Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Review: Bloodlines
Series: Bloodlines – Book 1
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 421
Release Date: 23 August 2011

SYDNEY PROTECTS VAMPIRE SECRETS – AND HUMAN LIVES.

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

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

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

My Thoughts:
We were never going to get another Vampire Academy, but what we did get was still surprisingly unique considering it was set in the same world.

Sydney Sage is a disgraced alchemist. After helping Rose to escape from prison whilst on a murder charge and befriending vampires and dhampirs, she is under constant surveillance from the Alchemists. Sydney is terrified of getting sent to a re-education centre and for her younger sister to get caught up in the Alchemist life.

Her newest mission is to keep Jill – Vasilisa’s sister – safe after being repeatedly attacked by people who want Lissa removed from the throne. They move to Palm Springs, a place that is very uncomfortable for vampires because of the heat. Jill is in for a struggle, but her safety is now more important than her comfort.

Sydney for me took a little time to warm to. She was never my favourite person in Vampire Academy purely because she was too uptight. Well, in Bloodlines she was still uptight, but being able to get into her mind, I also found that she was very human. Being raised in a cult like lifestyle full of rules and regulations Sydney hasn’t had the life of a normal teenager and once the full extent of that deprivation is explored, her upbringing is really quite sad.

Bloodlines took a few chapters for me to get into as well; I bought it purely because it had Richelle Mead on it and a Rose appearance in it. At first I was sceptical thinking that Bloodlines couldn’t possibly be as good as Vampire Academy, that Sydney was more of a consolation prize for Adrian to those of us who loved him in the first set of books.

There was actually no romance between them in this and I was so glad for it. Mead didn’t fall into the trap that I have found with so many authors lately of rushing relationships. She knows she has six books and it’s not even clear if Sydney and Adrian will get together. They are just friends for now which I am really happy about.

Bloodlines itself was more mystery than action. The mystery was fairly see-through but Mead’s incredible writing kept the pages turning even though I knew from the start which bad guys were going to do what.

Sydney started to come out of her shell towards the end of Bloodlines, making for a promising character to lead this series, she showed that she wasn’t the push over everyone seemed to think she was and I really started to like her.

The only thing that really disappointed me about this book was in the first chapter. Sydney narrated that she knew a secret about one of the other characters. I hate when people do that. Don’t tell me you have a secret about someone, it’s a cheap trick to try and entice us to keep reading. It’s what gave me the bad first impression, but I’m glad that Mead worked it up to a very good book in the end.

Mead left us with quite a few loose ends but no unbearable cliff hangers to carry us into the next book, the mystery behind the heritage of some characters and the future of others is quite enough to have me eager for more.

Others in this series:
The Golden Lily

Book Review: Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson

Review: Enchanted Inc.
Series: Enchanted Inc. – Book 1
Author: Shanna Swendson
No of Pages: 308
Release Date: 31 May 2005

DON’T MESS WITH THE HEXES

Katie Chandler had always heard that New York is a weird and wonderful place, but this small-town Texas gal had no idea how weird until she moved there. Everywhere she goes, she sees something worth gawking at, and Katie is afraid she’s a little too normal to make a splash in the big city. Working for an ogre of a boss doesn’t help either.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Katie gets a job offer form Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc., a company that sells tricks of the trade to the magic community. For MSI, Katie’s ordinariness is an asset. Lacking any bit of magic, she can easily spot a fake spell, catch hidden clauses in competitor’s contracts, and detect magically disguised intruders. Suddenly, average Katie is very special indeed.

She quickly learns that office politics are even more complicated when your new boss is a real ogre, and you have a crush on the sexy, shy, ultra powerful head of the R&D department, who is so busy fighting an evil competitor threatening to sell black magic on the street that he seems barely to notice Katie. Now it’s up to Katie to pull off the impossible: save the world and – hopefully – live happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

Enchanted Inc. was a bit of a bore for me.

Katie has spent most of her working life at her parents feed shop. She did everything for the business there from the general running to the bookwork. Problem is, her parents shop is in a tiny Texas town, so when working in New York all of Katie’s hard work means close to squat.

After struggling for a year Katie gets discovered by a company that no one has ever heard of but is apparently leading in its field. What is that field? No one seems to know that either. Only when Katie starts work there does she discover that they manufacture spells – no, not trick ones, real ones – and are currently struggling to compete against one of their ex-employees evil ventures against them.

Katie for me was a boring character. She moaned groaned and whined throughout and still managed to be miss perfect. Everything just came easy to her, she was working there two days before being promoted to the CEO’s assistant, did that for two days before becoming the new head of the new marketing department that was created just for her.

I was almost glad that Owen the brilliant magician didn’t go for her because then I probably would have thrown the book across the room and moved on.

Then there was the premise of the whole story, it sounded like a slightly older version of Harry Potter, let’s take you into a secret world that no one knows about, where you are so special that everyone wants to meet you. Let’s play with some spells and enchantments and then you can save the day against the bad guy.

The difference? I loved Harry Potter. Enchanted Inc. put me to sleep.

Then there were the spells themselves. People buy spells that are basically little tiny books that contain what you need in them but you can only use them once and not maliciously. Huh? Talk about take the fun out of everything. Yet even though the entire book was about the spell manufacturing industry, we get to see one – that’s right just one – spell in action, and it backfired.

Enchanted Inc. sounded really fun when I first picked it up, but it was a complete disappointment. Merely the fantasy life of an overlooked office worker who wants to be special for being boringly normal.

Others in this series:
Once Upon Stilletos
Damsel Under Stress
Don't Hex with Texas

Book Review: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Review: Wizard’s First Rule
Series: Sword of Truth – Book 1
Author: Terry Goodkind
No of Pages: 764
Release Date: 1 January 1995

One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations, to the fate of humanity. But until he learns the Wizard’s First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting magic exists at all…

A novel of incomparable scope and brimming with atmospheric detail: this is a world where heart hounds stalk the magical boundaries between countries, and worlds, for unwary human prey, blood-sucking flies hunt on behalf of their underworld masters, and where artists can draw more than just your likeness.

There is nowhere to hide, nowhere is safe. Here magic makes love twice as sweet, and betrayal and loss twice as bitter.

My Thoughts:

Wizard’s First Rule was epic, in more ways than just the page count.

Richard’s life is turned upside down after his father’s death and his encounter with a strange woman in the woods. Lifelong friends reveal lies that have been told to him since birth and a journey ensues to stop a madman from taking over the world as Richard knows it.

Where do I even start with Goodkind's tale of epic adventure... Wizard’s First Rule felt like three or four books in one, journeys to the mudflats, secret dwellings, dragons lairs and kingdoms surrounded Richards journey, all accompanied by beautiful scenery and a plethora of interesting and well developed characters.

Richard is a charming character. He is kind-hearted good willed and genuinely sweet. Kahlan is a strong stubborn woman who is the most powerful confessor in history and one of the highest ranking officials in Midland. And Zedd is not only comic relief but a powerful First Wizard who helps keep Richard safe and out of trouble by supplying information.

Wizard’s First Rule is a magical tale filled with dragons, epic journeys and quests as well as little spin off stories that Richard encounters along the way. Wizard’s First Rule is never dull even though it is meticulously detailed. I had a perfect picture in my head the entire time because of the scenery and detail being layered around the story.

One doesn’t want for anything with Wizard’s First Rule; it has romance, torture, action, adventure and a lot of logic thrown into the mix. The romance forming between Richard and Kahlan was sweet, it wasn’t lustful or committing it was a companionship that had an underlying tone of passion.

Sure Wizard’s First Rule was a little formulaic you could tell where we were going to end up but I loved the journey that we took to get there. The winding pathways that Richards’s character takes in this book though keeps it interesting. Was I expecting him to be captured by a Mord-Sith (BDSM evil chick who tortures people using their own power against them and breaks their will.)? No. Those kinds of off shoots really kept me going in this, it was the massive twists an plot forks that keep Wizard’s First Rule interesting.

I absolutely cannot wait to dive back into Richard’s story in Stone of Tears to revisit the world Goodkind has created and find out what further adventure’s Richard will encounter.

Others in this series:
Stone of Tears
Blood of the Fold
Temple of the Winds
Soul of the Fire
Faith of the Fallen
The Pillars of Creation
Naked Empire
Chainfire
Phantom
Confessor
The Omen Machine

Book Review: The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

Review: The Fallen Star

Series: The Fallen Star – Book 1
Author: Jessica Sorensen
No of Pages: 447
Release Date: 9 April 2011

For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she’s around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma’s life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn’t be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.

My Thoughts:

The Fallen Star didn’t live up to my expectations at all; it was an extremely frustrating read.

From since before she can remember, Gemma hasn’t been able to feel emotion of any sort, she has gone through life with no friends and no family she can talk to. Until one seemingly unimportant day, when she feels her first emotion ever, and things spiral downward from there.

Gemma was an extremely stupid, naive, boring character, she encompasses everything that is – stupid teenage girl. From day one she made inappropriate decisions that simply cannot be passed off as adolescent immaturity.

My biggest pet peeve with her was her constant running to Alex and her non-committal statement confirming that she shouldn’t be doing it but she just wants to have a bit of fun after so many years of not feeling blah blah snore. Alex lied to her, kept things from her, deliberately distracts her and is obviously using her for not only selfish but dangerous purposes.

Gemma never followed anything up, Alex would let something important slip about her past and Gemma would constantly make a point of saying “you are not going to get out of telling me this”, but does she ever follow through? Of course not, which gives Alex the go ahead to continuously lead her on without telling her anything and lying to her the whole way.

Even after confirmation that she was being lied to and a perfectly good reason not to go with Alex, she still chased after him.

Gemma was a weak character and extremely dull. Sorensen tried to make her witty by talking to the reader even going as far to say “oh, don’t look at me like that” but it just didn’t work. Gemma was not only boring, but extremely dumb. After seeming to develop visions of the past and possibly the future, Gemma is given all of the pieces of the puzzle about halfway through the novel to piece everything together, even after the reader was told what was going on at the end of the story, Gemma whose POV we are in, still didn’t seem to know what was going on.

I’m not quite sure what Sorensen was trying to achieve with the character of Alex, but whatever it was, she didn’t pull it off at all. Alex was a complete tool. He was not a handsome broody guy, he was a complete wanker, there is absolutely nothing to like about him, he is a brainwashed, pathological liar. He tries to hide behind the “I’m just a moody guy” excuse but no, he is just a malevolent character. At one point I actually swore out loud at the book because he promised Gemma that he “would tell her everything” my kneejerk reaction to that was bulls***!

I also found it hard to get through The Fallen Star because of the horrible editing. Usually a few mistakes here and there don’t bother me, but whened a sentencing is contantly reads like this and these author seems to haves no concepts of the correct uses of the word “there” it becoming very frustrate.

It read like a first draft basically, errors were everywhere and the book probably could have been at least fifty pages shorter if you simply took out the amount of times certain facts were repeated, sometimes the same line used consecutively over the course of three chapters.

The Fallen Star was a big disappointment for me, the characters had no life and were complete contradictions of themselves, the story line relied too heavily on the characters so it never seemed to move and the book was so badly edited that I was tempted to line edit it myself.

Book Review: Defense Against the Dark by Emily Carlin

Review: Defense Against the Dark
Author: Emily Carlin
No of Pages: 208
Release Date: 15 March 2011

USE REAL MAGICK TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HARM

When we lie awake at night listening to mysterious sounds, we imagine all the things that could be making those strange noises.

The rumbling is the sound of the refrigerator; the knocking is from the old furnace; the creaking is nothing more that the house settling...isn’t it? Although the modern world has denied the existence of things that go bump in the night and has taught us that the occult couldn’t possibly exist, we know there are things that science has yet to explain.

Defense Against the Dark introduces you to many of those unsavoury magickal creatures and occult happenings that exist outside of fairytales. Our ancestors knew these things were real, and took precautions to protect themselves from whatever evil was lurking in the shadows.

Defense Against the Dark will teach you:
• Common lore and mythology of predatory entities such as goblins, vampires, imps, and ghosts.
• How to identify malevolent spirits and understand how curses actually work.
• How to master different protection methods, including shielding, banishing, and hex breaking.
• Easy, concrete methods for protecting yourself in everyday situations.

My Thoughts:

Defense Against the Dark asks one to go in with an open mind, but even the most open of minds you will come out slightly disturbed at the content you just read.

Defense Against the Dark is a collection of folk lore about the various creatures that inhabit our surroundings, whether they be ghosts, faeries, vampires or werewolves they are all real and Carlin gives us a way to identify them and either rid ourselves of them or keep them from becoming a problem.

In part two of Defense Against the Dark we learn about certain protective rituals and spells that we can cast to help us rid ourselves of the various nasties that are out there to get us. Whether they be elemental circles for protection, hex-breakings or house cleansings, you will be able to find it here.

For me, Defense Against the Dark was just too far-fetched, and too hypothetical. Part One I rather enjoyed, being an avid reader of paranormal books hearing the true lore behind the stories was an extra step into the genre, but it wasn’t really lore as we know it, it was lore stating that people turn into wolves once a month, it was lore that told us vampires were real, whether they be the non-dangerous blood sucking kind or the bad energy sapping kind.

There were disclaimers with everything though, if you think things are moving around your house by themselves, it might be a boggart, or you may have rats. If you think you’re being possessed, it may be an evil demon, or you may be schizophrenic. If you attempt a cleansing ritual, it may work, or you may just not be doing it right, or you may not have enough belief in what you are doing.

I did enjoy some of the lore, most of which was in the faery chapter. Instead of thinking that I’m forgetful, it would be nice to think that it was a pixy moving my objects around. There was no real evidence to back up what she was saying though, no stories, no re-telling, and no crazy cat ladies swear that they have ghosts in their houses, just what Carlin decided to look up on the internet one day and compile.

But the believability ended there. When reading up on Black Ladies (the children eating kind) we were advised as adults to show force or to create an energy ball full of “let me go” energy. At that point I had to put the book down and walk away for a little while. My open mind suddenly pushed the pretty faeries to the back of my mind, and logic started creeping back in, but I kept going and still quite enjoyed the rest of the lore.

In Part Two though, Defense Against the Dark started to lose all credibility, just because the spells didn’t follow through. For example:

By my will the circles are sealed.
My circles of protection will hold until I get up tomorrow morning.
So mote it be.

Really? “Until I get up in the morning”? Carlin really couldn’t follow through with something a little more in character? First sentence is very Wiccan like, third sentence also follows the same pattern but the middle? What happened there? Was her mojo just not working that day?

Defense Against the Dark was definitely an experience, but not the best one to convert a logical mind. I don’t think that there’s nothing out there, but I want a bit more evidence than just “it could be the end of the world as we know it, but it’s probably you just going insane.”

Book Review: The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs

Review: The Shadow Seer
Series: Ellenessia’s Curse – Book 1
Author: Fran Jacobs
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 2 April 2009

For generations prophets have foreseen the birth of the Shadow Seer, the oracle of dark visions and fallen kingdoms. But by the time of Sorron, King of Carnia, their warnings have mostly been forgotten and his name is known only to a handful of scholars. When Sorron's grandson, Prince Candale, falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by his saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She believes that Candale is the fulfilment of those long forgotten prophecies. She believes that he is the Shadow Seer...

My Thoughts:

The Shadow Seer was an extremely interesting read, but it was a little slow in its movement.

Candale is a prince with a secret; he is having prophecies, hearing voices, and seeing people that aren’t there. The Shadow Seer starts with Candale being gravely ill and close to death. All we hear are snippets of conversation between his relatives, arguments between his father and grandfather about how to best help him.

His grandfather sends for a woman named Mayrila, a conniving, gold-digging witch, who seems to be the only person who can help him. Mayrila saves Candale, but she also changes his life forever, revealing herself as his birth mother and him as the Shadow Seer, a dark prophet whose visions will only ever be of death and destruction.

Candale is an interesting character, if a little naive. He is intelligent and easily relatable being a quiet, odd child who fits in well enough at court, but is always dreaming and looking for something more. Candale did get a little infuriating at times when he went off by himself without thinking things through only to nearly get killed by his enemies. At times I wanted to shake him, but mostly I felt empathetic and a little sad about his situation.

The Shadow Seer was well written and completely engaging because it didn’t seem like you were racing to the finish line. Each new event in the timeline was well paced and flowed seamlessly into the plot.

The only problem with The Shadow Seer was that we never really get answers to our questions, the world of Carnia that Jacobs created was superb, but there was so much groundwork to lay that we only got to see snippets about the myths behind the shadow seer and those myths were relentlessly repeated.

The Shadow Seer was an excellently written story with an engaging main character who kept me entertained and continuously coming back for more. The mystery behind who Ellenessia is and how she is going to affect Candale in the long run has me itching to get my hands on the second book in this promising fantasy series.

Book Review: Ada Legend of a Healer by R. A. McDonald

Review: Ada Legend of a Healer
Author: R.A McDonald
No of Pages: 250
Release Date: 1 January 2011

No sickness, No injuries, No pain, No limits.

If you had the power to heal, what would you do?

For fifteen-year-old Ada discovering that she can heal feels more like a curse than a gift. When she learns of the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance, and sees the indifference of so-called friends, she sets out for Paris to find her.

The power to heal protects her, but also has her hunted by a man who sees her as nothing more than his fountain of youth. Ada realizes her true power is her will to survive, and that her only chance at freedom is to become the best at escaping.

My Thoughts:

Ada Legend of a Healer had a bad start, but ended up turning into a rather good read.

Ada is an orphan with an attitude problem. After getting kicked out of yet another foster home she can’t be placed anywhere else, so she leaves the system, embarking on her own journey to find her mother. Her journey leads her to France and the people she meets there help her hone not only her healing skills but develop skills in the art of parkour.

Ada was not a likeable character for most of the story. Her only redeeming attribute was her sheer force of will power, all of her other aspects boiled down to her being an egotistical, self-centred teenager. For the first hundred pages I had the urge to not only scream but stick a fork in my eye because of the constant whining about how unfair the world is and how unfair it is that she have to bear the burden of having the ability to heal not only others, but herself.


Ada Legend of a Healer did start to get interesting when Ada went to France on her mission to find her mother. After using Jessie – her aunt – for money and information Ada struck out on her own to find out if her mother was still alive.

Delving into the world of parkour and the limits of Ada’s power was the highlight of the novel because we got to see McDonalds writing ability on show. Daniel and his friends and Daniel’s budding romance with Ada drove the novel from that point.


Ada Legend of a Healer was a slow read to get started and once it got going it was easy to see where it would end up, but I felt oddly compelled to finish, quickly. McDonalds writing drew me in after Ada got to France to a point where I couldn’t let go and Ada’s story wouldn’t let me go. Even after the final page was turned McDonalds message - to cherish what you have - stayed with me for a long time afterwards.

Book Review: Human Blend by Lori Pescatore

Review: Human Blend
Series: Blend Trilogy – Book 1
Author: Lori Pescatore
No of Pages: 230
Release Date: 12 June 2010

Marion, Virginia seemed like a nice place to live a normal life, but she is not a normal girl. Laney has special abilities that keep her looking over her shoulder as she makes her escape from the men who had kidnapped her.

A young doctor’s interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child’s illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harbouring secrets of his own.

Laney’s budding relationship with a local boy puts both of them in danger when the men she was hiding from find her. All of their lives will change forever as ancient secrets become unearthed.

My Thoughts:

Human Blend was far better than I was expecting.

Laney/Julie is on the run from the men that stole her from her family. Stopping to rest in a small town that catches her eye she decided to stay when she meets a local boy and realises that she might have a chance at a normal life.

Laney needs to stay hidden so she assumes the new identity of Julie Miller when she arrives in the small town of Marion. Laney/Julie isn’t just a normal girl though, she has powers that let her “see” numbers meaning she’ll never lose a bet or the lottery and she can also heal others by taking the illnesses into herself and healing instantly.

Laney was a strong, independent character that expertly drove the story. She backed up her words with her abilities, not only her powers but also her survival skills and instincts. Laney was also extremely intelligent which was a refreshing change from the constant damsels in distress that we read about. Laney listens to her gut, and she doesn’t walk into her house alone in the dark after finding the door open, she gets help first from someone who is capable.

I loved that Laney just wanted to be normal even though she is so different. She went to work in a hospital just so she could be near people and use her powers to heal them, not for recognition just because she felt it was the right thing to do.

Laney also had a love interest in Austin, the local boy who takes a liking to her as soon as he meets her. Austin is a complete gentleman which is also a pleasant change from the controlling stalkers and the dangerous bad boys we are currently bombarded with in literature.

Human Blend was really well written and kept me completely engrossed from start to finish. It was not only an interesting storyline but a refreshingly new one as well. Pescatore didn’t conform to our current stereotypes of men, women and the paranormal but created something completely new and exhilarating to read.

Not only did we have a paranormal story with sci-fi themes mixed in, but we also had a beautiful YA romance that unfolded perfectly and without unrealistic devotion but with camaraderie and tenderness.

Human Blend was an excellent start to a promising new series and I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on the next novel in this trilogy.

Also in this series:
Earth Blend

Book Review: Strange Familiar by Hunter Cassidy

Review: Strange Familiar
Author: Cassidy Hunter
No of Pages: 146
Release Date: 14 December 2010

Fate finally brings Olivia her Familiar… too bad fate is a bored bitch with a dark sense of humor.

At last, Olivia Brew's Familiar has found her. Now that the search is over, her weakened powers and strength will be restored, and she can get on with her witchy life. But there's a problem. Her familiar's not exactly what she expected. And she just might be falling in love with him.

Kane Oliver's got problems of his own. He's not interested in being anyone's pet, and he's got secrets so deeply buried even he isn't aware of them. Though he can't deny the powerful connection between himself and Olivia, he's not exactly Familiar material. And there are beings more powerful than either of them who want to keep it that way…

My Thoughts:

Strange Familiar was hot, but extremely shallow.

Olivia is a witch in need of a familiar. Kane is a man who has a sickness he can’t cure. Both are weak from what they lack and are drawn to each other when they meet. Olivia senses it immediately, as strange as it seems, Kane is destined to be her familiar.

Olivia is an easy, shallow, mildly stupid character. Although at times she was good for a laugh, as soon as anyone touched her, all she could think of was sex. That could have been a good thing, but she used sex in ways that just annoyed me, instead of telling Kane when something was wrong she would throw herself at him and forget with the use of pleasure. At times she shone through as a tough, intelligent witch, but all of it was overshadowed by her easiness with not just Kane but anyone else who touched her.

Kane was a stubborn egotistical male, but he was also a fairly well rounded character. He had an element of realness to him in that he would walk away to think and not just use sex to forget like Olivia. Kane didn’t really seem to care for Olivia though, he thought he was under a love spell so wouldn’t reveal himself to her, it was just shallow sex. Even when Olivia told him she loved him, he would never say it back, he could imply it, but would never say the words.

Strange Familiar just seemed to keep going. More than one plot seemed to be playing out even though it was extremely frustrating that we never got any answers to the big questions. There was no real background into the dynamic of witches and their familiars or why it was so strange that Olivia bonded with a part human, there was no back ground into Kane’s story or answers to questions like who Aunt Herman really was or if Olivia’s father ever told the truth to his wife about his heritage.

Strange Familiar had the potential to be a whirlwind of a story, but the sex overshadowed every element of it. The characters were two dimensional and were only ever detailed enough for their small part in the plot to move forward, nothing but the sex was explored and although it was very hot even that became mildly repetitive toward the end.

The thought actually crossed my mind of “ugh, not again” when the characters took another sex break as it felt forced and completely unnecessary. There was no real bond between Kane and Olivia, and it was painfully obvious. All they had was the physical side to their relationship, nothing more was developed.

Strange Familiar kept me interested because of the shred of a plot we got to witness, but other than some hot sex and a few flash in the pan characters it won’t be a memorable experience.

Book Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Series: Night Huntress World – Book 2
Author: Jeaniene Frost
No of Pages: 361
Release Date: 27 July 2010

AN IMMORTAL WAR HAS BEEN BREWING IN THE DARKNESS...

AND NOW ONE WOMAN HAS STUMBLED INTO THE SHADOWS.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. Bur her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from just inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the centre is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears – this fearless, beautiful...human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose wither the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

My Thoughts:

Kira was only trying to help when she “rescued” Mencheres from the pack of ghouls attacking him. Little did she know that it would get her tangled up in a supernatural world that she had no idea existed, or into the arms of a four thousand year old vampire.

Kira is a beautiful addition to Frost’s world. She is a hardened private investigator who isn’t fazed by anything; let alone accepting the existence of vampires. Kira was believable in everything she did, she believed the story because it ended up being logical to, she took it all in her stride not because she is amazingly empathetic but because she knew any other course of action, any rebelling on her part, would end in her death.

She also took in being made into a vampire into her stride as well. Knowing that if this was how she was to live from now on, she would do it with a conscience and she would do it because living meant something to her.

Then we bring in Mencheres, the super-powerful, four thousand year old, slightly suicidal ex-pharaoh of Egypt and current co-ruler to his and Bones combined lines. Mencheres has lost his power to see the future; all he can see is darkness which he believes is his impending death. He’s old, he’s tired and he’s weary of the cold war going on between him and his arch-enemy Radjedef.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness was packed full of anticipation surrounding Radjedef framing Mencheres for a crime that carries the death penalty within the vampire world and the race against time for Mencheres and Kira to clear his name.

The relationship between Kira and Mencheres was beautiful and very well done; both with similar pasts of betrayal are astounded by their feelings for each other. It was also mildly frustrating in a good way with the amount of times they were interrupted, so when they finally came together for that all important ceiling sex, it was so worth it.

Cat and Bones made an appearance in Eternal Kiss of Darkness, although they weren’t painted in a good light which kind of disappointed me even though it was understandable from the history between them and Mencheres. Vlad also made an appearance which made me fall that much more in love with him and his humorous ways.

As with First Drop of Crimson, the cover disappointed me with Eternal Kiss of Darkness it didn't seem related to Mencheres at all and Kira was blonde.

Frost blew me away with her writing once again. Although I am not as fond of the Night Huntress World books as I am of the Cat & Bones books, Eternal Kiss of Darkness is a wonderful addition to my collection of her work.

Also in this series:
First Drop of Crimson

Book Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Review: Bloodfever
Series: Fever – Book 2
Author: Karen Marie Moning
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 16 October 2007

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh – a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of the humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them...

My Thoughts:

Back into the world of MacKayla Lane and this story just keeps getting better.

Mac is still seeking revenge for her sister, refusing to quit until the man that murdered her is dead. She is also coming into her powers now as she discovers what else she can do. With her spear at her side and Barrons mostly at her back she feels pretty safe within the walls of Barrons Books and Baubles.

Mac is just getting better as she continues in her search for OOPs (Objects of Power) and as she tries to develop her own budding powers as a sidhe-seer. Part of her is still that girly, pink loving, southern belle but a new side to Mac is now emerging, the blood thirsty battle hungry Mac that enjoys getting into fights and - shock horror! – Not accessorising properly. What I love about Mac is that she takes everything in her stride yet can still feel. She isn’t made of stone but she doesn’t fall into a ball of crying nerves every time something new is thrown at her. Mac is real, well as real as whatever she is can get.

Barrons is still mysterious, but he is getting more and more likeable as this series progresses. We still know absolutely nothing about him but I can safely discern that he does have some sort of growing affection for Mac. Barrons is the kind of character that you really can’t trust, but you know who will back you up – when he has a use for you. I am still very uneasy about his character and plans for Mac, but he does occasionally flash his manly, protective, alpha side which does give cause for great speculation on where their story is going to go.

The thing I love most about Bloodfever, and now that I think about it Darkfever as well, is that the story doesn’t have to be running at 100 miles an hour just to keep you interested, about one hundred and fifty pages in I was wondering what had actually happened so far, and then I realised so much. Deals with Fae, deadly auctions and more insight into Mac’s past and her powers. But I didn’t need to be kept on edge all the time to be coming back for more.

Bloodfever is by no means boring, it is interesting, engaging and won’t let you go. But it also moves at a normal pace which is something I am not used to and I think needs great talent to achieve. I want to know what happens to Mac, but I don’t feel like I am going to die if I don’t find out straight away because I want to know how she gets there. I want to discover the Fae with her and her powers but I don’t want to rush and that’s what this series gives me.

Bloodfever is a great instalment to this intriguing series and I can’t wait to get my hands on Faefever.

Also in this series:
Darkfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Book Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Review: Blood Bound
Series: Mercy Thompson – Book 2
Author: Patricia Briggs
No of Pages: 292
Release Date: 30 January 2007

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places – and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favour. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary – and neither is the demon inside of him...

My Thoughts:

Mrs. Briggs you have won me over with this novel.

Blood Bound picks up about 6 months after Moon Called finished and opens up on Mercy receiving an early morning phone call. Stefan the vampire needs her to come with him on an errand to check out a rogue vampire who may have some extra powers, supplied by a demon. Mercy has to be in coyote form though, so she can hear without being seen.

Blood Bound was very fast paced and now that the ground work was laid with the characters and Tri-City area set down in the first book, we had a lot more time for action in this one. Maybe it was the added element of vampires that did it for me or maybe it was just that this series is turning into something awesome, but I literally couldn’t put it down. Which is saying something since Moon Called put me to sleep.

Mercy has turned into a very intriguing character. She can fight when she needs to but she knows when to keep her mouth shut and just listen to what is going on around her. She has a nice attitude when it comes to everyone but Adam. I love their tension and I love her beat up old car that she deliberately leaves in the way of his perfect view.

Blood Bound wasn’t just character driven though. It was also an interesting mystery driven by who this rogue was and what he wanted. Where he would strike next and who would be in trouble. It kept me on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the next twist to arise. Briggs brought in so many different characters to help with the telling of Blood Bound, witnesses, families, leads but she didn’t bog us down with any of their back story or repetitive problems. We got on with the mystery, unravelling the whodunit which is what kept me so on edge.

I will admit that I was hesitant about reading Blood Bound. After the train-wreck that was Moon Called and the mildly redeeming qualities of Cry Wolf it took me a while to step back into the world of Mercedes Thompson. But boy am I glad that I did.

Unfortunately one can’t skip Moon Called because there is too much detail about the characters and the world but don’t let that stop you from diving into Blood Bound because this is where the series truly comes alive.

Also in this series:
Moon Called
Iron Bound
Bone Crossed
Silver Borne
River Marked

Book Review: Random Magic by Sasha Soren

Review: Random Magic
Author: Sasha Soren
No of Pages: 397
Release Date: 1 January 2010

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes. Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

My Thoughts:

I am still actually trying to look for the words to describe Random Magic, other than completely random.

Random Magic follows the story of Henry and Winnie on their search for Alice from the book, Alice in Wonderland. She escaped from the pages of her book into the pages of another.

Henry provided the human eyes to view the story through. Being a smart kid and extremely observant the train of thought we gleaned from being in his perspective made you feel like you were walking along side the pair as they searched.

Winnie was probably my second favourite character in the entire story, and considering how many characters there were, that’s really saying something. Winnie is a doodle-witch the name for a person who practises magic when they have nothing better to do. Winnie is one of those characters that no matter how many times you read the book, you could never really tell what exactly is going through her mind. She is constantly one step ahead and nothing ever seems to really faze her.

Random Magic wasn’t character driven and it didn’t really seem plot driven either. Random Magic reads like a jumbled mind, as things are thought of they are added, some back story here a visit to an ancient castle there all the while trekking on to the final point which was to find where Alice had ended up. I say this and some people will inevitably think “well what’s the point of that then?” and I say to you: The point is to get lost in the story.

I think this is why I loved Random Magic so much, sure at times it was hard to follow, but I got lost in a world that wasn’t structured or even mildly predictable. A world full of vanishing cats, hostile forests, moving chess pieces and evil substitute teachers from hell. None of it made sense and yet it all came together so well. There were cameos from nearly every fairytale I remember reading and characters that really just wouldn’t fit in anywhere else my favourites being the Muses.

The nine muses took form in Random Magic, one of those muses being Callie the writing muse. Callie was no doubt my favourite character and will remain my favourite character because Random Magic not only let me get lost in a world full of random magic, but it also let me get lost within my own imagination once again.

I can say right now that Random Magic will not be for everyone. There are inconsistent time jumps, a few unanswered questions and especially in the beginning it is a little hard to follow but for anyone that really wants to get lost in a story once again and not have any way of knowing how the story ends or what on earth is going to happen in between will absolutely love it.

Book Review: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Review: Cry Wolf
Series: Alpha & Omega – Book 2
Author: Patricia Briggs
No of Pages: 294
Release Date: 29 July 2008

Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer – and son – of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it’s Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf – a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack...

My Thoughts:

Patricia Briggs has definitely redeemed herself in my eyes with the awesomeness that is, Cry Wolf.

Cry Wolf is actually the second book in this series with On the Prowl (a short story) being the first, detailing the events leading up to Cry Wolf. Although I didn’t read On the Prowl before I read Cry Wolf, it in no way detracted from the story and it was easy to pick up the events of what had happened previously.

Cry Wolf follows the story of Anna and Charles and their quest to find a rogue werewolf. Anna who is traumatised from living with her previous pack who abused her in more way that just physically is struggling to adjust and Charles who is an assassin for his father and not used to being close with anyone is new to the experience as well.

Anna and Charles wolves chose each other before Anna and Charles realised what was happening. So they have a strong attraction to each other even though they barely know one another. Anna is also a rare Omega wolf, which is neither submissive nor dominant and who doesn’t have to follow orders from anyone. Being an Omega also comes with special powers which Anna and Charles know nothing about.

Anna is a strong, extremely likeable character. She is traumatised but doesn’t try to act tough, she does however, let her wolf take over. Anna’s wolf has been protecting her ever since she was turned, I felt sorry for the wolf because she has taken on all the abuse suffered by Anna so that Anna can live day to day. Anna’s wolf is definitely very strong and although it’s confusing to distinguish between the two I think I loved Anna’s wolf for being strong enough to take all the pain away from Anna.

Charles was a little erratic with his behaviour because of Anna’s Omega effect on him. One minute he was calm and rational, the next he was growling at someone who looked at either him or Anna the wrong way.

After reading Moon Called what I loved most about Cry Wolf was the insight we got into Samuel and Bran. Charles is a lot younger than both of them and although Samuel seems at odds with the world seeing him in a different light, through his brothers eyes made him a well rounded character instead of the one we saw in Moon Called.

Cry Wolf was very character driven and I loved it. Anna and Charles were well developed, as were the secondary characters. We had a little bit of the trademark Briggs repetition, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as Moon Called.

I don’t know how the story will continue as it was wrapped up so beautifully at the end of Cry Wolf, but I do want to go back. Cry Wolf was action packed with its hunt for the rogue but also very sweet with its beautiful development of characters.

Others in this Series:
On the Prowl
Hunting Ground

Book Review: Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid" by Debbie Viguie

Review: Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"
Author: Debbie Viguie
No of Pages: 198
Release Date: 24 October 2006

In a quiet fishing village, one lone fisherman rescued a child from the sea seventeen years ago. He and his wife raised the girl, Pearl, as their own daughter, never allowing themselves to wonder long about where she came from -- or notice her silver hair, usually pale skin, and wide, dark blue eyes.

Pearl grows from a mysterious child into an unusual young woman, not always welcomed in the village. As all the other girls her age find husbands, she has only one friend to ease her loneliness. One very special, secret companion: Prince James.

But their friendship is shaken when trouble erupts in the kingdom -- a conspiracy against the royal family combines with an evil enchantment from beneath the sea. Now, just when Pearl and James need each other most, bewitching magic and hints about Pearl's past threaten to tear them apart...forever.

My Thoughts:

The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite fairytales and Midnight Pearls did it justice in its own way.

Pearl was found at sea by her father when she was five years old; she always knew she was different based purely on her looks and her troubles with walking. Not many people have silver-blue hair and trip over absolutely everything.

It has been hard for Pearl, growing up shunned by most and gawked at by the rest. The only person who doesn’t treat her differently is Prince James, her best friend. Their friendship developed at a young age but always kept a secret.

The friendship is tested though with the arrival of Kaye. Kaye is the real Little Mermaid, being the woman who traded her tail for legs after falling in love with the prince. This devastates Pearl at first because she is starting to fall in love with him.

Midnight Pearls tells the story from the land dwellers point of view instead of the mer-peoples. A lot of people think that Pearl is the Little Mermaid but it is clear about a third of the way through that she isn’t. She is an extra character that was turned into a main. Friend to the Prince who falls in love with a mermaid who saves his life.

The story is what sticks in my mind when it comes to Midnight Pearls; the characters are just blips of info dumps. It is interesting reading The Little Mermaid from a completely different view, and the story is definitely engaging.

What detract the most from Midnight Pearls though is the drawn out beginning and the lightning fast finish. We spent half the book on Pearl and her problems and the last quarter on the actual Little Mermaid story. Everything happens so quickly that it leaves you definitely wanting more, but not in the best of ways.

Midnight Pearls is a very quick read and a nice fresh perspective on a classic. Nice and light, good for a beach read, if you feel like having mermaid fantasies for the rest of the day.

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Review: Beautiful Creatures
Series: Caster Chronicles – Book 1
Author: Kami Garcia; Margaret Stohl
No of Pages: 563
Release Date: 1 December 2009

In Ethan Wate’s hometown there lies the darkest of secrets...

There is a girl.
Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head...green eyes, black hair.
Lena Duchannes.

There is a curse.
On the Sixteenth Moon, of the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it’s been promised.
And no one can stop it.

In the end, there is a grave.

Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and, on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided.
Ethan never even saw it coming.

My Thoughts:

Five hundred and sixty three pages later and I still don’t know what is going on.

Beautiful Creatures follows the story of Ethan Wate a boy living in a small town called Gatlin. He meets a girl at school and is in a way attracted to her. He feels he should help her because she has been shunned by the entire town for being the niece of Macon Ravenwood, a decidedly crazy shut in who hasn’t been seen in years.

One afternoon whilst spending time with Lena, Ethan finds a locket near her house. When they both touch it something weird happens and they are shown a memory from a different time. Ethan and Lena must figure out what the locket is trying to tell them before Lena’s sixteenth birthday.

That little narration is about as much as I can discern from reading Beautiful Creatures. It took three hundred pages for us to be told that Lena is a Caster (witch) and for the entire novel we were walking up and down Gatlin’s eight streets skipping school and playing with lockets they were told to bury.

Ethan’s narration is boring. How can a book so long contain so little? If you chop out the first four hundred pages I would have loved it because then Lena’s family comes to town, her completely dysfunctional half crazy, half evil family. Only then does anything happen and even that doesn’t really add too much to furthering the plot.

It has honestly taken me so long to write this review just because I am wondering what to say about Beautiful Creatures at all.

Gatlin is a backwards country town full of intolerable people unwilling to change or even budge in their views. It reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird. Beautiful Creatures was an updated version of TKAM with a paranormal aspect thrown in.

Lena is a moody drama queen. She’ll lose her temper and blow up a window and then go on for days about how she thinks she is going to go Dark (evil). And yet I still can’t get a clear picture of what she looks like in my head, because throwing tantrums and running off was all she ever did.

I couldn’t see how Lena and Ethan developed a “deep, powerful love” it just wasn’t written in there. He chased her around for most of the book, annoyed her uncle by letting himself into their house uninvited and caused more trouble than what was needed by not listen to Amma his caretaker and getting rid of the weird obviously evil locket that kept showing him clips from the past.

Beautiful Creatures has been raved about constantly but I am seriously finding it hard to see the attraction. Nearly 600 pages and nothing has been answered, and I am not keen to find out.

Also in this series:

Beautiful Darkness

Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Review: White Cat
Series: Curse Workers – Book 1
Author: Holly Black
No of Pages: 310
Release Date: 4 May 2010

CASSEL IS CURSED

Cursed by the memory of the fourteen year old girl he murdered. Life at school is a constant trial. Life at home even worse. No-one at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at home is ever going to forget that he isn’t a magic worker. And now he is being haunted by a white cat...

Cassel’s family are magic workers. Ever since magic was prohibited in 1929 magic workers have been driven underground and into crime. And while people still need their touch, their luck, their curses, their magical killings, their transformations, times have been hard. His grand-dad is a black fingered death-dealer, his mother is in prison and his brother’s detest him as the only one of their family who can’t do magic.

But there is a secret at the centre of Cassel’s family and he’s about to inherit it. It’s terrifying and that’s the truth.

My Thoughts:

After getting past the initial confusion, White Cat became quite interesting.

White Cat follows the story of Cassel, a non-Worker in a family of Workers. Workers are basically magic wielders each Worker has a gift whether it be Memory Working, Luck Working or even Death Working.

Cassel feels left out in his family, not only is he a non-Worker, and the youngest. He is also a murderer. When he was fourteen Cassel killed his best friend, who also happened to be the girl he loved.

Now he is trying to fit in, in the “normal” world. Workers have been outlawed throughout the world. Everyone must wear gloves and laws are trying to be passed to document every known worker. Workers are feared and hated and are treated as criminals. It doesn’t help though, that most of them are criminals.

Cassel may not be a worker, but he is a very talented con man. At the tender age of seventeen he already has his own illegal betting pool at his private school. He is trying desperately to fit in, even though he knows people don’t consider him a friend, they do trust and almost in a way, respect him, something he has been longing for his whole life.

It was wonderful having a singularly male viewpoint in a YA novel. Cassel is a little self-centred, and a little bit depressed which makes him annoying at times, but he is also extremely intelligent. He works things out very early on, and although he is continuously questioning his theories he also expands on them.

We don’t get too much into the secondary characters. His mother is in prison for Working a man and making him fall in love with her, and then signing over his wealth. His grandfather is a death worker and one of his fingers rot every time he kills someone with his touch. We also get to reminisce about Lila, the girl Cassel killed. To be honest, she doesn’t seem like the nicest of people, more like a spoiled, over excited bully.
There were two things that I absolutely loved about White Cat: The Mystery and the Magic. The Mystery actually kept me guessing. Although some of it was an easy guess there were things that came out even halfway through the book that turned it onto a completely new track.

The Magic, was real magic with everything having a balance. If you were to kill someone, part of you was also to die. If you were to give someone good luck, you in return would receive it. If you were to take someone’s memory, one of yours would also be lost. Magic had consequences, so people weren’t just running around with the ability to do whatever they wanted to when they wanted to do it.

White Cat was an intriguing read and built up a world that I can’t wait to get back into.