Review: Captivate by Carrie Jones

Series: Need, book #2

Published: January 5th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA

Details: Hardcover, 273 pages

My rating: 3.5/5

My Summary:

Sequel to Need. The pixie hunt continues, and the new pixie character Astley is introduced which causes Zara to doubt if all pixies are evil, also creating a love triangle. Ending with a cliff hanger. While I loved Need, I found this book less great, with logical gaps and preteen language. Still enjoyable. Third book Entice out Dec this year.

A few chapters in:

I loved the first book Need, so I’m loving diving into the pixie world of Zara and Nick again.

This book takes off where the first one ended. All the pixies are imprisoned in their house and Zara and her friends are patrolling the woods. One day, Zara happens across a wounded pixie guy. She saves him only to realize afterwards that he was a pixie king from far away. Has he come to take over the kingdom of her father? Moreover, he seems nice and he is confusing Zara. Are all pixies really evil?

The others, and especially Nick don’t seem to share the same concern over the welfare of the pixies. They think pixies are evil, period. Meanwhile we are getting glimpses of the bigger world of pixies. And what is the deal with Zara not feeling quite right. Is her pixie blood affecting her in some strange way?

This is how far I’ve got, but I’m very invested into the story already, and I’m pondering the same questions as Zara, are all pixies really evil? The story is promising so far. Let’s see how it plays out..

After finishing the book:

I finished the book last night and I’m sorry to say I was not as overwhelmed as I was after reading Need. The great characters that were introduced in Need never developed into anything more, rather they felt slightly underdeveloped in this book. For some reason I also felt the language in this book to be more preteen than teen, as if it had gone slightly more immature than in the prequel.

I did however like the new character Astley, which is introduced midway through the book. He added a new dimension to the plot, both in the form of a possible love triangle and the fact that he may (or may not) be something as unusual as a good pixie. I loved reading the sections where he was involved.

We are also introduced to some of the world building of the weres and the pixies but only bits and pieces, so that nothing really makes any sense. I think I would have liked some loose ends to get tied up, something more solid to build upon. It all felt so vague, the whole reason for a looming pixie war. What are the forces behind it? What are the roles of the weres? Why is it happening now? Not much is explained, and what is explained doesn’t make much sense. I am curious though to see if it will redeem itself in the third book Entice, to be released in Dec this year.

The Bottom Line:

Finally, do I recommend Captivate?

Yes absolutely, it is still very much an entertaining read, especially if you are invested into the characters after Need

Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Series: The Southern Vampire Mysteries, book #1

Published: May 1st 2001 by Ace

Details: Paperback, 292 pages

My rating: 3 / 5

My Summary:

About Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in Louisiana who meets and falls in love with vampire Bill. With a murder mystery. This is a fun light adult read. Not great but it may become better in the following books. I thought Bill was a bit dull. Eric or Sam on the other hand..let’s just say I am a bit curious to see what direction it will take.

A few chapters in:

Not sure if I’ll like this vampire series. From what I heard it’s not particularly romantic, and it may also have too much of that adult-romance stuff that I tend to avoid. But it’s mentioned just about everywhere and compared to Twilight, so I guess I have to just see for myself!

Ok, I’m 50 pages in and it’s not that bad. I saw the first season of True Blood and so reading this book is like reading the script of the series. I didn’t know it followed the books this closely! It doesn’t bother me though. The book is kind of fun, light guilty pleasures sort of reading. So far, I’m enjoying it…

After finishing the book:

Well, I finished the book last night. While it wasn’t bad it wasn’t great either. It certainly is no Twilight. Yes, it is about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire, but that’s where the similarities end. This book is sort of rawer, and as such contains more sex, violence and blood. I’m not a big fan of neither. I much more prefered the sweeter Twilight world. That being said, I still enjoyed the book, possibly because I didn’t have any high expectations. I saw it for exactly what it was, light fun read.

On a sidenote, I thought Bill the vampire was a bit dull. He never really talked that much so we never get to see any personality. I got a feeling he was interested in two things only: sex with Sookie and protecting Sookie. Not the most romantic literary character out there. But, there are two other male characters, Sam and Eric, that seem very promising. I have a feeling they might play more prominent roles in the books to come. So I will probably read the sequel Living Dead in Dallas, just out of curiosity.

The Bottom Line:

Do I recommend Dead Until Dark?

If you’re looking for fun and shallow literature that won’t require too much thought or investment – possibly something for the beach – then yes. If the other books in the series improve, then the more reason to read this first installment as well.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Series: The Dark Divine, book #2

Published: December 28th 2010 by EgmontUSA

Details: Hardcover, 384 pages

Rating: To Be Read

So, even though I didn’t outright love the first book The Dark Divine, the ending  made me want to read the sequel. Let me just say..I have a feeling the sequel will be so much more interesting. And judging by the synopsis from Good Reads below, Grace our heroine does appear to be taking a darker and more interesting road in this book. I’m very much looking forward to reading this!

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.
Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.
Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

See my thoughts on The Dark Divine here

Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Series: Touch, book #3

Published: December 27th 2010 by Hyperion

Rating: To Be Read

So I initially loved this series. The first book was really intriguing, getting to know Camelia and Ben, and having that stalker freeking me out. The sequel was less so, simply because it was too similar to the first book. Yes, we learned about Camelia’s ability here, but I would have loved the story to have moved on more, rather than having another stalker following her. Anyway, I’m still intrigued about the conclusion to this story. I wonder what that family tragedy could be about, possibly her aunt? Will Camelia and Ben be able to use their abillities to help or will the story take on a different direction?

See synopsis from Good Reads below:

Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to sense things through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control and hurting people. Camelia’s gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn’t yet comprehend.

Before either teen has a chance to fully grasp these abilities, an unresolved family tragedy resurfaces in Camelia’s life, irrevocably changing everything she cares about…

See my thoughts on Deadly Little Secrets here and Deadly Little Lies here

Review: Need by Carrie Jones

Series: Need, book #1

Published: December 23rd 2008 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Details: Hardcover, 306 pages

My rating: 4.5/5

My Summary:

About grief-stricken Zara who after her fathers death is sent by her mom to stay with her Granny. There she meets sweet Issy and gorgeous Nick, who help her when strange things start happening, mainly a man following her leaving traces of gold dust. This is a wonderful story, with pixies and weres and a beautiful love story. Loved it!!!!

My Review:

All I know about this book is that it is about pixies..sort of fairies I think, and that the plot is somewhat similar to Twilight. Curious to see what it is all about.

Update:

Ok, so I’m really getting into this book! It’s about grief-stricken Zara, who after her fathers death is sent away by her mom to stay with her granny in Maine.  She starts school and finds new friends, among them sweet Issy and gorgeous Nick. She has barely started her new life there and weird things are happening. Mainly, there is a strange man, who keeps appearing wherever Zara is, and he leaves gold dust after him. Could he be a pixie? Why is he following Zara? Ok, so that’s as far as I’ve got. But it’s looking good. Great heroine! Let’s see how the rest plays out..

Final thoughts:

Wow what a great book!! It’s been some time since I got this attached to a book. I loved the voice of Zara, she seemed so real somehow, scared but yet brave, with a temper..I liked that! And Nick..swoon! Loved all the secondary characters as well, and the whole myth around the weres and the pixies. Great story! And thank god there is a sequel!

Finally would I recommend Need?

Absolutely with a resounding YES! Great start to a series!

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Series: Fallen, book #1

Published: December 8th 2009 by Delacorte Press

Details: Hardcover, 452 pages

My Rating: 2.5 /5

My Summary:

Luce is a girl with some unusual problems, who is sent to reform school by her parents. There she meets two mysterious guys, Daniel – who she feels she knows from before, and Cam. Who can she trust? Plot involves fallen angels. Well written, but very slow pace and too many question marks left hanging at the end. Overall, just OK.  Sequel Torment out soon.

My Full Review:

This book has got some mixed reviews, but is generally recommended by Twilight fans, so I decided to read it and see for myself.

Synopsis:

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

My thoughts:

I liked the premise of this book as it was a bit different. Luce is a girl who’s been having some unusual problems for the last couple of years (explained in the book), culminating in a terrible accident involving the death of a boy in her school the previous summer. Consequently she is sent to Swords and Cross, a reform school for troubled kids. And this is where we are introduced into the story.

Along with Luce we get to discover the strict rules of the school, the strange atmosphere lingering at the school grounds as if there are secrets lurking around. We also learn more about the other troubled kids. Luce gets to know two seemingly nice girls, acquires one girl enemy for reasons unknown to her, and attracts the attention of two mysterious and good-looking boys, Cam and Daniel.

Luce is unsettled by quite a few things. She is still dealing with guilt from what happened the previous summer, and she is also trying to get used to the idea of having been sent to this reform school. However, Daniel is what unsettles her the most. His behaviour is strange, to say the least, yet she can’t shake off the feeling that she has known him before, and she is intrigued to find out more about him.

This very premise goes on for most part of the book. As a reader, you are left with the feeling that no one can really be trusted, and that there is something more going on, something supernatural. Somehow this involves Luce and Daniel, and possibly someone else, but who?

All though the book is really well written, I found the pace a bit too slow. It is slowly building up towards the big finale, but it just takes ages to get there and I struggled to keep up my interest as I was reading. Especially since I saw what was coming miles ahead.

I know this book has been compared a lot with Hush Hush seeing as they both share the same theme. However, even though Hush Hush was not as beautifully written as Fallen, the former grabbed me more. I literally could not stop reading it. With Fallen, I had no problems whatsoever leaving it for a few days, even towards the end. It just didn’t stick with me the same way. I believe it was because of combination of two things: the pace was too slow and I could see things coming from miles away. The latter meant that I had to wait for ages for our heroine to figure out the same things I had known all along. It made it slightly..boring..for lack of a better word.

The Bottom Line:

So, would I recommend Fallen?

Well, it wasn’t all bad. But it is very “putdownable”. Not a book that will sweep you away. Yet sort of enjoyable because of the atmosphere Kate has created. However, the ending dragged the grade down, as there were to many loose ends left hanging. I felt like I was taken through all that slow suspense and build up only to end at..oh get the next book and you’ll find out. Speakin of which, there is a sequel Torment out soon, which I may read..or not.

Review: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Series: Companion book to The Twilight Saga

Published: June 5th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Details: Hardcover, 178 pages

My rating: 4.5/5

My Summary:

A wonderfully written book, where Meyer once again manages to put life into a character I didn’t think I’d care about – a newborn vampire. A must read for every twilight fan.

My Full Review:

No one thought much about Bree, the newborn vampire who gives herself up to the Cullens at the end of Eclipse, only to be killed by the merciless Vulturi clan. I sure didn’t pay any attention to her, more than that she was a testament to how a new-born Bella might be like should she turn vampire – wild and uncontrollable, especially while scenting a human prey. Therefore it was a surprise to me to realize that not only two chapters in I was already growing fond of Bree.

She is created by Riley (Victoria’s new mate) to participate in Victoria’s army against the Cullens. Of course, she has no idea that she is only going to be used as a brick in their war, nor does any of the other newly created vampires know any of this. They all live together in a house in the outskirts of Seattle, some of the vampires wilder than others. Not rarely do fights erupt resulting in one or two vampire lives lost.

It’s an unstable environment to say the least, and Bree tries to stay under the radar as much as possible, to stay safe. She’s very confused and especially lonely until one night when she befriends Diego, one of the other older vampires in Rile’s army. They spend some time together and in doing so she starts remembering bits and pieces from her former life again, reconnecting to her human self. But their time together is short, as Riley starts preparing for the battle.

It’s a short, sad story considering Bree’s tragic end, but it’s interesting, especially towards the end where the battle is described and we get to meet the Cullens and Bella from the viewpoint of her, an outsider. There is also an interesting play of minds going on during the meeting with the Volturi that we were unaware of in Eclipse. Bree essentially tells Edward everything there is to know about the Volturi secretly betraying the Cullens in this battle. She is on the side of the Cullens, more than I understood in Eclipse, which only added to my sadness to see her go in the end. Under different circumstances, I think she would have fit in perfectly in the Cullen family.

All in all, I loved revisiting the Twilight world, all though from a different view-point. Meyer certainly proved again what she does best – excellent characterization. In short, a wonderful read!

Do I recommend it?

Yes, if you liked the Twilight Saga you definitely should read this!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Series: If I Stay, book #1

Published: April 9th 2009 by Dutton Juvenile

Details: Hardcover, 199 pages

My rating: 4/5

A beautifully written book about 17-year old Mia who one day heads out in the car with her parents and her little brother, only to wake up the next second in the aftermath of a terrible car accident. Only, she didn’t really wake up. As she follows her body which is rushed into hospital, she realizes she is a spirit trapped between life and death, and that she has the power to choose, whether to stay in this life or go. This is a wonderful little book, that somehow manages to be both heart-breaking and hopeful at the same time. A great read!

Oh, and there is a sequel, to be published in April 2011. It’s called Where She Went, and is written from Adam’s point of view (Adam who is Mia’s boyfriend in If I stay).

Review: The Pace by Shelena Shorts

Series: The Pace Series, book #1

Published: August 19th 2009 by Lands Atlantic Publishing, LLC

Details: Paperback, 302 pages

My rating: 2/5

My summary:

I thought I would love this book, I really did. But I didn’t. It’s an interesting plot, a new take on paranormal. But the writing style put me off, it was so detailed that it detracted from the plot. I mean detailed as in relating too many irrelevant details, which prevented the story to flow. Each minute of the main character’s daily life was described, how she did her school assignments, how she ate her breakfast etc. I found it hard not to skim large sections. Also, the love interest felt too perfect and bland. Won’t continue the series.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

Weston Wilson is not immortal and he is of this world. But, aging is not part of his existence,

and eighteen-year-old Sophie Slone is determined to find out why. In doing so, she could also uncover something about her own life expectancy that she may not want to know. Suddenly, immortality will mean everything and nothing all at the same time.

Intensely fascinating and rich with determination, The Pace brings together romance, mystery, and suspense in a compelling bond that is sure to have readers asking for more.

My thoughts:

I really thought I would love this novel. I so wanted too. It has got rave reviews at the book blogs, it is essentially a love story, and with a paranormal twist. Therefore it was a huge disappointment to realize that I didn’t love it..at all.

This is the story about Sophie, an 18-year old girl who lives with mom in California and attends an online high school. She literally runs into a guy at campus (car accident at parking lot), who seems oddly perplexed to see her there. They end up seeing each other again by chance, and the more she sees of him, the more perplexed she is as well. The guy is called Weston. Good looking, rich and with impeccable manners, he seems too good to be true. On one of their dates, after a little accident, she discovers that he isn’t entirely normal, and after that, bit by bit we get to know his background story.

The main problem for me in this book was the writing style. Now, I’m not normally that picky with writing styles. I’d have anything from the choppy Lisa Macmann’s to the somewhat simple Stephenie Meyer’s to the poetic and descriptive Gregory David Roberts, as long as it does the trick,  which is to transport me into the story.

The writing style in this book however, was so detailed that it detracted from the story. Details were related that had absolutely nothing to do with neither character development or the plot. They were tedious irrelevant day-to-day life details explained in a “she did this, then she did that, then she did this” – kind of way. Things like how she wrote a school assignment that had nothing to do with the plot would be described, like “she sat down by the computer, opened up a word document, stared at the white page, then started typing the title of the assignment, which was..”.

I have no interest in following the details of her school assignment, nor do I want to know how she eats her breakfast, or how exactly she types in books in the cash register at her work in the book store. Needless to say, it was hard not skimming through sections of the book, to get to the parts that really mattered, such as the developing relationship between Sophie and Wes.

My other problem with this book was that the two main characters felt kind of bland, especially Wes. He is just too perfect. Not one flaw, never doing or saying anything wrong. Never showing any emotions. It seems a bit ironic to say this, but he didn’t feel human.

So, would I recommend you reading this book?

Well, it does have an original plot, a new take on paranormal that is interesting. And there are apparently people out there who have no issues with the writing style, given the many rave reviews. So I’d say, go and see for yourself.

But I know that I will not attempt anything else by this author. I was not impressed.

Review: Gone by Lisa McMann

Series: Dream Catcher, book #3

Published: February 9th 2010 by Simon Pulse

Details: Hardcover, 214 pages

My rating: 3.5/5

My summary:

The wake series is a great series, which I’m recommending everyone to read. The last installment however doesn’t quite live up to the standard of the two previous books. That being said, I still enjoyed it, and loved getting to know more about Janies options. As a whole though, the book left me wanting more, thus the lower grade.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life — and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out….

My thoughts:

I read this, worrying about why people generally didn’t like this final installment of the Wake series as much as the first two books. And I get it now, why people didn’t like it as much. That being said, I still enjoyed the book. It’s only when comparing it to the first two books that I find myself slightly disappointed.

In this book there is no assignment. Instead, the plot revolves around Janie trying to make a decision on how to live her life. In Fade, she got an insight to one of her options, explained by Mrs Stubin. In Gone, she learns about her father, and thus learns more about the other option. All of this is interesting, and I loved getting to know more about Janie’s parents and their past. I completely understood the pondering Janie was going through.

So why was it disappointing then?

I think I just expected more, especially seeing as this is the final installment. I wanted more information, more resolvement. I would have loved more interaction between Janie and her father, Mrs Stubin and even her mother. But mostly, I would have loved Cabel to be more part of the plot. I understand that Janie needed some time alone to sort things through. But we never really get an insight into what Cabel is thinking. If compared to the last two books, he’s not part of this one much at all. And frankly, I missed him. The relationship between these two, their interactions and conversations in the previous two books is what made this series so good. At least that’s how I feel.

The ending. Well, without saying too much, it is OK, and sort of fitting to the story, and most importantly it ended on a positive note. However,  I still felt slightly dissatisfied. There were some unresolved issues left behind. I wish there was another book in the series to take care of those. I would have loved to know more of what happened next.

Unfortunately, this is the ending to the series, and I heard that McMann is not planning to write anything more in the Dream Catchers series. So this is it.

So would I recommend it?

Yes, because overall, it is great series. Original, great writing and with a wonderful love story. I’m glad I read it and I will definitely recommend it to others. Just make sure to lower your expectations somewhat for the last installment, as it is not as great as the first two.

Review: Fade by Lisa McMann

Series: Dream Catcher, book #2

Published: February 10th 2009 by Simon Pulse

Details: Hardcover, 248 pages

My rating: 4.5/5

My Summary:

Loved reading more about Janie and Cabel, such a wonderful couple! The assignment they are on this time is creepy, and Janie learns more about her abilities. Overall, great fast-paced read that I could not put down! I only wished each book was longer. Last book is called Gone.

My Full Review:

In this sequel we continue to follow the wonderful couple Janie and Cabel, and watch as their relationship deepens.  In the prequel Wake, Janie learns (to some extent) how to control her dream catcher abilities, and realizes how she can use them to help the police solving cases. Mostly positive stuff in other words.

In Fade, the inevitable negative side of her abilities sneaks up on her, and soon it feels as if her abilities are a curse rather than a gift. Every time she gets caught in a dream, it takes an incredible toll on her body, especially on her sight. She senses all of this, but doesn’t fully realize what she’s dealing with until it’s confirmed in a notebook written by the departed Mrs Stubin.

While reading the notebook she understands that she has two choices in regards to how she wants to live her life. And one of those choices does not include Cabel. It’s heart-breaking to watch Janie realizing the consequences of her dream catcher abilities, and I really felt with her along the way.

Meanwhile, they are on a new undercover mission for the captain. This time, teachers at their school are suspected of molesting students, but proof is needed. Janie is assigned the role of the bait in order to provide proof, an assignment proving to be quite dangerous.

In fact, I was a bit surprised that the whole undercover operation seemed to rest on Janie’s small shoulders alone. Not to mention the danger that the captain put Janie in. That did not seem like a believable scenario to me, like something that could ever happen in real life, rather it felt like a convenient plot devise in order to provide suspense.

That being said, it worked. I raced through the pages to find out what was going to happen. I swooned whenever Cabel was worried – which happened a lot, and my heart ached when Janie found out the horrible truths of her dream catcher abilities/curse.

So all in all, I’m loving this series, and can’t recommend it enough- and I’ve already thrown myself over the last installment Gone!

Review: Wake by Lisa McMann

Series: Dream Catcher, book #1

Published: March 4th 2008 by Simon Pulse

Details: Hardcover, 210 pages

My rating: 4.5/5

My summary:

A trilogy. About a girl who involuntarily slips into other people’s dreams whenever they fall asleep in her proximity. She meets Cabel, a troubled boy in her neighbourhood and they fall in love. It’s a short book, but still amazing – I read it in one sitting. Wonderful love story! Look forward to sequel Fade.

My review:

I loved this little book. I’ve read reviewers complaining about McManns choppy writing style but I thought it was refreshing. It was a straight-to-the-point type of writing. No rambling or endless passages of descriptions, just the core of the story written down in short sentences. And to me, the story flowed beautifully that way.

Janie, the protagonist is a dream catcher. Involuntarily so. Whenever someone in her proximity dreams, she gets sucked into that dream, whether she wants it or not. She doesn’t know how to control it.

One day, while driving on a street in her neighborhood she gets sucked into a particularly bad dream, and she soon learns that the owner of that dream is Cabel, a boy in her neighborhood. Cabel is a troubled boy, who’s got a pretty bad-boy reputation at school involving drugs and alcohol.

On a bus trip with school they end up sitting together, and this is where Cabel learns about Janie’s dream catcher ability as she suffers through the trip getting sucked into everyone’s dreams as her class mates take turns falling asleep on the bus.

I won’t reveal more, as it’s best if you discover that yourself. Let me just say that all though short this was a wonderful little story, involving one of the most believable literary couple I’ve met in a while, Janie and Cabel. They are so beautiful together it is absolutely heart-breaking. Both of them have had a rough start in their lives, living with practically non-caring parents. And to top it off, Janie has this weird little ability she’s trying to learn to control so that it won’t take over her life.

Very intriguing start to a series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel Fade!

Also, if you’re like me, and really like the character Cabel, then you may be interested in reading Cabel’s point of view. Lisa McMann has written a couple of pages describing his thoughts of the first encounters with Janie, including the bus trip. Short but great read!

Check out Cabel’s side of the story

Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Series: Touch, book #2

Published: November 9th 2009 by Hyperion Book CH

Details: Hardcover, 288 pages

My rating: 3.5/5

My Summary:

Ok, so the plot in the sequel is basically an exact copy of the first book. Another stalker, more doubts regarding Ben, more questionable admirers, same type of ending. I wish the story had moved forward instead. What I found intriguing in the first book just felt washed out in this one. I may still read the last book Deadly little games, out this year, to see if it gets better.

Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Series: The Dark Divine, book #1

Published: December 22nd 2009 by EgmontUSA

Details: Hardcover, 372 pages

My rating: 3.5/5

My summary:

About Grace, a dutiful pastor’s daughter who is drawn towards bad boy Daniel, a childhood friend who has suddenly come back after mysteriously dissappearing 3 years ago. What happened then and what is the deal with Daniel?

I really thought I would devour this. Instead I found it slow. Only after about 200 pages or so things start happening and I found myself glued to the last part. Sequel out this year.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible

happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel’s returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

My thoughts:

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. It was pretty slow, and I was actually struggling a bit to keep up my interest. Then, in the last few chapters it redeemed itself, and ended with a big bang that really makes me want to read the sequel.

So where does that leave this book, in terms of grading I mean? Hmm..still deciding.

The story revolves around Grace, a dutiful pastor’s daughter, who is drawn towards bad boy Daniel. Daniel is a childhood friend who mysteriously disappeared three years ago after an accident (or was it an accident?) involving Grace’s brother Jude.  Daniel and Jude are since then not on speaking terms, to say the least. Daniel is now back, and even though Grace knows she better stay away from him – for loyalty to Jude, of course she can’t help but do the opposite.

Daniel is clearly a bad boy, and at the start of the book I was a bit irritated at the way he treated Grace. She’s going out of her way to help him and gets nothing in return. Like, what’s your problem? Then, that changes and he seems all right. Yet, we are still wondering through most part of the book what exactly is going on with him. Something is clearly not right.

Grace and Daniel also fall in love with each other, and this may be where it fell short for me  in the first part of the book. I just didn’t really feel that. It felt as if she just saw him and boom, she was in love. Then again, Daniel is a childhood friend, and Grace did have a crush on him already back then, so it really isn’t surprising that those feelings resurfaced so quickly again. Still, for me as a reader I didn’t feel it. I think I would have needed more background story of how it was back then, before Daniel disappeared, to see them as just friends. That would have made the “falling in love” feel more real.

By the end of the book, it is finally explained what exactly happened three years ago, and what the deal is with Daniel. If you haven’t guessed it already, there are some supernatural elements here. I won’t say what exactly as it is best if you discover those as you read. The ending is great, and like I said before, it promises a great sequel.

Overall though, the plot was so slow and weak at first, that I won’t give it a 4. However, my hopes are up for a better read in the sequel The Lost Saint, out in December this year.

Review: Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

Series: Georgina Kincaid, book #1

Published: March 1st 2007 by Kensington

Details:  Paperback, 343 pages

My rating: 3/5

My summary:

Start of a series, by same author as Vampire Academy. About a succubus who seduces and pleasures mortal men (while sapping their life energy), but also longing for what she can’t have, a true love. This was ok, not as bad as Bitten, but not great either. Good writing but a weak plot. I may read another one in the series to see if it gets better.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.)

A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore–free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

My thoughts:

This book is written by the same author as The Vampire Academy, which is an highly acclaimed vampire series. I’ve also read a couple of good reviews and so I decided to give it a go, despite the synopsis which sent off a couple of alarm bells.  You see, it revolves around  a succubus, who feeds of sex from mortal men. It felt like this could be one of those adult romance type of novels, which really are porn disguised in a paranormal romance package.

I’m relieved to say that no, it wasn’t that bad. Yes, of course there is some sexual content, as we are dealing with the life of a succubus, but it never felt like it was too much. It was there to move the plot along. So in that aspect, all good.

I like the writing style as well. It wasn’t poetic or anything like that. But it was kind of easy-going. It had a flow which made you get into the story very easily.

Still, despite all this, I wasn’t blown away by the book. And I’ll get to why in a moment.

The main character Georgina is a charming and witty girl who works at a book store in Seattle, living a relatively normal life. She is also a succubus, which means she feeds of sex with mortal men, in which she sucks their life energy.

She hates it though and refuses to destroy good mortal men, and as such, prefers feeding of scums, guys with low moral values. Her friends include, apart from the mortals working in the book store, a vampire, a demon and an angel.

When we are introduced into the story, Georginas favorite author has just arrived to town. A charming guy called Seth. And here begins her struggles with liking him but not wanting to give him too much encouragement, because obviously any sort of physical contact would be impossible, seeing as that would destroy Seth.

Seth is not the only love interest though. There are several other guys around in this book, all utterly charmed by Georgina of course seeing as she is a very attractive woman, due to her shape-shifting abilities (as part of her being a succubus).

While Georgina is running around not wanting to get too close with any of the guys that she likes, yet doing exactly that, a murder mystery is going in Seattle. Someone is killing immortals, i.e. vampires, demons etc. And somehow all this is linked to Georgina. She’s getting these mysterious notes from someone who appears to be the killer.

So yes, you might have guessed it already.. I thought the plot was pretty weak. I didn’t believe in the murder mystery – it seemed to have only been thrown in there in order to create some suspense. It also got a bit tiring with Georgina’s all love interests. I mean, if she had such an issue with guys being attracted to her, why not just turn of the charm or shape shift into a less attractive woman? Problem solved! Also, the love interest Seth felt quite bland. Yes, he was a nice guy but he lacked charisma.

I did however root for one side character. I won’t say who, but if you read the book you might guess who I’m talking about. I am kind of curious to see if he will play a bigger part in the books to come. So even though I wasn’t too impressed by the start of this series, I think I might read another to see if it gets better.

Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Series: Perfect Chemistry, book #1

Published: January 1st 2008 by Walker Books for Young Readers

Details: Paperback, 360 pages

My rating: 5/5

My summary:

A story about two teenagers, she rich from north side of town and he a gang member from the south side of town, who are reluctantly paired up in chemistry class, then end up falling in love. All though there are no paranormal elements here, this is a wonderful read.  I was practically glued to the pages, reading it in one sitting. The love story blew me away!

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My Full Review:

Synopsis:

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she’s worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.
In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

My thoughts:

Simply put, amazing book. I knew from all the rave reviews that this was a WOW-sort of book, and I had high expectations. Amazingly, it still exceeded those expectations. I was blown away!

Simon Elkeles has created a wonderful story that will get under your skin and stay with you for a while. I don’t know how she did it. The story is not that original, far from actually. In fact,  when I first read the summary, it felt sort of cliché. Cheerleader gets teamed up with bad boy in chemistry class and finds out that well, they have a lot of chemistry going on. And the book cover doesn’t really help. Let me just say, it’s not the sort of book I would want to be caught reading on the subway.

So what then makes it so special?

It is essentially the writing, and the character development.  You can literally feel the two main characters falling in love as they get to know each other better. It’s so real you feel and breath with them, you feel the pain of each obstacle as if it were your own and the joy when they start understanding each other.

The book is told in alternating POV’s which is great, as you get an insight in both characters thoughts, thus realising what they are both struggling with, and the perception they have of each other, and how that changes over time. Alternating POV’s is not always great, and I often find that authors don’t distinguish the voices enough. They end up blurring into each other, making the story somewhat confusing for the reader. For instance, I felt this problem with Shiver.

In Perfect Chemistry however, the voices of Alex and Brittany are so clearly different that not once did I stop and wonder who was who. One aspect which helped, and also made the story telling more authentic, was the Spanish phrases thrown in here and there into the POV of Alex. I loved that. It made him feel even more real. Brittany felt very real as well, and I completely bought the troubles she had, despite being rich, beautiful and the most popular girl in school.

All in all, this is a great book about a great love story where you really root for the main characters, I think I dare say as much as I rooted for Bella and Edward in Twilight. There is a sequel called Rules of Attraction, which follows Alex’s little brother Carlos in quest for happiness in his life. Apparently, this includes a great love story too. Needless to say, I am very eager to get my hands on this book!

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, book #1

Published: August 1st 2009 by Scholastic Press

Details: Hardcover, 392 pages

My rating: 3.5/5

My summary:

A sweet story about a human teenage girl who falls in love with a werewolf. The story focuses on their relationship and their time together, describing their dialogues in details, a bit like in Twilight. Not nearly as addictive as Twilight though. This relationship was almost too sweet. Still enjoyable read, especially towards the end. The sequel is Linger, out in July this year.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human … until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts:

I admit I had high expectations for this book. It was compared to Twilight with glowing reviews. I read several blogs claiming it to be even better than Twilight.

And I loved the idea with a book based on a relationship, and not any relationship, but that between a girl and a werewolf. It all seemed very romantic and promising.

So, did I love it?

No, I am truly sad to say I didn’t love it. It was not as good as Twilight. That being said, I did enjoy it. And I plan to continue the series. It was interesting, it just didn’t blow me away.

The story centers around Grace who has always been drawn to the wolves in the woods surrounding her town, in particular this one wolf with yellow eyes. One day she encounters a boy with yellow eyes on her porch. He’s wounded and she ends up taking care of him. The boy is Sam and we learn that he is in fact a werewolf, who has just now shifted into his human form.

Sam practically moves into Grace’s bedroom, without the knowledge of Grace’s parents who are for the most part of the story never really there. They end up falling in love.

Now, what I just described is the first part of the book. I should have been glued to these pages watching them falling in love.

But I wasn’t.

In fact, I found this first part to be the weaker part of the plot, and I find it hard to explain why. It was as if as soon as they met, they were in love. No growth, no obstacles, no doubts, all very lovey-dovey and sweet. Maybe that’s why I didn’t buy into it. Or maybe it was because Grace never really made an impression on me. I never really related to her as she just never stood out as a character. A bit too bland somehow. Sam has slightly more character.

But really, I find it hard to explain. I usually love reading about this type of relationship and I am not sure why this didn’t stick with me.

Their story is told with alternating POV’s, which is something I usually like too. The voices of Sam and Grace however sort of melted into one. They were too similar. A couple of times I had to double-check which POV I was reading – Sam or Grace’s. That could also be one reason why their love didn’t stick with me.

It gets better though. Stiefvater has created an interesting werewolf myth, where the cold is the factor that changes the human into wolf form. Hence, the cold is the enemy here, and the colder it gets as it nears towards winter, the harder it is for Sam to stay in his human form.

To complicate things further, Jack, a boy in school has died, or has he really? It appears as if he is seen around the woods with the other wolves, creating all sorts of problems. His sister Isabelle, is on to something and she starts questioning Grace about the nature of the wolves.

In the second part of the book, suspense is heightened, as we want to know what is going to happen. Will Sam remain in his human form? Will the secret of the wolves be revealed? What will happen to the missing, supposedly dead Jack?

In the second part of the book, I got hooked and I had a hard time leaving the book. I loved all the secondary characters, in particular Isabelle, and I’m eager to see what direction she will take in further books.

So all in all, despite the fact that it didn’t live up to my (very  high) expectations, I did enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to read the sequel Linger.

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

Series: No, stand-alone book.

Published: August 25th 1998 by Vintage

Details: Paperback, 112 pages

My rating: 4/5

Amazingly beautifully written book about a married silk trader who travels to Japan for business and falls in love with a girl. I loved the poetic language and how the story felt so complete, considering this little book is not even 120 pages long. A joy to read.

Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld, book #1

Published: September 7th 2004 by Plume

Details: Paperback, 436 pages

My rating: 1/5

My Summary:

Book written in Sidney Sheldon style but involving werewolves. Flat characters and a stupid plot that had me alternating between frowning and cringing while reading it. I could not get through the book. And I’m still baffled by all the good reviews it got.

My Review:

I have been navigating for a while in the paranormal jungle, generally avoiding the adult paranormal romance section – especially those with cheesy covers. But then, after having read a great deal of “best debut of the year!” type of reviews of Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten, I decided to give it a try (cheesy book cover or not).

I should not have bothered. It was so bad, I couldn’t finish it. And this is coming from someone who always – I mean always – finish books I’ve started. Sometimes I wonder why I need to finish books, it’s almost like a compulsive order, like I have to. Or I suppose it’s because I stay optimistic until the very end, thinking that maybe the book will redeem itself. You never know, right? Well, I’m getting sidetracked I know. Point is, me not finishing a book is an extremely bad rating.

That being said, the first chapter wasn’t that terrible. We get to know Elena, a young woman and journalist in Toronto, Canada who lives together with her wonderful boyfriend Phillip. All good there, except for the fact that Elena is a werewolf. She keeps this a secret, and tries to live a normal life as much as she can. Sometimes though, she can’t hide her werewolf instincts and shapeshifts to go for a run in the outskirts of Toronto. It’s on one of these runs that we are introduced to the story, and in that first chapter I thought the descriptions of her transformation as a werewolf  were quite well drawn.

After that chapter though it goes downhill, in terms of everything – plot, characterization, descriptions. Her werewolf pack, where she used to live contact her as they are having problems with a rough mutt (a stranger werewolf killing humans). She flies to New York to meet up with them, shaking up memories at the same time seeing as this is the first time she meets her ex-lover, the werewolf Clay. Clay was the love of her life, yet he was also the one biting her, fully knowing that she may not survive the transition. Not surprisingly, Elena views this as a betrayal. Yet, not many chapters in, she goes and have sex with him, without having second thoughts about her loving boyfriend in Toronto.

I don’t know, the whole thing just oozed stupidity. Elena’s inner monologues, and there are many of them, don’t make much sense, or are just plain boring and whiny. The werewolf world-building with only 35 male werewolves and one female wolf didn’t make much sense either – I mean 35 wolves in  the whole world – really? The dialogues seemed contrived, as if taken from a soap-opera series, and I couldn’t relate to Elena. She was trying to be all tough and witty but it just came out false sounding.

To me, this book wasn’t much better than any of the lesser Harlequin novels out there, and I honestly for my life can’t understand all the great reviews it has received. But I’ve learnt one thing and that is to be more careful regarding rave reviews, and not to forget that we all have different tastes.

Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Series: Caster Chronicles, book #1

Published: December 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Details: Hardcover, 563 pages

My rating: 2.5/5

My summary:

Tale of a human boy who meets a caster girl and falls in love. Even though well written, and funny and quirky at times (with great secondary characters), it was way too slow. And I didn’t feel the love between the main characters Ethan and Lena. I’m sorry to say it all fell flat for me and I won’t be continuing the series.

See my full review here:

Synopsis:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

My thoughts:

So I jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a copy of Beautiful Creatures, which was proclaimed to be the next Twilight.

I was hoping for another love story with paranormal elements that would blow me away. I’m sad to say that I wasn’t.  I did however like the book. It wasn’t bad, but  it was no page-turner either. In fact, I had no problem at all leaving it for a few weeks midway through, to read a couple of other books in between. Never a good sign.

The main flaw for me was that the love story did not feel real. The narrator Ethan keeps telling us how much in love he is with Lena, but I just didn’t believe it. It felt more to me that they came together because destiny had decided that. It was almost as if they didn’t really have any choice, and kind of just went along with it.

Maybe more room was needed for the romance to blossom into something real? As it was now, almost as soon as they met, weird stuff started happening and the story pretty much turned into solving the mystery of Lena’s curse, rather than of them falling in love. I don’t know, I’m just guessing here why the love story fell flat for me.

I also found the book too slow. The background of the curse of Lena’s sixteenth birthday is explained somewhere midway through the book. Then the seemingly endless wait for her birthday begins, and this wait essentially continues until the final pages. Not much happens in between – apart from lots of worrying and a fruitless search for a cure to Lena’s curse.

What I did like about the book though was the descriptions of the small town surroundings. The narrator’s voice is very likable as he describes all the people around him. The secondary characters are vivid and charming personalities and I found myself chuckle out loud quite a few times. So in that sense, I liked it, as it’s well written and witty.

But despite that, it is nowhere near comparable to Twilight. It’s definitely not as addictive, and I didn’t buy the romance. I enjoyed some parts of the book though, and some of the secondary characters, but not so much that I will continue the series.