Apr 22, 2010

Review--Radiant Shadows


HUNGER FOR NOURISHMENT.
HUNGER FOR TOUCH.
HUNGER TO BELONG.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans--and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Finished Radiant Shadows today and it surprised me. I thought maybe I would get it done by Friday, but it's done. It was a good read, but I think it's been too long since I've read any of the other books. I can't remember who Ani is, if we saw her before, I want to say we had just by the way she knows the other characters from past books. Devlin's name I know I've seen from the other books, but still I couldn't really remember him either.

But ignoring that, the book was still pretty interesting. I just still feel like I should've re-read the others because of the amount of info in it. Irial is back with Niall who is the king of the Dark Faery court that I remember from Ink Exchange. Didn't remember that their court was in the human world, but it makes sense.

Seth, I remember from Fragile Eternity and even Wicked Lovely returns and seems to becoming more into his role as a faery creature. He's not fully faery from my understanding, he's like Ash, who was absent, but mentioned in name, in the book. Keenan was also absent, almost entirely in the book as well. According to the characters he is missing from his court and I can't remember if he did something or went somewhere in Fragile Eternity at the end.

I highly recommend reading the previous books in the Wicked Lovely series, as I believe it to be called. I think it will help make things make more sense. There is something big definitely going on and I believe I heard that there is only one more book to the series as well.

I think the change in narrator helps contribute to my confusion at times. While I like the different narrator and different story, I sometimes lose the connection to all the other books before it. That's not to say that Radiant Shadows was bad, no, I enjoyed it separately. What I'm having with is putting all the books together to form a series. I see connections here and there, but I'm missing the BIG picture of what's happening. I can't keep straight who's the bad guy or who's the good guy.

Someone I thought was a good guy kind of comes off as the opposite in this book, won't get into who. But overall the book was still great, just as I said, separately from the series. Big stuff does happen, but I don't know who it's really important to other than the characters present. That is also the confusing part, trying to figure out who is important in the series since there is a constant change in narrator and not like there is within the book, but how each novel focuses on a different person and their involvement in the world of Faery.

I am very interested in seeing what the new Wicked Lovely movie will be like. I can't wait to see it whenever it comes out. All I really know is that there's a movie in the making. It might possibly come out next year, but again I'm only guessing. I have no clue and haven't looked far into it yet.

The thing about this series is, is trying to place each book's importance into the series. Why is this important to the series as a whole? I feel like there has to be a connection somehow other than the characters knowing one another in various forms. I hope that the next and what I believe is the last book of the series, helps tie everything together and put an end to my confusion. There is just so much to handle with these books, yet I still love them, still enjoy them. For a series about faeries, it is rather good and intriguing. Fragile Eternity definitely had me hooked for what was happening.

Radiant Shadows had me hooked as well, but I didn't know how to connect it. I think it had to do with the first book dealing with Ash and now we're with another character completely and I cannot remember who she is. I know she had to come up previously, I just can't remember.

If anyone else knows more, feel free to leave a post in the comments. I would love some clarification on the matter.

And BIG news if anyone out there is in the St. Louis area, which is where I live, Melissa Marr is going to be at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters this Saturday night! I'm very excited! Maybe I'll be able to get clarification then!

And tomorrow is MY official last day of college! I take two finals and then I'm done! YEA!

Apr 21, 2010

Quick Note

I just got word that the second book, in Stacia Kane's Chess Putnam series that doesn't start until May 25 with Unholy Ghosts, titled Unholy Magic has changed its release date. Long sentence.

So yes, now Unholy Magic releases July 6 instead of June 22. Bummer, but hopefully City of Ghosts still comes out July 27 which will make the wait between those books shorter. Haven't heard if that date was changed or not. Will let you know if I hear anything.

Check out last week's WoW post to find out more about the first novel in the new series. Click here for easy access!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Still overly swamped with trying to get things done this week, plus I have a horrible head cold and my head aches almost constantly. Makes studying for my finals extremely hard.

This week's pick--for the mean time I've decided to stick with one book per Wednesday--is:

**BEWARE of SPOILERS in the BOC description below!!

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
Release Date: June 1 2010
Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0373210053

WHEN KAYLEE CAVANAUGH SCREAMS, SOMEONE DIES AND KAYLEE IS ABOUT TO SCREAM HER HEAD OFF.

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.

Apr 20, 2010

Review--Changeless


Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears--leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find the time to track down her wayward husband--if she feels like it.

I meant to make Gail Carriger's latest, Changeless, last me until the weekend, but it didn't happen. It was too good!

It picks up right where Soulless --see my review of that here--left off more or less, like 3 months later, but still nothing BIG happened. But the action does happen right away. Alexia is awakened by her husband's chattering with a ghost at the beginning of Chapter 1 and thus the adventure begins!

Sooner than she thought Alexa wakes up alone in bed and must figure out where her husband went and to do that she must talk with his trusted second, but the she finds the other supernatural soldiers camped out on her lawn and gets into a "lovely" conversation with one of them who turns out to be someone of importance. Won't say what exactly, although you do find out rather quickly, but still won't say!

Before heading off to Scotland after her husband Alexia does a little shopping with her friend Ivy at a new hat shop that her husband recommended and she soon learns there's something other than hats at the shop and the owner knows a LOT more than she appears to.

With more turn of events Alexia is about to head out the door to go to Scotland when her mother arrives with a surprise. And really, after Soulless and knowing her relationship with her mother, you know that the surprise won't be pleasant. I literally guffawed out loud at her mother's audacity to act the way she does. I really feel Alexia's pain in family matters.

But the big mystery is there is someone or something doing something that is making supernaturals lose their powers and Alexia is determined to find out what it is and put a stop to it.

She has quite an entourage with her in Scotland as well. But I don't want to go further into that because each one is a surprise! But there are definitely a lot of surprises in this book. Each event leads to something new and interesting and definitely intriguing.

The characters in this series are so fresh, which I will admit is surprising almost because this is only the second historical paranormal romance series that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. Alexia has wit and a smart mouth and that's what makes her lovable! Her friend Ivy is her polar opposite, a bit shy and meek yet she wears outlandish hats! Her family--half-sisters and mother--are outrageous and not in a positive way! Conall can be quite the romantic too. His love for Alexia and his protectiveness over her well-being is deeply touching as well.

While the series is a historical paranormal romance, the romance isn't as frequent as in other novels. Yes there is Conall making many flirtatious passes at his wife, but it is not done in a grotesque way. It is actually sweet and if Alexia gets annoyed by it, she makes her opinion known and then it's just funny!

The ending, which I will not divulge in too much, is to die for! Literally! Why I hate these kind of endings I love them all the same because then you know the next book is going to be just as good if not better! That being said, you can expect a cliffhanger ending with Changeless, but luckily Blameless still comes out this calendar year on September 1. So the wait won't be entirely agonizing and there are quite a few amazing books to read while I wait!

I must send out a thanks to Jess over at Book Reviews by Jess for making the recommendation of Soulless that led me to this amazing series! Thanks again Jess! Be sure to check out her blog too, she reads a lot of amazing books too and sometimes gets ARCs so you can possibly get a review even earlier than I can post!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is here again! Wow, so far Changeless is an awesome book! Even with the head cold that I have I am still enjoying it! Nope, not even a head cold can keep me from reading. :)

The rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Pick two sentences that are SPOILER free
4. Name the book, author, etc.

**realized I've been forgetting to name the creator of this kind of post, at least the person I got this meme post names this person as their source. You know what I mean! This is a weekly blog post from Mizb at Should be Reading.

"Well I--" Alexia was grappling for an excuse, when...
Boom!
And the world about them exploded into darkness." p84

TITLE: Changeless
AUTHOR: Gail Carriger
GENRE: Historical Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE: 3/30/2010

Apr 18, 2010

Review--The Devil's Playground


Morgan Kingsley, a kick-ass exorcist, can deal with Lugh, the supersexy demon living inside of her, but does he have to moan softly during her intimate moments with her mortal lover? Understandably, Brian is reluctant to share the pleasures of Morgan's flesh with a gorgeous rogue from the Demon Realm.

But personal matters will have to wait when the opportunistic owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club in Philadelphia enlists Morgan's help in heading off a crisis: It seems that demons have started showing up at the hot spot in alarming numbers and in the unwilling bodies of rough trade club-goers. Morgan is sure that Dougal, Lugh's sworn enemy, is behind this, but why? To find out, Morgan must summon every ounce of power at her command--or risk becoming just another casualty in al all-out demon war.

This is IT! The final book in the Morgan Kingsley series. The Devil's Playground finally concludes Morgan's adventures of hosting the former demon king, Lugh. It was quite pleasing. Sure it doesn't quite have the concrete ending you might expect, but it is the end according to Jenna.

It was still fabulous, I mean if a series is going to end, it has to go out with a BANG! And this one did. Morgan and her friends are now facing D-Day, in some aspects. More demons are coming to the Mortal Plain without permission and into unwilling hosts. This has to be stopped and Morgan along with Lugh and their friends are the only ones who can prevent the end of the world. Or at least a world overrun with demons possessing people.

Everyone is here who should be here, Barbie, Saul, Andy, Raphael, Dom, Adam, Brian and of course Morgan and Lugh. The characters are very entertaining and their relationships with one another are well developed. Not all the relationships are happy and that's what makes them so entertaining. The bickering between Raphael and...everyone! always earns a chuckle. As well as the quirks between Dom and Adam.

Of course let's not forget the big issue here that this is the book where everything must come to an end. Lugh and Dougal will finally battle it out and the winner will naturally be the king of the demon world. But the plans keep getting muddled and new plans must be made more than once.

I don't want to get into too many details because it does have mystery elements and I don't want to spoil anything for you readers. But a lot happens, secrets unravel, jealousies, murder, mayhem, you know, the usual.

The ending doesn't disappoint either. Where there are the elements from above there are still many surprises along the way that are quite shocking, but not overly so. I don't want to come off too dramatic.

Overall the ending was satisfying even with a few lingering what if's or other would-be scenarios. But it's nothing that you lose any sleep over, it's just something you have to accept like Morgan. does.

I've enjoyed this series, there are only so many series out there that deal with demons and I think that this one dealt with them rather well. We got to see that demons are not all so bad, some are, dare I say, humane? Well, some are. They have some very natural human-like instincts so they are not total monsters, but a few of those bad ones still exist to balance the mix.

Morgan developed wonderfully as a character, there were times when you wanted to strangle her for being so single-minded, but with good reason, about demons, but her perspective has changed a lot over the past 5 books. She's become a more understanding and accepting person, a thing which all people--real or fictional--should do.

The romance in the book was not overly done either, another plus for the urban fantasy fan. Not so much for the paranormal lover. There were a few sexual tension scenes, but not a lot of "other" scenes. Brian as the BOC says has troubles dealing with Lugh wanting Morgan and another thing. Won't go further into that. ;)

I think it's safe to say that all the characters overcome something in this finale. Everyone had a problem or something to concur and their struggles are well noted. Again, I don't want to go further into that either. But it was very engaging and the ending as I said was satisfying with just few lingering questions, but none that will keep you up at night.

I don't know what Jenna has in store for us readers next other than her debut YA release that comes out next month, Glimmerglass. That should be interesting, as for her next adult series, I don't know much. Will post when I know as usual.

Stay reading readers!

Contest Alert--at Fantastic Book Review

Tina is having another contest over at her blog, Fantastic Book Review! She's been blogging for a whole year now! Way to go!

Anyway she's having an easy-peasy contest where you tell her what your 2 favorite book reviews and 2 favorite author interviews that she has on her blog. That's it! If you win from a category you win those books you chose!

Easy right?

Contest ends April 30 2010 at midnight, CST. Open to Canada and US residents only, sorry.

Apr 14, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Due to being extremely busy with the last few weeks of school and preparing for RT and early finals and more, I'm limiting my choice to one book.

My choice this week is:


Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Release Date: May 25, 2010
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0345515575

THE AFTERLIFE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

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.

Review--The Reckoning


My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But NORMAL is one thing I'm NOT.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother--who just happens to be a sorcerer--but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

NOT NORMAL.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us--permanently.

DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necromancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

AS FAR AWAY FROM NORMAL AS IT GETS.

I flew through Kelley Armstrong's The Reckoning because it was so good and I could NOT put it down. OMG! It was fabulous!

Granted you have to have read the first two, The Summoning and The Awakening to know what the heck's going on, it's not like her adult series where you can pick up any book and be okay. This is the conclusion to the Darkest Powers trilogy. I want to say the next trilogy--which will feature a whole new set of characters, just to warn you, but Kelley did say that this group might catch up with the new one somewhere down the line in the next 3 books--that are dealing with their own supernatural powers and whatnot. Very hush-hush really, there are some bits of into of on the web and a sneak peek at the back of the novel, but still as to WHAT really happens, is unclear.

Moving on. This is the conclusion as I said before to Chloe's story and picks up right where we left off with the gang at Andrew's safe-house, but there are still doubts to the whole matter. as we know Derek is hard at trusting people, even Chloe at times. The BOC talks about Chloe developing feelings for Derek and it really is a slow gradual thing in some ways, I mean her feelings are pretty much there in the book, but overall in the series it was a gradual thing.

But there is a LOT of tension, because after all Simon is still there and Chloe does like him, but as we know she's leaning towards Derek. Plus the gang is going through hell trying to escape the Edison Group. And trying to figure out who their enemies are and where they are. They soon realize what is really going on.

I don't want to go too far into those details because it will ruin the suspense, but it's good. A LOT of surprises! Of course there always are!! And as usual I won't go into them because I hate ruining surprises for people, still can't forget when a friend of mine spoiled a huge spoiler for a movie for me.

The plot moves rather fast, but not too fast too leave you disappointed. I'm a fast reader but I could not, did not want to put this book down! It was soooo good, the way Kelley writes her YA differs from her adult by word choice, yes, but also things seem to move more quickly for the teenagers, the problems are always dire, but the teens have to move faster or else they'll get caught. With her adult series, usually the characters are the ones trying to do the catching. And Elena and her gang were briefly kind of sort of mentioned here. They weren't there, but I do believe this person was referring to them when speaking of this "group".

Anyway, there's not much else I can say without giving away something. But the plot was good and still leaves you hanging for more! There's been talk about the ending, some good, some not, but I liked it. It's what I expected anyway! That way it's a must to read the next trilogy in the series! The characters were all good, the reluctant moody werewolf, the cheerful sorcerer, the temperamental witch and of course the necromancer who has her own confusing set of feelings to deal with! Everyone was great and if there was more time in the days and whatnot I would so go bad and read all the books back-to-back just to get the full effect. 3 years for us was just not nearly as long as it was for them being on the run!

A highly recommended read! The Gathering is up next for this series which will be some time next year. For me, it's Jenna Black's The Devil's Playground!

Apr 13, 2010

Cover Art



I found some more cover art! It was new to me so I thought I would post it in case no one else has seen it yet.

This one is Victoria Laurie's A Glimpse of Evil that releases on July 6! A few months early than it's usual fall release!

Here's the BOC:

As the FBI's newest civilian profiler, Abby Cooper has a tough job ahead of her. Not only does she have to use her powers of intuition to help solve a backlog of the bureau's cold cases, but she must also win over a frosty group of seasoned investigators and teach them how to develop their own perceptive abilities

If that weren't challenging enough, Abby's sure that several of the cold cases are connected, but she's the only one who's convinced. Things go from bad to worse when Abby and another agent are suspended for not following protocol, leaving Abby and her old partner, Candice, to investigate on their own. To discover how these pieces fit together, Abby will have to call on every intuitive bone in her body... before she's the one put on ice.


Here is another favorite of mine that I cannot wait to read! It's Maria V. Snyder's Spy Glass! I love this cover! The warm colors in the background are so cool and Opal, I assume, holing one of her glass creations near her eye, using it to perhaps spy on someone? Totally awesome! It stinks that I have to wait until September 1st for this one!

This description comes from Amazon, and it's not quite BOC material from my understanding, but still it gives you an idea as what we can expect from the novel:

An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice. After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world. Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood - and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever.



Can't remember if I posted this one or not. It's been out there for awhile, but still it's super cool! Early to Death, Early to Rise is the second book in Kim Harrison's debut YA series. The first one was really good and brought up a whole lot of interesting items and questions. Cannot wait to see where the second one takes us. This one releases on May 25, along with several other fabulous titles!

Once again, couldn't find a BOC, so here's an Amazon description:

Fans of Once Dead, Twice Shy (2009) won’t be disappointed by this more-of-the-same sequel, which follows Madison—the newly minted dark timekeeper of the afterworld—as she tries to stave off unnecessary reaper scythings. The plot this time revolves around a dangerous computer virus, but the story’s primary concerns are the rocky relationships between the rogue’s gallery of supernatural characters (and a few human ones, too). Harrison’s afterworld rules remain rather exhausting, but her theme of fate versus choice is more finely tuned here than in the first book. If this is your kind of thing, you already have it on order.

Here's another from Borders.com:

When Madison Avery, seventeen, spunky, and technically dead, takes on the role of Dark Timekeeper, she struggles to figure out her place in the war between light and dark reapers.

Not much, but it was all I could find.


One more! Chloe Neill's
Hexbound that releases in January 2011! Cover is awesome!! Love the blue-green glow!! Stellar!

No description yet, the cover was just released on Chloe's blog on the 13th, will post when I find it!




Teaser Tuesday



It's Teaser Tuesday! Unfortunately I just started reading my book and didn't get too far into it before classes started and then I had to look over some homework and all that fun stuff.

The rules for Teaser Tuesday are:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Write down two sentences that are SPOILER free
4) Name the book, author, genre, etc.

"In life, a telekinetic half-demon could move objects mentally. In death, they could move them physically. A poltergeist." p7

Okay I broke the rules again, but in my defense the third sentence is usually just a word or two! ;)

TITLE: The Reckoning
AUTHOR: Kelley Armstrong
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: 4/6/2010

Apr 12, 2010

Review--Blood of the Demon


BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL, MAN AND DEMON, SHE'S ABOUT TO FACE THE ONE THING SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.

Welcome to the world of Kara Gillian, a cop with a gift. Not only does she have the power of "othersight" to see what most people can't even imagine, but she's become the exculsive summoner of a demon lord. Or maybe it's the other way around. The fact is, with two troublesome cases on her docket and a handsome FBI agent under her skin, Kara needs the help of sexy, insatiable Lord Rhyzkahl more than he needs her. Because these two victims, linked by suspicious coincidence, haven't just been murdered. Something has eaten their souls.

It's a case with roots in the arcane, but whose evil has flowered among the rich, powerful, and corrupt in Beaulac, Louisiana. And as the killings continue, Kara soon realizes how much there's still to learn about demons, men, and things that kill in the night--and how little time she has to learn it.

WOW! I thought Mark of the Demon was good, but Blood of Demon was even better! Took me a little while to read it because I actually had time off this weekend, a scary thing since I'm used to spending my weekends at work. Anyway, the sequel was definitely a hit!

It pretty much picks up where Mark of the Demon left off, but a few months later and what a surprise another case awaits Kara that deals with something from the arcane. Living in Louisiana where the voodoo magic makes its home, you would think there would be more cases like these. Anyway, Kara is assigned to a case that is a lot more complicated then it first appears to be. When she discovers a fellow officer dead in his home, she thought it was a suicide but a closer look led her to discover otherwise, his essence was missing, just gone!

Soon the case blows way out of proportion and another similar case pops up and Kara takes this on as well sensing a connection, but can't figure out what it is yet other than that both victims are missing their essence. But more problems occur and Kara must relinquish one of the cases because of the work load, Kara doesn't understand why, but rolls with it.

Kara deals a lot more with the arcane and demons this time around, being a summoner and all. She is still trying to find a way to bring Tessa's essence back to her body since it is simply missing. She also has to figure out how to get into Tessa's heavily warded library to research what kind of demon eats the essence of people for that is what has happened. Essence just doesn't disappear after death, it gradually fades away.

Kara's relationships with her friends and...others also develop more and in very interesting ways. Ryan is still a constant friend and he's in town longer for work related reasons, something about him being transferred permanently. From the first book there has been a spark between the two and it continues to be there with rather slow developments and I must admit that I like it this way. Too often the heroine falls for the hero too soon, this is a more gradual relationship because we know Kara likes him and through Ryan's actions we infer this as well.

Other surprises occur along the way as well. Rhyzkahl returns with a request of Kara, one that she's not sure she should commit to yet and Ryan does not seem happy about this decision either. What's even more interesting is Ryan himself. Some intriguing questions arise about him that he either can't or won't answer just yet. Hopefully yet, Kara discovers something towards the end that sheds a little more light onto the situation, but still leaves many more questions. There is another thing that is hard to describe without giving away a spoiler that reveals itself about Ryan's character as well. Overall Ryan is a very interesting guy.

The mystery aspect was still awesome, this time I really didn't see any of it coming. Perhaps it was because I stretched the book out too long when reading. Oh well. It was definitely very interesting with many twists and turns. The twists and turns weren't even confusing, you can follow it easily, but still I didn't quite catch on until Kara started explaining things to Ryan once she figured it all out.

There are many more surprises in this book, but revealing them would again be giving away spoilers. The book was surprising--in a good way--is all I can really say.

The romance was little in the book, perhaps another reason why I liked it. There was definitely romantic tension at several points, but there is still a strange relationship happening with Kara and Rhyzkahl, I can't determine how true his feelings are and neither can Kara for we all know demons lie.

I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series. Which I can't find anything info on yet, but will post once I do. Tomorrow I attempt to start Kelley Armstrong's The Reckoning. I know I'm going out of order from my TBR list, but I am dying to read this one!

Apr 9, 2010

Contest Alert--at Fantastic Book Review

Tina over at Fantastic Book Review is giving away a SIGNED copy of Kelley Armstrong's latest The Reckoning that just released on Tuesday. I ordered mine online and is making its long trip to me, so hopefully I'll get it on Monday.

Anyway, this is a chance for a SIGNED copy, the ultimate treasure of any bibliophile! Contest rules are simple, mostly commenting on the review and interview. Click here for the rules.

Contest ends April 23, 2010 @ midnight CST. US and Canada residents only, sorry!

Apr 7, 2010

Review--The Mage in Black


THINGS TO DO:
1) SURVIVE MAGIC 101
2) BOND WITH LONG-LOST SISTER
3) STAY ALIVE

Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she's some kind of "Chosen" who'll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn't care who chose her, she's not into destiny.

But the mages aren't Sabina's only problem. In New York's Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she'd take a bite out of the Big Apple, but it looks like it wants to bite back.

Finished The Mage in Black today, the second book in the Sabina Kane series and it was awesome! Of course since this was a second book in what will be a series of some unknown number, if anyone knows how many books there will be, feel free to say so in the comments. Book 3, Green-Eyed Demon won't come out until March 2011, unless something happens within the next 11 months. Going back to my earlier statement, that because this was book 2, there was a cliffhanger and it is going to be a long and grueling wait for the next book.

Once again to quote Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, "I hate waiting."

I can't say what the cliffhanger is of course, but there is a cliffhanger and we are soooo left hanging. It was a great read, naturally! Sabina and Adam are on the road with Giguhl in tow going to New York and that is one long ride, one end of the border to the other. Talk about adding to the gas mileage because they are driving. It can't be that much cheaper driving than to fly with gas prices today, but that is neither here nor there!

Anyway, once Sabina makes it to her sister's house she is greeted warmly which shocks her. Everyone treats her so kindly that it kind of freaks her out at first. She is then initiated into the mage society since she is 1/2 and 1/2. And there are some very early and very entertaining tense scenes/encounters between Sabina and Adam that were very enjoyable as well.

But sadly, Adam is sent on a mission to help the mage council out, since Maisie is high up on the scale. Forgot her official title, but she's up there. Sabina isn't in New York long before she's already in trouble with a pack of Weres while strolling Central Park and has to fight the Alpha so she doesn't have to pay a huge fine. There are many things Sabina must learn about the rules of the supernatural kind in NY.

Of course as the BOC says, there is "an opportunistic old flame" in town. If you've read The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2, you're already in the know, if not, then you can read the short story Jaye Wells has in it to get the history between these two! It was yet another quite entertaining encounter between the two. Especially after the SS ended!

Vague, I know. But that's how I am, because I don't want to spoil things for you guys! Giguhl is back and is as entertaining as ever. Since he is Sabina's familiar, he's taken to hanging around Sabina, which comes in handy when it becomes clear that someone in New York wants Sabina dead, sending assassins after her in a variety of forms.

Sabina soon learns that someone she knows wants her dead because it only makes sense that way with the way the attacks happened. I had a guess, but I was wrong. My other guess that I didn't pay attention to as much was right. But it wasn't my main guess, so I admit to being wrong.

Overall this was a well-paced book and very entertaining, because Sabina is learning how to use her latent mage powers. She still doesn't buy into this whole "Chosen" one bit much, but the other mages, her sister and a teacher or sorts and Adam all believe in her, even if Sabina won't believe in herself. She still has many doubts about things here in New York that are mage related.

Another entertaining bit that the BOC mentions that isn't really a big deal in the book, although it takes up quite a few pages is the demon fight club! Yes there is a Demon Fight Club, care to guess the first 2 rules?

There are more, which I haven't ever seen the other movie and read some of the book before for a class, so I can't remember if they had 3 rules only or if there were more. But yes, a Demon Fight Club that is related to the "mysterious" old flame and take a guess to who participates!

Overall a very entertaining novel! I love these books and the wait for Green-Eyed Demon is going to be agonizing! I didn't tempt myself by reading the little excerpt inside the back of the novel. I find that when I read these, the wait is worse. So I have to avoid reading them for my own peace of mind.

On another note, the picture of the book I have here is different than my actual book. Sabina isn't wearing the necklace as she is depicted wearing here. I wonder why the change. And I wonder what exactly the necklace is. I've read the book and have a guess or two, just wondering which of the two it is. Any thoughts?

Next up is Diana Rowland's Blood of the Demon, already 100 pages in. Really good so far, thanks again to a friend from the Pride for the recommendation!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week:
Magic on the Storm by Devon Monk
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451463272

Magic stirred in me....I closed my eyes, wanting to lose myself to it. Wanting to use magic in every way I could. But that would be bad. I had enough magic inside me; I could burn down a city. And I didn't want to do that....

Allie Beckstrom knows better than most that when magic's involved, you always pay. Whether the price is migraines, amnesia, or muscle aches, she is committed to her work as a Hound, tracing illegal spells back to their casters. But her job is about to get much more dangerous.

There's a storm of apocalyptic force bearing down on Portland, and when it hits, all the magic in the area will turn unstable and destructive. To stop it from taking out the entire city, Allie and her lover, the mysterious Zayvion Jones, must work with the Authority--the enigmatic arbiters of all things magic--and make a stand against a magical wild storm that will obliterate all in its path.



Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Release Date: May 25, 2010
Trade Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451463272

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…



Apr 6, 2010

Contest Alert--at BBB


Maria is over at Bitten By Books today talking about her latest and debut YA release, Inside Out! It was a fabulous read, see my review here.

Maria talks about how she got the idea for the book and of course there's a contest to go along. Head on over today and ask Maria questions you have about her book or writing in general or whatever and you can have a chance to win an Apple Ipod shuffle 2, generation 4!

Contest ends 4/8/10 at 11:59PM Central. Open to US and Canadian residents only.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday time again! The time to give other readers a taste of what you're reading to see if it interests them as well.

I'm almost halfway through The Mage in Black. Got it over Easter and wanted to read it first before my next book. I plan on reading Rowland's next for sure.

Anyway here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Write down 2 sentences that are SPOILER free
4. Name the book title, author, etc.

"Then his gaze landed on me. He went still, only his eyes moving as he looked me up and down." p30

TITLE: The Mage in Black
AUTHOR: Jaye Wells
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: 3/30/10

Apr 5, 2010

New Release!

Just got an email from Amazon that said Carrie Vaughn is having ANOTHER new release coming out this year!

It's called Discord's Apple. I believe the characters were in a short story but the anthology is escaping my memory. I'm pretty sure it was in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance.

Here's the BOC or description from Amazon:

When Evie Walker goes home to spend time with her dying father, she discovers that his creaky old house in Hope’s Fort, Colorado is not the only legacy she stands to inherit. Hidden behind the old basement door is a secret and magical storeroom where wondrous treasures from myth and legend are kept safe unit they are needed again. The magic of the storeroom prevents access to any who are not intended to use the items.

Evie must guard the storeroom against ancient and malicious forces, protecting the past and the future even as the present unravels around them. Old heroes and notorious villains alike will rise to fight on her side or to undermine her most desperate gambits. At stake is the fate of the world, and the prevention of nothing less than the apocalypse.

Anyway it releases July 20, 2010.

She'll also have a story in the anthology Dark and Stormy Knights, releasing July 20, 2010 as well.

Apr 4, 2010

Review--Shadow Souls


ON THE RUN...

Elena Gilbert's love, the vampire Stefan Salvatore, has been captured and imprisoned by demonic spirits who are wreaking havoc in Fell's Church. While her friends Bonnie and Meredith explore the evil that has taken over their town, Elena goes in search of Stefan.

In order to find him, she entrusts her life to Stefan's brother, Damon Salavtore, the handsome but deadly vampire who wants Elena, body and soul. Along with her childhood friend Matt, they set out for the slums of the Dark Dimension, where Stefan is being held catpive. It is rumored to be a world where vampires and demons roam free, but humans must live enslaved to their supernatural masters...

Elena will stop at nothing to free Stefan. Yet with each passing day the tension between Elena and Damon grows, and she is faced with a terrible decision: Which brother does she really want?

Back in Fell's Church, Bonnie and Meredith have made some dire discoveries. They hastily try to follow Elena and warn her--only to be caught up in Elena's most dangerous adventure yet.

Just finished Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, long name yes, this morning. Read it pretty quick too, near 100 pages a day since it read so fast. So don't let the 599 page count scare you. Really, the more pages the better in my opinion!

It is to be noted, even if it isn't already known, that the book series is different than the TV series. So just be aware of the vast differences if you are new to the series, but then again, if you are already this far into the book series, you know this already.

The book picks up where the last one, Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall left, off. Elena is set on entering the Dark Dimension, a world that is quite scary filled with vampires and demons, all who are not nice, but not all are purely evil as well. Plus there are scores of humans forced to be enslaved. How the humans ended up there is never clearly state, perhaps they just made bargains with the demons and were traded about.

Regardless, Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith act as if they are Damon's slaves to enter the D.D. and give themselves protection from the other inhabitants. Elena will stop at nothing to freeing Stefan from his prison and a task is already set, she must find 2 halves to a fox key that will open Stefan's prison.

Elena is still adjusting to her powers, which have seemed to gone dormant since the last book, but here and there she does something, like communicates with Damon with her mind and she must learn to control her aura so it doesn't shine so brightly.

We also see an entirely different side to Damon this time. While we might have hated him from the first set of books, maybe, you totally sympathize for him now. We get to see more of what's inside his mind, literally. He really isn't that bad of a guy either. History just repeated itself again, where once he and Stefan both loved Katherine, they both love Elena now.

Although, once again, as we saw in the last book, there are one or two moments where Damon seems to be looking at Bonnie more. Helping her a bit more when it wasn't necessary. I don't know if anyone else noticed or not and I don't know what to make of it. I think there was even a SS on L.J.'s website about Bonnie and Damon too. Hmm...interesting. I wonder if this means something.

The story is well paced as we ease the characters into the D.D. They have to prepare and once they get there, there is still more to be done. Elena and the gang even help out a poor woman who turns out wasn't so poor, but still was a slave. That event there is what helped put everything else into motion.

Back in Fell's Church we get glimpses of the town falling apart. More deaths, the kitsune are still about causing chaos and Caroline is just one big freaking mystery. The girl is going even crazier from the last book. Tyler wasn't there, as we found out last time he's a werewolf. I wonder if he'll pop up in the next book next year.

Overall a very good book if you've been following the book series. Since it was just reprinted prior to last year and again this year with covers from the TV show, people are talking about it. Hopefully they know that this series predates Twilight by a long shot. I read the series when it was 10 years old in 2001 or so, the books were printed in the early 90s remember. I have the trippy 90s covers on my first set and I LOVE them!

Told in 3rd person, the narrative jumps around a bit, but you don't get lost. There is simply a page break that indicates a change in scene or narrator/perspective. I like it this way because it lets us know what's happening everywhere.

And the ending! Holy Cow! The ending leaves you dying for more yet again! L.J. definitely knows how to work the cliffhanger endings! Sad that we have to wait a year for the next installment! Argh. The ending was a total shock, but in one teeny-tiny aspect you would've thought that the "thing" would've come up since it was important in the last book.

Vague I know, but it's spoiler-like since it is the end! So I will just let you guys find out for yourselves what I mean. It's definitely a must read and a GREAT read. High recommended as is the rest of the series if you haven't started it yet. And luckily if you are new to the series you can buy the first 4 books in 2 volumes. So there's less to buy. And all but this one are in paperback as well! So have at it!

Happy Easter!!


Happy Easter Everyone!!

Enjoy the holiday if you celebrate and enjoy the day if you don't!

Candy for all! Jellybeans and Chocolate bunnies, a wonderful treat! Already binged on some Easter candy last night and will probably do so again today! Tomorrow it's back to eating healthy!


Apr 1, 2010

Contest Alert--at Fantastic Book Review


Tina over at Fantastic Book Review is having an AMAZING contest to win a signed copy of Maria Snyder's debut YA release, Inside Out! A must read! Check out my review here.

Tina also has one up on her blog along with a sensational interview with Maria that is definitely another thing to check out.

There are a series of short rules to enter the contest which you will find here. Pretty easy.

Contest ends April 15 2010 midnight, Central. Open to only US & Canada residents, sorry.