Apr 25, 2013

Review--The Eldritch Conspiracy by Cat Adams

A Royal Wedding

In a fairy-tale match, the King of Rusland is marrying a Siren princess...but there are many who think Princess Adriana has bewitched the king by using dark magics. After the second attempt on Adriana's life, the Siren princess asks her cousin Celia for help.

Celia Graves provides personal security to the rich and the famous--and the poor and the unknown. She's gotten government informants out of the hands of terrorists and banished demons to another dimension. Celia's not human, not anymore--thanks to a vampire's bite, she's half-undead, and her sleeping Siren ancestry has woken up big time.

So Celia's the perfect choice to protect Adriana from both explosions and curses. If she's not too distracted by her beloved grandmother, who blames her for Celia's mother being in jail; or by her boyfriend's gorgeous ex, who's made it clear she wants him back at any price.


The Blood Singer series by Cat Adams has been quite the fascinating read from the beginning! A woman gets turned into a vampire and then learns she has Siren blood in her makes for an ultimate paranormal heroine! In The Eldritch Conspiracy, Celia's adventures continue, but yet I found this one lacking something that the previous books have had.

Granted it was still a good read, just not as awesome as I would've hoped for. Firstly, I felt misled by the cover description's first paragraph. The only "many" who think that Celia's cousin, Adriana might be using her Siren powers on the king are some of the king's own family, who are just plain mean and devious. There's lots of family drama in this one from many different families! I kept thinking that Adriana might be a bad chick after all based on this description, but it was very misleading as never once does Adriana seem like a callous bitch like she was when she first met Celia.

Celia accepts the job with good grace and does what she can to protect Adriana, her husband to be and the rest of the wedding party. But it soon becomes clear that someone among them is trying to tear apart the upcoming nuptials and Celia has a hard time trying to figure out who. Doesn't help that she and her cousin get hounded by the paparazzi either.

The bottom paragraph in the description was also a tad misleading. True, these events did happen, but I kind of thought that they would have more of an impact in the story. They were more like minor events. But I have the feeling that they might come back up in books to come as things are still left hanging with her grandmother and Bruno's ex.

Which brings me to the romantic conflicts of the book. I was most disappointed to learn that before the story really starts that Celia and Creede are over. At least that was the impression that I got. There was an unseen fight that Celia mentions very early on, before the main plot even starts, that led me to believe that she and him were just done. So the main contender for her heart is now Bruno, and add in his ex-girlfriend from high school wanting him back, that definitely adds some conflict. But either then a few little kisses, there was next to no romance in this one. I was just a little disappointed about all that. Especially because I felt like I was missing a lot of details from the time the last book ended and this one began. I know that shouldn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but that's how I felt.

The book did start with a very exciting action scene though, Celia is in the middle of an unrelated case to the main plot, but it was just very good! Lots of fast action and surprises that were so shocking because they were so sudden!

The pacing overall was very good! It was just movement from one day to another for Celia who has spent a great deal of time in Mexico working the case that we open up to, to moving onto helping her cousin and that's a whirlwind of action on its own!! All very enjoyable! Although, Celia didn't nearly say her catch phrase "F**k a duck!" nearly enough! I crack up for some reason when I read it, I guess because it rhymes and she says it at just the right moment when things go totally FUBAR!

Despite not completely enjoying this one as much, I did enjoy it! There were a few interesting developments that I cannot be sure if they will pop up in future books or not, but I definitely cannot wait to see what other adventures Celia gets into!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars--a good rating because despite some of my issues with the book it was still overly all good!



Random Thursday

OMG!! There's only 6 DAYS til RT 2013!! I am so excited!! Probably won't be packing til the weekend in a few days, but already got my books piled up and ready to be signed:

Sadly, this isn't even all of them! I order a few more last minute books on Amazon and B&N that I'll feature on Sunday since they have yet to arrive. But looking at them in this picture makes me see that this is nowhere near as bad as it was last year!

And don't worry, I will grab as many extra goodies as I can. I'm driving so if it can fit in my car, it's coming! I'll be sure to have another awesome giveaway!


Apr 24, 2013

Review--Hot Blooded by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie


What do you run from?

Katelyn had only been in Wolf Springs a short time before she was bitten by a werewolf. And now she carries that creature's curse in her veins.

But she's not alone. Wolf Springs is home to a hidden family of werewolves, the Fenners--who swear none of them bit her. Apparently there's a monster on the loose--something wild and uncontrollable.

And to make matters worse, Katelyn's struggling to resist her own animal urges. Especially around Trick and Justin. Show she follow her heart--or her instincts?


If I thought my memory was poor from Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie's Crusade trilogy, it was really poor with the Wolf Springs Chronicles! I had some recollections but not a whole lot. But once again, once I started reading the story, little details came back and Hot Blooded soon became a very enjoyable read!

There's still a lot of weird stuff going around Wolf Springs, two young girls were killed and Cordelia is "missing", adding more worry to the town. Although, Cordelia has been banished from the town by her own family. And still, the body count continues to rise.

Katelyn is struggling to adapt to her new life as a werewolf and continue to keep it a secret from her grandfather and Trick. It's hard going, since she has to spend a lot of time with Justin, who is training her in the ways of being a werewolf, getting used to her new abilities and all that. Which brings us back into the love triangle territory, although you would think there wouldn't be much of one since Justin has a girlfriend, but there you go. Trick is so sweet though, I definitely like him better than Justin. The way I look at things, Kat is attracted to Trick and wants to be with him, and yet it seems like her wolf is attracted to Justin and wants to be with him. The two parts of herself are warring with one another and it is likely that someone is going to get hurt.

What's so different about reading this series is that compared to the other series these authors have co-written together, this one is all from Kat's point of view in the third person. Which can be a mixed blessing, since there's not a lot of stuff happening with a lot of people, but still a lot goes on in this 400+ page book!

As I mentioned earlier, there are still murders and disappearances going on in Wolf Springs and there's no culprit to be found, but it is likely a wolf doing the killings since the bodies have been mauled. And then there's the mystery behind the wolf who bit Katelyn, could it be the mysterious Hellhound that guards the lost silver mine? So many questions and mysteries and still there are no answers.

You might be wondering what does this novel focus on if there are still so many unanswered questions. Well, besides going deeper into those mysteries and Katelyn learning about how to be a werewolf and pack hierarchy and all that jazz, there's also friction between another pack and the Fenner pack that involves Cordelia. I don't want to get into too many details for spoiler reasons, but this was a pretty good read.

At times the pacing got a little slow as Katelyn did some mundane teenager things or was just training, but Nancy and Debbie are definitely building up the tension and the mystery while the mundane happens. Assuming this is another trilogy, I cannot wait to see how things get resolved in the next one. I've been making some speculations about this or that and I really want to see if I am right or close to it!

As for romance, this book has quite a bit. There's the not quite romance but budding romance that builds between Trick and Kat coupled with the fiery passion that blooms between Katelyn and Justin. Although, I again don't really care for the Justin and Katelyn angle, I guess because Justin has a girlfriend--a fact that does come up between them, they just choose to ignore it. I don't like cheaters and to me Justin is cheating with the few kisses exchanged and Katelyn is no better since it takes two to cheat. But again, I really think it's more of their wolf sides that are attracted and connected to one another. I don't see the same heat and passion as their human selves that Katelyn and Trick seem to share.

The ending was really good! It was nice big action-y scene that ends with shocking results. And the final ending, uh...not cool! Cliffhanger!! It took too long for release info on this book to come out, I fear the length of time I'll have to wait for the next book!

Despite a few issues with the pacing, this was still an incredible read! Katelyn is a pretty enjoyable character and I adore Trick! Hoping that they get a HEA ending together by the end, sorry Justin! If you're looking for a paranormal YA series with mystery than this is one series you might want to check out because there is a lot of mystery and secrets in this book!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars



Waiting on Wednesday




I hate waiting...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.


In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?


  
Still have to read the first in this series, but looking forward to it! Always so hard to do a WoW or similar cover post when I haven't gotten caught up in the series!



TITLE: Of Triton
AUTHOR: Anna Banks

PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends
GENRE: Paranormal YA
RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2013





After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.



Looking forward to seeing how this one ends! Read the last as an ARC so my memory is pretty fuzzy on some details. Love the cover though! This whole trilogy has had beautiful covers!



TITLE: Goddess
AUTHOR: Josephine Angelini

PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
GENRE: Paranormal/Mythology YA
RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2013










Apr 23, 2013

NEW LOOK!


Hello again everyone! Did you check out my new blog look?


Awhile back I entered a contest from Alise at Readers in Wonderland for a new basic look and I won!!

I didn't really know what I wanted but I talked with Alise for a bit and she came up with this! Isn't it awesome?! 

Still working on getting some of my sidebar items to be in the right order and have to dig around to see what happened to my "about me" widget thingy. But other than that, everything else is good to go!!


Review--Soulbound by Tessa Adams

AS THE SEVENTH DAUGHTER OF A SEVENTH DAUGHTER--AND A MEMBER OF ISPWITCH'S ROYAL FAMILY--XANDRA MORGAN SHOULD BE A WITCH OF INCREDIBLE POWER. BUT THINGS DON'T ALWAYS TURN OUT LIKE YOU EXPECT...
While she hasn't lived up to her family's expectations, Xandra has come to terms with her latent magic and made a life for herself in Austin, Texas, running a coffee shop where she makes potions of a nonmagical nature. While things aren't perfect, Xandra is happy--until she runs into powerful warlock Declan Chumomisto.

Xandra hasn't seen Declan in years, and though she's still overwhelmed by his power, she doesn't trust him. And when her own powers awaken one night and lead her to the body of a woman in the woods bearing the symbol of Isis--the same one that has marked Xandra since the day she met Declan--she's filled with a terrible suspicion, soon confirmed: The woman is connected to him.

Xandra doesn't want to believe that Declan is capable of murder but as soon as the body count mounts, and Xandra's own powers spiral out of control, she's not sure she can trust her own instincts...


Tessa Adams' Soulbound sounded like a very intriguing read, a paranormal book with a murder mystery going on. What's not to love? Xandra was an enjoyable heroine and Declan was a very mysterious kind of guy, and the mystery was very good, so all in all, it was a good read.

The story buildup took awhile for me to get into. We get a nice prologue depicting Xandra's birth and then the first chapter shows us Xandra and Declan's first meeting at her magical "coming out" party when she was nineteen, which ended in a disaster and her not having any kind of powers at all. When the story finally starts in the present day, it's to see Xandra at her family's home for the holidays and right away, she's poisoned by her mother!

With good intentions, her mother has been experimenting for years on potions or other oddities to get Xandra's powers starting. Xandra is from a family of witches, it's only natural that she would be one herself, but for some reason, she's just not.

It's not long before the first body is found during the party and this is when things start to go very wrong for Xandra. The sheriff of the town who has a grudge against Xandra wants to place blame on her, but it's clear that Xandra isn't the murderer and that's when we leave Ispwitch and this murder case. Xandra returns home to Austin after the holidays and gets back to her regular life. But the murders don't stop.

Naturally when Declan appears back in her life, we are meant to suspect him. But yet, I didn't get the creepy vibe from him. There's definite spark between him and Xandra and a lot of history too, of course it was history crammed into one night and one night only, but Xandra can feel the strange connection between them and it kind of freaks her out. Which then leads her to next body. Xandra also notices the weird similarities between the dead women and her own appearance, but it is just too weird for her to think on long.

All the while during the murder investigation, Xandra and Declan keep running into one another and the feelings that Xandra had back when she was nineteen and first kissed Declan return again and again. The romance between them kind of hits fast with a punch, but it took some building. There were all these old feelings from the past that led Xandra to feeling more for him.

The mystery element was really good! I devised in my mind who the killer was fairly early on. Simply a guess. Although my mind kept going back and forth as the story moved on. For awhile, near the end, I was sure it was Declan after all, it definitely messes with the mind when there are so many suspects. I can say that I was right about the who-done-it though! Obviously not going to say who I suspected though!!

The ending really packed a whopper of a punch with the revelations. I was blown away, because it seemed kind of out there. I didn't detect any evidence or hints that this was the reason behind everything. So that part was a little too shocking. Unless I did miss something in the beginning which is starting to occur to me as a slight possibility, but yeah. I was totally blindsided by this little detail.

While all things are good and resolved at the end, there is still enough left to make you wonder "what's next"? There is going to be a lot on Xandra's plate in the novels to come. And I cannot wait to see what that might be, I still hope there will be a mystery of some kind that needs solving! I love a good mystery mixed with paranormal. Which probably stemmed from my love of Scooby-Doo as a child! Of course those vampires and werewolves weren't real, at least in the novels they are!!

This was an incredible mystery and a pretty good paranormal read, together they make for an enjoyable read! There were a few times that things got a little too wordy, like with explanations of how the magic works and other magic related items and history bits, but nothing to totally make the book a bomb. This will definitely be a series I stick with!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars



Hey All!

"I want to win a signed THE ETERNITY CURE by Julie Kagawa at www.juliekagawa.blogspot.com"


Teaser Tuesday & Top 10 Tuesday

Here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Except the longer I look at it, the more I realize the mirror image is all wrong. It's upside down and her eyes are closed. No, not a mirror image I realize as the water smooths out. Not a reflection at all. The face I see in the lake belongs to someone else entirely." p 108










  

TITLE: Soulbound
AUTHOR: Tessa Adams

PUBLISHER: Signet Eclipse
GENRE:
Paranormal Mystery

RELEASE DATE: February 5, 2013



Top Ten is an original feature/weekly meme created at
The Broke and the Bookish that features a great bookish top ten every week.


Thought I would try giving this meme a go! 


This week's topic is: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE Than I Did
*in no particular order






























Apr 22, 2013

C.C. Hunter Blog Tour: Chosen at Nightfall

Chosen at Nightfall releases tomorrow!! Yay! Check out my review here.


Kylie Galen's life hasn't been the same since her world was turned upside-down in Born at Midnight, Shadow Falls #1, and now an epic conclusion to her journey—not to mention a tough choice between two guys!—is brewing in Chosen at Nightfall:

When Kylie Galen left Shadow Falls, she thought it was the hardest decision of her life. Heartbroken and separated from everyone she loves, she has to embrace her abilities and what it means to be a chameleon. But as Kylie's journey comes to a close, she must return to the camp that started it all...and she must finally chose between the two boys who love her. The werewolf who broke her heart when he chose his pack over her, and the half-fae who ran from their intense attraction before they ever really had a chance. For Kylie, everything will finally be revealed and nothing will ever be the same.



 


In Chosen at Nightfall Kylie. . . 

1. …nearly kills Lucas twice. 
2. …has another boy become interested in her. 
3. …acquires another stalker. 
4. …is accused of having an affair with an older man. 
5. …has an unwanted guest crawl over a bathroom stall when she’s trying to pee. 
6. …gets kissed by two guys. 
7. …finally makes a choice of which boy she loves. 
8. …is forced to kill someone to save someone she loves 
9. …tells a human that she’s a supernatural. 
10. Discovers someone isn’t who they say they are. 
11. …gets caught buying pregnancy tests for someone. 
12. …Has another guy paying a pint of blood to spend an hour with her. 
13. …gets read the riot act by Burnett. 


Be sure to read a copy asap! As this is the conclusion to Kylie's story and it was just amazing!!




Review--Vanquished by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

A love worth fighting for...

Hope is in short supply, but courage runs deep as the Salamancan hunters recover from a devastating loss. Jenn knows she must rally her team against the Cursed Ones, but her focus is shattered. She's torn between passion for Antonio, who once fought by her side, and hate for the bloodthirsty vampire he's become. His volatility is tearing apart their team...and Jenn's trust.

As the Cursed Ones amass new strength, Team Salamanca must stick together if they hope to survive, let alone defend humanity. Jenn wants to believe Antonio's loyal to their cause--and their lover--but she's slowly losing her heart to Resistance fighter Noah. And if Antonio's not careful, he may just end up with a stake in his.


It's been ages since I read the last book in Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie's Crusade trilogy, I read it as an ARC in 2011, so it's been a really long time! No matter, after a few bumps in the road I was able to get back on track with Vanquished.

So much has happened to Jenn and her team that it's impossible to sum it all up now, even with my poor memory! This time around, Jenn is still hurting from Antonio's actions, he went to the "dark side" and was able to come back to himself, but there's a distance between them. She loves him still, but it's hard to know if he feels the same way. And having Noah there only complicates things. This is one of the more complicated love triangles I think, and yet not really complicated. Noah is a pretty awesome guy and he cares for Jenn, even gave up smoking because she didn't like it. He's a good guy and could make her happy, yet I don't see many sparks between them. Jenn frets a lot over Antonio and wanting to be with him and yet his holding back because he's a vampire. It gets a little tiring at times, but not to the point where I hate the characters.

With so many characters in these lovely authors' series, it's always hard to "sum up" what happened with who. Too much happened! We get back in touch with Skye and her being kidnapped by her ex, Jamie decides to go after her and rescue her. Where Heather, Jenn's sister and newly made vampire, is on a mission of her own. To kill Aurora.

Heather was an interesting character to follow, I felt like I knew what she was doing at times, but then she would do something else that would totally blindside me! I wasn't expecting her to do this or that. For that matter, there were a LOT of surprises in this one!

It's the final book and the final battle. Jenn and her accumulated team that has crossed borders to get to her and her friends are going to take down the vampires, led by Lucifer, yep, that GUY! The battle was long and worrying because so much was happening, lives were being lost left and right, by both bad guys and good guys. By the end we're left reeling with all the chaos that had been wrought.

I thought the ending was good, maybe a touch to perfect, yet there's still all these other things the characters have to consider that are on the horizon. We won't get to see any of that though. For now, the story is done.

Yet I am still left reeling with a few questions, ones I can't really pose, but it makes me wonder are we sure it's all said and done? How did this "event" work out the way it did? What was all that? Errg! Too many questions and no answers in sight! And if that wasn't enough to make my head spin, the epilogue brings about another question!! It's hard to explain the exact feeling I got, but I was seriously thinking somewhere along the lines of "say what?" again! It was just that surprising! And there were just too many twists and questions like that that left me a little unsatisfied to truly enjoy the novel, hence the not perfect, but still awesomely good, rating.

All in all, it was a good read. I enjoyed reading this trilogy because I have enjoyed the duo authors' first series that was cancelled for a few year, tearing my world apart since that fourth book (or second book in the second compilation for newbies) ended with a whopper of a cliffhanger! Took years before that cliffhanger pain to end! Anyways, this series has been good! Different from the last, but has the same writing style the authors have adapted with multiple points of view in third person, from both hero/heroine and enemy alike! I cannot wait to see what the next series these ladies cook up will be!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars


ARC Review--The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: 

Blood calls to blood


She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence.


There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago-and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.


Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.


I received this e-ARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.


Julie Kagawa totally blew me away with The Eternity Cure! She slams surprise after surprise at every turn! I couldn't believe how many jaw-dropping-oh-my-god moments there were in this book! It was truly freaking incredible!

A short time has passed since Allison had led Zeke and the others to Eden, then setting out on her own journey to find Kanin, her Master, who is in terrible trouble. And one of the first surprises she encounters is running into Jackal, when she thought she was following Kanin's trail. Jackal quickly explains that it's because he's her blood brother and since they share the same blood, she was able to find him. As he wanted. As it turns out, Jackal wants to help Kanin too, but doesn't really make his intent clear as to why.

The journey begins with Allie and Jackal traveling the across the states as they are led to where it all began; New Covington. But there are more surprises than Kanin awaiting there. The city has been ravaged by a disease, one that affects humans and vampires, effectively killing them in a slow death. The humans are crazed beings and there are hardly survivors left since the Prince has closed off the inner city.

While trekking through the city and trying to get a bead on Kanin's location, Allie encounters a group of surviving humans, led by an all too familiar face. Care to hazard a guess as to who? It was yet another surprise to see this returning character, although I didn't think Julie would leave this character out of the story.

Once again, Allie must deal with the incredibly insane vampire, Sarren. She must put an end to his maddeningly crazy plan on destroying humanity and vampires with the virus that effects them all. Funny thing though is that he never mentions offing himself. Yet instead of wanting to take over the world, he wants to end it. Allie and Kanin must work quickly to find the cure or else all is lost.

I felt like this book had a faster pace than the last one, which was well paced if I recall. A LOT happened in that one as we were getting introduced to a new world. Now we know the world, we know the characters, so we didn't have to go through the introductory phase as is warranted in the first book of a series.

The Eternity Cure was simply incredible! I was amazed with how far the characters had come. Allie has developed into a very strong vampire--in a sense--and yet she is still able to be in tune with her human side. She's balanced. Jackal too me by surprise several times throughout the book. Gone was the crazed king--and it's been sooo long since I read the book, I couldn't really remember everything that had already happened--and in his place is a somewhat normal vamp. Yeah, he's a little bit of a mix of the typical vamp. He can be deadly scary and fierce one moment, then the next he's sarcastic and making wisecracks--which were totally funny! He's a pretty complex character in some ways. He's the guy you can't trust, but willingly trust...yeah, I struggle to put into words his complexity!

As I said, this book was full of surprises. And just as things were winding down, and a somewhat HEA was just on the horizon, with more to come...Julie slams the breaks and hits us with the most killer ending ever!! OMG, I was totally blown away. I won't get into it all, but it became quite an ordeal. Although, I pretty much guessed outright what the conclusion was in the very last paragraph or so of the epilogue! And now, I must begin the agonizing wait of a year to come to read the next book! And I know that one will be a read worth waiting for!

The Blood of Eden series is a remarkable series that differs highly from her The Iron Fey Chronicles. Here we have a dark setting of a future riddled with vampires and the only way to survive is to succumb to their whims. Allie is a fierce heroine, who while vampire, doesn't play by the rules of the Princes. She is out to make a life of her own and be the kind of girl she wants to be. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow and cannot wait to see her kick some ass in the next book! Bring it on!


Overall rating 5/5 stars


The Eternity Cure releases April 30, 2013