for a midterm that I have awaiting my return to school next week.

On to the review: LOVED it! Of course I generally love all the books I read, I can't seem to find one that I don't love, I might like it and not love it, but yeah whatever. Review time. Victoria Laurie writes great mysteries I think. And with the added paranormal twist, they become thoroughly enjoyable!

Ghouls Gone Wild had M.J. and her friends in Scotland working on their new show and boy do they have their hands full with this mystery! There's a curse on the town as the BOC said, but something has happened and the curse that takes place every 100 years, is happening 35 years early. It doesn't take long for M.J. and her friends to be involved in trying to solve the case. They couldn't leave even if they wanted too, and believe me Gilley had tried to do just that! Gotta love that guy!

But this haunting gets personal for M.J. when one of her friends is involved by default. I don't want to go too far into it because it's sort of a spoiler, but it gets revealed fairly early. Once again we have a nice dark, stormy night scene in the book that adds to the creepiness! Luckily when I was reading this I had people in the house, so the creaks didn't startle me like they did the last time I read one of these books home alone!

The mystery elements were good, I had made a few guesses as to who the killer was and was sort of right, the murder became very complicated. And yes, the ghosts are real for any newbies to the series--which I highly recommend if you LOVE ghost stories!

I really enjoyed some of the other characters who weren't really important, but they were from Scotland and Laurie wrote them having Scottish accents. It really helped set the scene well and establish where these characters are. It was fun.

It's hard to talk about what goes on without revealing the character in danger info, but there is a lot of danger for this character--life threatening. Then said character even gets in trouble with the law in Scotland and that makes things all the more complicated for M.J. and crew. This is when they cannot leave Scotland at all, because passports were taken away until the matters were solved--another murder. There were 3 murders in the story, this was the 2nd one that brought up problems--I think...can't really recall the order now, been a long day of reading!

I was sad to see that Steven was mostly absent throughout the book, he made an appearance by phone call once and showed up towards the end, but therein lies the problem With Steven absent it became obvious that he and M.J. were starting to have relationship problems, M.J. even acknowledges this. She works nights, he works days...

I was sort of expecting this when I noticed his name was absent from the BOC, but I don't know how many people would've caught that. There is definitely some romantic tension in this novel, more so than what we saw with M.J. and Steven in the beginning I think. To top it all off the book ends with a cliffhanger--any time I see one of these I feel like screaming! The tiniest detail can leave you hanging off the biggest cliff ever and you have 1 year to wait to be pulled back up...only to go back to the cliff at the end. Granted there is an excerpt for the next novel, Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls! but it did little to satisfy me after the cliffhanger. Damn those cliffhangers!

I am always surprised by how fast a read the Ghost Hunter mysteries are, I get so engrossed with the story and by how easily the language style reads that I'm done before I know it! I mean to praise the book by this comment, while they're a quick read, it's because I don't want to put the book down for anything. Okay, I did stop for lunch around noon, but hey I need the energy to read!

Overall the characters are very refreshing and lovable. The settings are real, you can actually picture the scenes in your mind's eye with ease. The plot is engaging and well-paced, moving from clue to clue and having fun in between--fun being fun and scary "fun". Seriously, the ghosts this time were wicked scary! I love it that when I read these books I can feel a bit of fear--it's like watching a horror movie for kicks, except with books it's different because you visualize with what you're given. And my vivid imagination tends to scare the crap out of me when given the right incentive! But this is more of a suspenseful scared, not scared senseless like I was when I saw a Freddy Kruger movie when I was 8. Never again.

While the wait for Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls may be awhile--January 2011, according to Victoria Laurie's website--better than March, I guess, the wait for the next Abby Cooper Psychic Eye mystery is shorter than the usual September wait. This year Abby's next book, A Glimpse of Evil comes out July 6, 2010!

Until next time readers!

Check below for the winner of the signed copy of Shift!