Book Review: Dalysian Hope - Jamie Summer

Title: Dalysian Hope
Author: Jamie Summer
Genre: YA - Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Pub Date: March 23, 2016

Buy Link: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/1530803020

Blurb (From Goodreads):One night that changed everything.
Sophie Evans is sure about one thing: she’s a normal teenage girl. Until one night her life is turned upside down. 

Attacked in her own apartment and saved by two handsome strangers, she’s thrown into a whole new world. Suddenly dealing with powers she knows nothing about and having half-truths thrown at her from every direction, she realizes that the definition of normal might not fit her after all. 

When Sophie is told that she has to fight in a matter of life and death, she’s left wondering what chance does she really have? And how can she be the only hope of a race she never even knew existed? 

Can Sophie fight the odds stacked against her, or will she lose herself in the process?

My Review:

Dalysian Hope was a review request sent to me. I’ve slowed way down on accepting requests, just because the time I used to spend on reading/blogging/promoting just isn’t available anymore. But since I was interested in the blurb I was given, and the cover of this book was beautiful, so I decided to give it a shot.

What I Loved: This story is very unique in many ways, and yet still falls into what is popular in YA-Fantasy/Dystopian type novels. I enjoyed Sophie’s character. She was witty and strong, yet at the same time took things in stride and didn’t have a tendency for the dramatic ‘this is not fair’ attitude that sometimes comes with these novels. This book was not too forthcoming with information, but there were some elements that of foreshadowing I was able to pick up on, and I love when I’m able to do that.

The chemistry between Sophie and Ash….and Sophie and Ren was pretty decent. Yes, unfortunately we have the makings (not exactly there yet…) for a love triangle here. I have my ‘side’ but I will keep that to myself for now.

Not So Much: As previously mentioned, this book is not too forthcoming with the information. I was just as frustrated as Sophie about this, but mostly because it caused some of the story to just not make sense, or even flow very well. Keeping information so far under wraps that nearly the entire book is us discovering Sophie’s abilities, her training, and her internally swooning – it really just could have used a little more movement. There were things happening, lies that were being told (though not very well at times) and plots forming; however we never really figured out the reasons behind some of these things. I have my suspicions on a few of them…but no confirmation. That is not to say the book wasn’t without its action, and once there was some information starting to get shared, the book picked up pace considerably. It was just that I had to wait until the final 3/4ths of the novel for that to really happen.

The Verdict:  

    

I did enjoy the concept of this story, it was a unique idea with a lot of potential. I will be interested to see what more can be made of it as the series progresses. This book is clean, very YA appropriate.

Book Review: Onyx - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx (A Lux Novel - Book 2)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal, Romance

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/1620610116

Blurb (from Goodreads): 
Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…
I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Review:

No sooner did I finish Obsidian then I went and purchased Onyx. While I may have had some character troubles with Obsidian, I was still captivated by this story and wanted to know more about what was going to happen.

What I Loved: The continuing building of heat between Katy and Daemon. I enjoyed Daemon much more in this book than the previous. He was done fighting what were obviously very strong feelings for Katy, and he was in aggressive pursuit. There was a lot more kissing in this book – and boy can Jennifer Armentrout write a good kissing scene!

We learned more about what is going on between Katy and Daemon’s strange connection and what it might all mean. We also are introduced to Blake who is more than he seems.

In Onyx we get a few more twists and turns in the story, while the progress on the relationship front seems to be more the issue here.

Not So Much: Katy is driving me crazy. She is still so obtuse and just wishy-washy. She says things that she desperately wants to believe, but are obviously not true. She has become a horrible friend and really not admirable at all. She lies, and hides things that should be brought to light, and trusts way more information to people outside of her alien circle than she should.



The Verdict:    

Gosh, the romance draws me in. The story is interesting enough…but I’m just a bit perturbed by Katy. Some reviews of the third book indicate that she gets better, but I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to move on yet.

Book Review: Obsidian - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian (A Lux Novel - Book 1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal, Romance

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/1620610078

Blurb (From Goodreads): 
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

My Review:

Pay attention book bloggers – this one goes out to you! Last week I did a quick search on my WordPress app on Book Reviews, just to see what would pop up. I can’t tell you the blogger who did it, but I ran across a review for Obsidian and knew that I had that book for kindle, so I stopped to read the review. This review wasn’t a 5 star all praise this book in all its ways, it revealed some thing that the reader didn’t care for, but she gushed about Daemon and a few other aspects of the book. As a result, I searched for it in my library (because who KNOWs when I bought it, but it was pretty buried in my list) and started reading it.

Note – I don’t usually read reviews…but I might start after this. I just really hate spoilers, I like to be surprised by stuff…and some bloggers have a difficult time with this. I read a review during this same search that basically spoiled an entire book (that I had already read) with her discussing what she liked/disliked about every part of the book. I have moments when I want to do this too..and I’m starting to wonder if we should call these blog posts “Book Discussions” rather than “Book Reviews” to alert the reader?! Anyway.

What I Loved: So, alien books aren’t actually my ‘thing,’ I’m not sure why, since in the last few years I’ve read a few good ones, but they just aren’t the first books that I tend to grab first. But I did really enjoy this take on Aliens. I didn’t fully understand what they could do and why – well, I vaguely understood why I guess – but I also just know it’s a book and it doesn’t have to make complete sense to me. The back-story of how they came to exist on earth and what had been established was flushed out to a satisfactory degree for me. All of the fight scenes were enjoyable to read, I didn’t get lost in the movements and what was actually happening, which can happen sometimes when there is a battle going on.

I totally loved Daemon and Katy’s back and forth constant battering of each other. It was some really good heat between the two of them.  The fact that they were both fighting attraction kind of helped dial up the heat quite a bit.  Some of my favorite scenes where the ones where Daemon was displaying jealous.  And w-o-w, the kiss scene.

Not So Much: Despite that the back story and the fight scenes were well done, I did feel like the overall story had some holes in it. At some points it felt like the entire town was alien, and at other points it felt like a select few were, and the people of the town knew they were alien or at least ‘other.’ At other times it seemed like their secret was completely locked down and humans put off the whole thing as “this town is weird.” I kind of felt like the lines were blurred a bit on the alien powers also, mostly when it came to the trace, or mark that could be left on humans. I kind of felt like they knew the logistics of it, and then at some point it was like – “hey, let’s try this.” In fact – as far as the instance I’m referring too, I kind of felt like it was put there so the scene would happen – and I would NEVER want that scene removed, but the reasoning behind it seemed a bit under-processed.

Katy is so dense. I loved her personality for the most part, but how many times does one have to refer to “your kind” or call you “human” before you really get it, and not have to have it spelled out to you? She doesn’t want to believe anything, including that Daemon isn’t quite as uncaring as he seems half the time. Read between the lines! It’s only frustrating because she is only like this to drag this storyline and hot/cold heat between the characters on for as long as possible – she is a strong character otherwise. The hot/cold stuff could probably be done without her playing dumb about it.

The Verdict:    

I’m completely engrossed in this series, and just bought book 2. I want to know what happens, and I do want a little bit more Katy/Daemon heat in my life. My hope is that the story and writing just gets better as we go through the books. The book is okay for older teenagers, there is cussing. Kissing and a little bit of touching that isn’t overly descriptive.

Book Review: Unhooked - Lisa Maxwell

Title: Unhooked
Author: Lisa Maxwell
Genre: YA - Fairytale Retell, Paranormal

Buy Link: http://amzn.com/1481432044

Blurb (From Goodreads):
For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.
But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?

My Review:
Ever the sucker for a fairy tale retelling, I grabbed up Unhook as soon as I knew about its existence. I truly did not know what I was in for when I picked up this book! I mean, from the blurb you can see this isn’t your typical Peter Pan story, but I am quite impressed with what it turned out to be. Unfortunately this review is finding itself to be vague in all ways. It’s very difficult to say much about it without spoiling the surprises in the book. Even the slightest discussion on the characters or events can reveal things that I feel are much better discovered by reading the book itself!

What I Loved: This book was quite a bit darker than any Peter Pan book I’ve read before. I think that is part of what really drew me in. This was only a skeleton of the story we know, in fact I’m pretty sure I can’t actually call this a ‘re-tell’ at all. The surprise of that kept me hooked, wanting to know what was going to happen next since I didn’t even have a baseline for the story.

Unhooked had so many twists and turns in it; I am usually pretty good with predicting what is going to happen, and I admit some predictions were easy, there were other moments, however, that surprised me! I love when a book does that. I find enjoyment at looking for foreshadowing and being right about the outcome, but I think I find even more when something (that makes sense) comes out of left field.

Not So Much: I have something I would put here…but it’s a spoiler, so I can’t. But it is not something that is a flaw in the story…just a preference of mine.

The Verdict:      

Hmm, well, I think that if you like fae (not the Tinker Bell kind) and familiar stories with a twist, you’ll like this book. It is quite clean, even from cussing – so approved for YA, and for those younger Pre-Teens who might like Goosebumps type books – they may enjoy this too!

Book Review: The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: YA - Paranormal, Romance

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/0545424984

Blurb (from Goodreads):  For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey…and is certain she is destined to kill him.

Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path.

My Review:  
The very much anticipated series finale has been bought, received, and read. And I must say, Stiefvater does NOT disappoint.

What I Loved: So the last book of a series that you’ve shouted from the rooftops from the beginning that you love is not the easiest kinds of books to review. Why? Because I am predetermined to love it. Well..maybe not..but this isn’t Divergent. Anything that has, can, or will happen in this book is pretty much out on the table in the ways of endings, so getting mad at this series would be a moot point. So, I’ll lay it out here right here and now; I loved this series. I loved this book. It’s a 5-Hearts…and probably would have been since The Raven Boys was released way back when.

So what do I say beyond that? Well, there are a few things I’d like to say regarding Maggie Stiefvater’s books, and hopefully if there are any remaining that haven’t jumped on the Stiefvater train – they will be convinced to do so…

I have always loved Maggie’s writing. I have LOVED every single book – and they were not all happy ending love stories either. I can quite honestly say (and here I go all hipster) I read Maggie Stiefvater prior to her becoming overly popular with The Wolves of Mercy Falls. In fact, when I picked up Shiver I didn’t realize at first it was by the same author that wrote Lament and Ballad, back when I was on a Fae kick. But her writing has always captivated me. She writes lyrically and draws clear pictures, not unlike her actual art. But it’s more than that. See, we book lovers love to latch on to characters, and in the groups I ‘hang’ with, we tend to want to two main characters to fall in love, and we expect a story that is entertaining but mostly based around them no matter what the circumstances they are trying to overcome are. What Maggie has done more than once is this; she has given us the couple we want – but since that ‘story’ has been written a million times over, she makes them background noise. Oh, she gives us what we want; we get the falling part of the falling in love, we get shy kisses and passionate kisses, and all the feelings that the characters have no idea what to do with…we get it all, but all the while she’s building this other thing that takes center stage. I believe The Raven Cycle  was the master class of this tactic.

The Raven King was such an awesome conclusion in that when it ended it was just….right. All the individual story lines started to come together and more than once I found myself thinking ‘of course that is how it happens..” or “ well, that makes perfect sense now,” while yet at the same time not expecting these things at all.

I will finish with this, and I’m going to leave it alone (as there is not a “not so much” this time), Maggie wrote a post the day before the book released, and in the end she basically said that she wanted her readers to ‘want.’ I can honestly say she has achieved her goal. I want so much more, while at the same time feel like this conclusion was perfect.

The Verdict:        

The Raven King was darker than the other three novels, but it was necessary to the story line. I highly recommend this series. It is clean, some mild cussing.

Book Review: Prince of Wolves - Quinn Loftis

Title: Prince of Wolves
Author: Quinn Loftis
Genre: YA - Paranormal, Romance

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/1463685688

Blurb (from Goodreads): 
Jacque Pierce was just an ordinary 17-year-old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer are going to get a lot more interesting.

From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul.

The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas.

Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

My Review:

I have heard a lot about The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis, and how much I need to read these books. I'm all about the paranormal romance genre, but I've been sitting on Prince of Wolves for a while. Mostly because I did start the book over a year ago and stopped reading it. At the time I just wasn't getting into it. BUT with much persistence I picked the book up again.

What I Loved: There was a lot of playful banter in this book. Especially between Jacque and her best friends Sally and Jen, and even a bit between her and her prince wolf, Fane. While it came off very young at times, or a little over the top on the valley girl meets wanna be thug, it still made for some comedy.

The action in Prince of Wolves was pretty good, there was tension and the story line moved along at a fast enough pace to keep the reader interested.

Of course there is that cover.  Isn't it gorgeous??

Not So Much: Well, I had a hard time biting off the easy acceptance of there being werewolves in existence. I mean it wasn't just the main characters, but even some of the supporting characters took the news in stride and just kept right on going as if it were nothing. Jacque (I really had a hard time with her nickname too, if I'm completely honest) would have these mini-panic attacks about the situation and all the things she was learning, but they seemed more like young teenager tantrums than a real reaction to the events surrounding her life.

Another thing I didn't quite understand was the fluctuation with how cussing was handled in this book. At times it seemed like the characters were using word replacements for cuss-words, other times it was like "he cursed and...," then there were times a cuss-word was actually spoken out loud (no replacement word used), and at least once I saw the characters indicating a cuss-word ($*%#). This probably could have at least used some consistency throughout the novel.

The Verdict:     

While I did not absolutely love this first book of the series, this is an (almost) 10 book series, that has a bit of a following. I was already warned that the first book was a little iffy, but that Quinn's writing definitely gets better with time (and I'm 100% sure that it does). So this isn't me writing off this series. As I stated before, the book moved along and was interesting, I just had a hard time with some minor things that could be viewed as personal preference rather than flaws with the book if you think about it. As a whole, I'd say if you like paranormal and romance, and fun banter - pick this book, and series up. It is clean with mild cussing, but okay for teenagers.

Book Review: Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugh
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal, Romance, Action

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/1627792120

Blurb (From Goodreads): Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

My Review:

For the last couple of months I’ve been doing Instagram photo challenges (this month, search #marchbbpchallenge to find our posts!) and last month one of my friends who was doing the challenge was posting a lot about Six of Crows, and really talking up this book. I had looked at the summary more than once, but based on her recommendation I decided to get the audio book to listen to it at work. In the beginning they always list out the narrators, and when I heard that there were four of them I knew I was in for an involved book.

I was so not ready, and that the first time I tried to listen to this book I got lost in everything that was going on and all the characters. I think it may have also been a particularly busy week at work so my concentration was broken at best. Sometimes I can listen to a book in these times, sometimes not. This is why I do a lot of frequent re-reads,  it’s much easier to listen to a book I’ve already read during work. Anyhow, I stopped listening to this book in February. Last week I decided to start over and give it another go. (Side note: while it’s possible, Audible isn’t exactly thrilled when you listen part way and then start over again later. Until I finally got past my previous stopping point, any time I had to pause the book it would hiccup and I had to go re-find my place). My second time through was MUCH more successful, I mean clearly since I’m writing a review, right?

What I Loved: This book reminded me of the TV show Gotham in the first few chapters, with the discussions of who controls what part of the city, and things like that. Then as it took off, it reminded me of Oceans 11 with the gathering of a team of some-what misfits who may or may not have liked each other. So Gotham + Oceans 11 + paranormal = Six of Crows. There are so many different elements to the story, it was so involved that at first I wasn’t 100% sure that I liked it. However, the further I got into the book, the more I liked it and the more invested in the characters I was.

Once I got into the book, I really loved nearly everything about it. All of the unique personalities, the background of the characters and their relationships. I loved the teasing and banter between everyone. This book had twists and turns and surprises all the time, so it kept me on my toes. I really enjoy that. All of it made for an amusing three days of work! Or at least 2 days, once I got past the “eh, I’m not sure” ’s.

Not So Much: This book was so very involved, with overlapping back stories, and twists and turns that listening via audio while at work was pretty difficult. Add in the fact that there were 4 separate narrators, it just wasn’t an ideal reading situation for a book like this. It is for this reason I purchased an actual copy of the book. I did love the story, but I feel like there were so many details I missed because my attention wasn’t 100% - and it never is going to be when listening to an audio book – at least not for me.

This is my fault, but I think I might have gotten a lot more had I actually read the first series as well. I’m pretty sure this isn’t a continuation, but I do get the idea that the world may be close to the same.


The Verdict:  

        

So good. When I was describing Six of Crows to my husband, I told him that one of the things I really liked was I didn’t think this book was ‘geared toward a female audience’ but is much more broad than that. I believe that any guys out there who like to read would enjoy this book as much as any girl. That isn’t to say that they don’t enjoy the other series (Hunger Games, Divergent…etc) but I feel like there is just something about some of these fantasy/sci-fi/Dystopian type books that just has a shift toward more of a female audience….granted, that is probably accurately done since I think that is the biggest audience.

I recommend this to anyone who DOES like those previously mentioned books, but also to anyone who likes action – if you like the TV show/movie I mentioned as well I think that you’d enjoy Six of Crows. It is a YA novel – and does have some mild cussing.

Book Review: The Reapers/Flirting With Death by Ali Winters - Release Party

Author: Ali Winters
Title: The Reapers
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Release date: May 31 2015 (re-release: Nov 02 2015)

Blurb:
The balance of life and death must be kept at all costs.
Having been a reaper as long as she can remember, Nivian knows that what she does is essential in maintaining balance. After being assigned to a rushed mark she finds that there is more to this human than any other she has encountered.
Kain had been living an ordinary life without a second thought until he meets Nivian who turns his world upside down. He is thrust into a world of hunters and reapers. The keepers of life and death have been feuding for centuries over a reason no one can even remember.
With Kain having been marked for reaping, and Nivian being hunted, they forge a friendship and together must find the truth in order to keep balance in check. Wrong choices could destroy everything. As they journey they discover hidden histories, powers, and lies and truths that have been spun since the beginning of time. The consequence of failure, unimaginable.


Excerpt:
Nivian leaped over the edge of the bridge and landed with a soft tap on the surface of the water. She reached down, pulled the soul of the driver up by the collar of his shirt, and stood him up next to her on top of the water. She took the driver’s hand, palm up, in hers and waved her other hand over his. Pinching the air, she pulled and lifted up to expose his life thread. His wide eyes stared unblinking, hypnotized by the glowing string of light. Nivian reached behind her and grabbed the scythe strapped to her back, and swung. With a slow, deliberate movement, Nivian sliced the human’s life thread. The light formed into a ball and hovered between them. She pulled out a small pocket watch and guided the life energy down to the watch. It sunk into it and disappeared. She snapped the watch closed and returned it to her pocket. 
“You should know better than to drink and drive. You could’ve seriously hurt someone.”
He gaped at her, his mouth opened and closed like a fish.
“Yes, you really are dead,” she confirmed and gave him an apathetic look as she turned away.
“Are you … the devil?” he managed to sputter. 
“No, of course not. I am just the natural order of things,” she said, looking back over her shoulder. “Wait here. Your spirit counselor will be here soon to guide you to your afterlife. I have other jobs tonight.” She spun on her heel and walked away, as she pulled her hood back up over her head and vanished.

Buy links:
Amzn: http://amzn.to/1eT66Oj
B&N: http://bit.ly/1JcleOL
ITunes: http://apple.co/1TtVip6
Oyster: http://bit.ly/1gvpIsP
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1O3xrcQ
Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/1ITqyuo

My Review:
What I Loved: This is the first book I’ve read about Reapers (excluding On a Pale Horse, which I read in High School as part of a class, and is sort of in the same vein…great book btw!), though I know it’s not the only one out there, but first and foremost I loved being thrown into a world I never even thought to explore. Ali Winters has created a backdrop that is both interesting and easy to follow.

Her main character, Nivian, is very easy to like and while a little passive at times, she was also witty and smart. She was curious about the world that she didn’t actually belong to, and compassionate. She was exceptionally good at her job, but it wasn’t this ego chip resting on her shoulder. As her backstory begins to unfold in the book, her character becomes even more interesting.

The Reapers took a few left turns that kept me engaged with the story and wanting to know more. I’m a pretty big fan of the side characters making the story, and there were plenty of side-characters helping to create the shape of this book nicely. Camira and Silas were a couple of my favorites.

Not So Much: I kind of would have liked have seen a little bit more push pull play with the romantic interests in this book. I get that both Kane and Caspian are very much into Niv, however I feel that while she has feeling for both of the guys, it kind of just feels like physical attraction and surface deep so far. She is also played as innocent, but I kind of would think that given the way both of the guys act when they are around her – she would have some clue as to what is happening, and how she feels about it. I hope to see something with a little more foundation grow in the future.


I was also pretty surprised at Kane’s acceptance of the world he was thrown into. Perhaps it just didn’t seem like there was much “time” for him to accept the new reality, he kind of (metaphorically, not literally) shrugged and went with it. By the end he was even claiming loyalty ties. I think I probably would have been kicking and screaming and perhaps outright rejecting everything being thrown my way, despite evidence to the contrary. He didn’t even have a mild panic attack.


The Verdict: 
I believe fans of Paranormal/Fantasy will enjoy this book a lot. It’s YA, and appropriately labeled, as it is clean, with light romance that is on a constant simmer, however it is not the main purpose of this story. There are twist and turns that keep the reader engaged with the story.

Author: Ali Winters
Title: Flirting With Death
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Release date: Nov 02 2015Blurb:
Being a reaper has its perks, but also its downsides.

While on an assignment, Evander is caught of guard by an unmarked human. Captivated, he is unable to tear himself away.

This is why reapers don’t associate with mortals.

Piper was ordinary, just a girl looking for love. And all she knows is that her current boyfriend isn’t it. An unfortunate incident and a series of remarkable events turn her world upside down. But what she finds is the last thing she ever expected—She finds herself falling for the least likely candidate.

Excerpt:  
“Stop. He is gone.” Evander said calmly. Why would she waste so much energy on someone who had no chance.
“Don’t tell her to stop,” Tony snapped.
Oh, right. That guy was still here. Where was a spirit counselor when you needed one? And at that moment, she showed up.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t tell me. I’m late, am I right?” She waved a hand in the air dismissively.
“I should have known it would be you, Cassandra. Please take him.”
“Don’t boss me around, you fancy assassin. I know how to do my job.” She bit out, then turned to her assignment. “Come on, life loser, this way.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Tony backed up and stepped on his body, trying to slide back in. Evander’s gaze flicked upward, the difficult ones always tried to return to their bodies.

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About the author: 
Ali grew up in the Pacific North West. She attended Oregon State University for photography. After many adventures, she moved to Colorado, earned a second degree, and met and married her husband.
She currently lives in windy Wyoming with her husband and two dogs. When not writing, Ali is either, photographing, knitting, reading, dancing, or staying inside where it’s warm with a hot cup of coffee. She dreams of traveling the world someday soon.

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Book Review: The Reapers - Ali Winters

Title: The Reapers (The Hunted Series - Book 1)

Author: Ali Winters

Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B00Y7I74SW

Synopsis:

Having been a reaper as long as she can remember, Nivian knows that what she does is essential in maintaining balance. After being assigned to a rushed mark she finds that there is more to this human than any other she has encountered.

Kain had been living an ordinary life without a second thought until he meets Nivian who turns his world upside down. He is thrust into a world of hunters and reapers. The keepers of life and death have been feuding for centuries over a reason no one can even remember.

With Kain having been marked for reaping, and Nivian being hunted, they forge a friendship and together must find the truth in order to keep balance in check. Wrong choices could destroy everything. As they journey they discover hidden histories, powers, and lies and truths that have been spun since the beginning of time. The consequence of failure, unimaginable.

My Review: I won The Reapers playing a game regarding author Ali Winters, where I had to answer three questions about her in order to win a copy of her book.  Ali has been one of my Facebook friends for a little while and I was nearly able to answer all of the questions off the top of my head.  So I did…for the win! 

What I Loved:  This is the first book I’ve read about Reapers (excluding On a Pale Horse, which I read in High School as part of a class, and is sort of in the same vein…great book btw!), though I know it’s not the only one out there, but first and foremost I loved being thrown into a world I never even thought to explore.  Ali Winters has created a backdrop that is both interesting and easy to follow.  

Her main character, Nivian, is very easy to like and while a little passive at times, she was also witty and smart.  She was curious about the world that she didn’t actually belong to, and compassionate.  She was exceptionally good at her job, but it wasn’t this ego chip resting on her shoulder.  As her backstory begins to unfold in the book, her character becomes even more interesting.

The Reapers took a few left turns that kept me engaged with the story and wanting to know more.  I’m a pretty big fan of the side characters making the story, and there were plenty of side-characters helping to create the shape of this book nicely.  Camira and Silas were a couple of my favorites.

Not So Much:  I kind of would have liked have seen a little bit more push pull play with the romantic interests in this book.  I get that both Kane and Caspian are very much into Niv, however I feel that while she has feeling for both of the guys, it kind of just feels like physical attraction and surface deep so far.  She is also played as innocent, but I kind of would think that given the way both of the guys act when they are around her – she would have some clue as to what is happening, and how she feels about it.  I hope to see something with a little more foundation grow in the future.

I was also pretty surprised at Kane’s acceptance of the world he was thrown into.  Perhaps it just didn’t seem like there was much “time” for him to accept the new reality, he kind of (metaphorically, not literally) shrugged and went with it.  By the end he was even claiming loyalty ties.  I think I probably would have been kicking and screaming and perhaps outright rejecting everything being thrown my way, despite evidence to the contrary.  He didn’t even have a mild panic attack. 

The Verdict:    
 I believe fans of Paranormal/Fantasy will enjoy this book a lot.  It’s YA, and appropriately labeled, as it is clean, with light romance that is on a constant simmer, however it is not the main purpose of this story.  There are twist and turns that keep the reader engaged with the story.

BOOK REVIEW: Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare

GENRE: Young Adult – Fantasy/Steampunk/Romance
FORM: eBook
SERIES: The Infernal Devices – Book 2

SYNOPSIS: The London Institute is under harsh evaluation after having harbored a spy, and eliminated a vampire clan that had been falsely accused (despite breaking the law regardless). Questions are being raised of whether Charlotte and Henry are really cut out for this kind of responsibility. They are given a chance to prove themselves and ensure their spot at the institute though. They have two weeks to find the one who calls himself The Magister; Axel Mortmain.

REVIEW: After a years’ worth of anticipation – I could hardly wait to get my hand on the next installment of The Infernal Devices. I will admit though, after reading subtle hints or blanket statements from both Cassandra Clare (via Twitter/Facebook – I don’t know her personally obviously) and other blogs/fans/etc., I was also sort of dreading this book – mostly because…and if you read my blog regularly, this will not come as a shock to you…there was a true blue love triangle in this series. ARRrrg! I fell hard and fast for Will Herondale in Clockwork Angel. His wit, love of books, and secrets were intriguing to me. (And I’m a bit like Magnus Bane – I really like black hair/blue eyes, what’s more attractive?) Don’t get me wrong, I like Jem….in a nice, sidekick/bestfriend/guy who will always be there sort of way, just not as a love interest.

That being said; I both absolutely loved and really hated Clockwork Prince. (“Hate” is not indicating how GOOD this book was, it was excellent!) I cannot, will not diverge on all the reasons I hated the book. I will just say that there IS a love triangle, and while Tessa does get hot and heavy…ITS WITH THE WRONG GUY!!!!!! Not that Will didn’t get his fair share of play time as well, but still. Another reason I do not like love triangles: someone will always get hurt. Badly. Usually more than one someone. I love Tessa, she is funny and wonderfully nice. It’s that “nice” that is getting her into trouble though. This all would never would have started if that nice, ‘I don’t want anyone to get hurt/be hurt by me’ attitude didn’t present itself. Granted, she had her fair share of hurt, by Will none-the-less, I just think it was always obvious that he was lying. It was obvious something more was at play with him. Patience is a virtue.

And I will be patient. For another year. Waiting on Clockwork Princess. When I’m almost positive the world will right itself once again. ;)

Okay, so why did I love this book? Well let’s see. First of all, we get to see and learn more about Will. I find this funny because I remember reading someone say that this was “Jem’s book,” and I can see where that might partially be true, but we don’t learn much more about Jem that we didn’t already know. Will and his past was a larger part of this book.

Clockwork Prince was the “inbetween” novel, the middle one in a series that gets you from Point A to Point B. It is also the novel that in most series you get the most insight and historical details on most if not all of the characters and the situation at hand. While sometimes it can make a book seem long depending on the author, I tend to like these middle books because I like knowing why people are the way they are and why they act the way they do. Cassandra Clare does an awesome job of doing this while at the same time keeping the storyline moving forward. Progress is made in finding out the how’s and why’s of the automatons and the Magister, but not much. Just enough to keep the story engaging, the real movement in this book is between characters.

A quick rundown of some of that movement: We learn more about Axel Mortmain, and why he might hate Shadowhunters so much. Charlotte and Henry are also front and forward a lot more, and we learn of the sweet delicate relationship they share. I was a Henry fan from the start. He’s cooky and distracted, but I always knew that his heart is exactly where it is suppose to be, and that is proven in this novel. Jessamine plays a rather large part in this book, and I’m curious to see if she will be able to redeem herself after this book. Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood…just wait and see. We get a bit more of Magnus Bane, and given that he’s a reoccurring character in two of Clare’s series, it’s fun to sort of gather bits and pieces of his life at random intervals and periods of time. There are also a lot of hints and nudges in the direction of where Tessa came from and how she may have come to be – but nothing definite yet. That is obviously going to have to wait for the Grand Finale!

There was a lot of foreshadowing going on in Clockwork Prince - I may have been looking for things that weren’t actually there, but I don’t think so and I’m looking forward to finding out if I’m right. I’m not going to tell you some of the things I picked up on, because I don’t like ruining anything – if you didn’t see it you’ll just be that much more surprised when it comes up. I will say that I’m a tinsy bit suspicious of that cook. What is her DEAL?

The Girl in the Steel Corset - Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Add half star to my rating…Goodreads, my suggestion – we need half stars please!)

GENRE: Young Adult – Paranormal/Fantasy/Steampunk
FORM: eBook – Nook
SERIES: The Steampunk Chronicles  #1

SYNOPSIS: Finley Jane, living in England late 1800’s, seems to have a split personality. One side of her is a sweet, gentle, kind-hearted girl despite her pension for sarcasm, the other side is much darker and thrives on confrontation and is prone to egg on anyone who wishes to challenge her or gets her mad. It is this other side that, she believes, is responsible for her heightened sense of sight, smell, hearing, agility, and strength; combined with fast healing abilities, Finley Jane is a force to be reckoned with. She meets up with Lord Griffin King, and his group of friends, all of whom seem to have special ‘talents’ of their own. Together, they will investigate a series of machine mishaps, believed to be caused by someone who calls himself “the Machinist,” and also discover a few of the what’s and why’s of their abilities.

REVIEW: I was really psyching myself up for this book. It had popped up all over the review blogs, and Goodreads and other discussions. The more I saw it, the more drawn to it I was. Of course the beautiful cover didn’t hurt any. I had never heard of “Steampunk” until this book started popping up, and even now I’m not completely sure what it is, exactly. I do know that, while this book is set in the late 1800’s, Steampunk seems to a popular thing right now, (I just heard of a “steampunk’ed themed bridal shower.”) Someone is going to need to educate me, I think. Of course, I could always just google.

Anyhow, so I’m all excited to get this book, and I am going to say that now that I’ve read it, I think I psyched it up a little too much in my mind. There really were parts that I loved, and parts that I didn’t love so much. So, I’m going to just jump into that portion of my review template, and they will be a bit longer than normal…

WHAT I LOVED: Lets see…the setting. Victorian era, London…the perfect mix of beautiful and sludge. I really enjoy novels set in this time-frame. In this case, it was nice not to be a reading about a debutant in a Victorian parade of lace and tradition. I liked seeing a bit of the underbelly; people who are not necessarily a part of all the pomp and circumstance, but stand outside of it.

I also loved the characters themselves. Finley Jane has a slightly vindictive, sarcastic side that I love to read in books. That kind of attitude never seems to stop making me smile. Of course, it’s not so nice when it’s not coming out of a demon hunter; or, as in this case, out of a girl trying to protect her virtue. She is also just one of those female leads I love to read about; beautiful butt-kicker! Griffin was a well put together young man; he seemed to know exactly how to take advantage of his power and money. It was extremely convenient to write him as a rich young ruler (of sorts) with no real parental guidance. It makes doing whatever, whenever so much easier, right? Then there is the true “underbelly” character of the book, Jack Dandy. Good guy? Bad guy? Will we ever really find out?

I also really, really enjoyed the action/fighting scenes. They were just about perfect.

Okay, now comes the harder part.

NOT SO MUCH: Let’s see…I had a really hard time merging the modern technology with the Victorian setting. I understand this is at the cusp of invention, and of course the entire “FICTION” portion of this Fantasy book…but there was just so much. It was too much, too convenient, too easy.

I also felt, while I loved the characters individually, they didn’t fit together very well. I didn’t feel any real connection between them. We have (KIND OF) two love triangles going on in this book (which I also think is too much), but I could care less who ends up with whom. I have no opinion. I felt no heat, no real attraction. Some kind of connection was missing. The perfect place for some heat between characters would have been the tattoo scene. What about a light touch of his hand caressing her back. His breath on her neck raising goose bumps. It was like the perfect set-up – and when the scene was over I wanted to scream: “YOU MISSED IT!!!! Opportunity over.” It felt like there was so much time spent on including the “new” technology and machines, and on describing what the characters were wearing, that we missed out on some other important parts of what makes a really good book. I think finding a harmony here is what is needed. It was neat; the way they dressed, that they had special abilities, they had cool, new technology – but you don’t need to stop and beat the point in with a stick. The book needs to flow into relationships and the story itself. Maybe I’m trying to say, it felt a little bit disjointed.

I sort of hinted at this a little bit above, but I felt like the story was also drawling off of a very popular Cassandra Clare series…one that involves strong, sarcastic teenagers; fighters with abilities, tattoos, and machines, set in the Victorian era?!? Unfortunately, the two books make an unfair comparison. If this is the aim for the Steampunk Series, then as I have been saying; step it up on some of the character interactions. We need to see some more jealousy and tension, if there are to be love triangles. Random acts of passion. (A nice backing up against the wall scene is always nice). More sarcasm, less gloating about our particular skills. Keep the outfits, just dedicate less time to each of their descriptions.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:
Coming in 2012:  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar










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Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cassandra Clare does it again! I am wrapped up, sucked in, and sitting on pins and needles in the long wait for Clockwork Prince. I really adore the world that Cassandra Clare has created and continues to expand upon. I’m very excited to hear that The Immortal Instruments Series is going to continue as well. More Jace please!! (Of course…Will is definitely giving him a run for his money.)

Clockwork Angel is actually set before The Immortal Instruments Series, when – I can’t remember since I was listened to audio and I don’t have a book to reference, but we’re talking horse and buggy time frame, in London. The book opened on Tessa traveling from the States to London to meet up with her brother after the death of her Aunt, and then moves forward to her subsequent kidnapping. The first couple chapters actually moved a bit slow for me. Even the discovery and shaping of Tessa’s special ability seemed kind of ‘eh’ to me at this point, but as soon as witty Will enters the scene the book seems to beg for my attention and moves forward much more rapidly. I’m sure the banter between characters helped out quite a bit, and trust me – there’s a lot. The book basically moves forward from Tessa’s rescue to the plan to find her brother and discover why she was kidnapped in the first place. There are lots of little surprises and fun moments in the book. Interesting friends and enemies – all of which I want to keep quiet, because it’s not up to me to reveal them to you.

The characters really make the book for me. While I love Thomas and Charlotte, (and who wouldn’t, Thomas being the spacey young genius scientist/inventor, Charlotte being the young ambitious wife who runs the institute...you have to love them!) Tessa, Will and Jim really make this book worth the read. I was laughing through a good portion of the book – probably making my coworkers think I was schitso-crazy. I was also please to also to see some favorites from The Immortal Instruments, it’s always fun when authors do that.

One thing I love about Cassandra’s writing is the romantic scenes. She knows how to give you just enough to make you sigh, and then pull back to the point of frustration. If the story and its content doesn’t keep you reading the rest of the series, you will keep reading just to find out what happens romantically. It really doesn’t hurt that all her male characters are bad boy enough to make you smile, and handsome enough to make you swoon. (BTW, in my mind, Will was loosely based around Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries Show..good fit, no? Well, he might be a little old, but I did say loosely.)

Props must be given to Jennifer Ehle for her narration. She did a beautiful job. While the accents aren’t as thick as I would have imagined if I had been reading it, but it was great regardless. Everyone had their own personality and, really, their own voice (which is impressive). I love a good narrator, and was very pleased with this book!

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