Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr Review

Summary:


Rule 3: NEVER STARE AT INVISIBLE FAERIES.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world.


Rule 2: NEVER SPEAK TO INVISIBLE FAERIES.
One of them, a beautiful faery named Keenan, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.


Rule 1: DON'T EVER ATTRACT THEIR ATTENTION.
Now it's too late, Keenan is the summer king and is determined that Aislinn will become the summer queen at any cost. Without her, summer itself will perish...


My thoughts:


For this book I have to mention the cover: it's just exquisite. I love the colours, the image and they way it immediately makes you pick it up off the shelf.

I have to say though, I was really disappointed with this book.

To get the 'hate' side of this review over and done with, I thought this book was incredibly dry. Nothing really happened that caught my attention in any way, making reading it a really long and tedious process.

I also didn't like Keenan's character in the story. He was supposed to be a centuries old faery and yet he didn't seem like it; he seemed like an obsessed high school boy just bumbling along, blindly, throughout the whole story; he didn't seem to make any decisions for himself.

In addition to this, the plot was just too predictable for me. The moment all of the characters were introduced I could guess, straight off, what would happen at the end. It made the whole story clichéd, unoriginal and unsatisfying.

BUT! I did love the faery folklore behind the story which I think gives Wicked Lovely quite a bit of credit.

Great quotes:

And he smiled at her, truly smiled- wicked and lovely...

*** 

             You say potato; I say potahto...

             I say integrity; you say deceit. 

About the author:

Melissa has never been good at choosing just one path. After finishing high school with the dubious honor of being voted "most likely to end up in jail," she went to college and graduate school.

Eventually, she went on to bartend at a number of other weird little bars, teach lit both live and online, and discover the joy of tattoos.

After marrying someone who shares the love of ink--on the page and on the skin--Melissa began moving around the country. In the process, she discovered how vast the Mojave really is, how many incredible museums are out there, and how hard it can be to think about settling in one place. She's continued teaching along the way, but traded beer-slinging for book writing.

My Rating: 4/10

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Author: Melissa Marr

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Teaser Tuesday #11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
• Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Enchanted No More by Robert D. Owens

Random page: #395

Teaser:

So she breathed and chanted and pattered her feet. Misty and grey, they interdimension rose before her and she shuffled into the different space.

There was a quiet sigh.

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The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter Review

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)


Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her—even defy the gods.

Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear.…

My Thoughts:

I'm loving this series; I seriously can't get enough of it!

I never thought that each of these stories would be completely unique and original. Every Lord of the Underworld has a different story, different attitude to life and their circumstances and a completely different personality yet they seem to mesh so well.

I don't even know what to say anymore; I just think this story is so flawless and is one I could read over and over.

It was full of action, steamy romance and fabulous Greek mythology.

Definitely well worth the read.

Great quotes:

Legion hissed like a startled cat, the noise scraping at Reyes’s skin. “Me no boy. You think me a boy?” 

Everyone stopped, stared. Even Aeron. 

Reyes was the first to find his voice. “You’re a…girl?” 

A nod. “Me pretty.” 

“Yes, you are.” Reyes exchanged a glance with Lucien. “Beautiful."

I'm sorry...I had to throw that quote in! It makes sense in the story I promise you and had me laughing for ages!

About the author:

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”. 

My Rating: 10/10

Publisher: Harlequin books

Author: Gena Showalter

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The Good, The Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison Review

Summary:

Rachel Morgan s back, and in more trouble than ever! Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and other vampire novels won t want to miss the second novel in Kim Harrison s addicting--and already bestselling--supernatural series.

Former-bounty-hunter Rachel Morgan has it pretty good. She s left the corrupt Inderland Runner Service and started her own independent service. She s survived werewolves, shape-changing demons, bad-hair days, and sharing a church with her vampire roommate Ivy. She even has a cute (if human) boyfriend-what more could a witch want?

But living with a reformed vampire isn t all it s cracked up to be, particularly when your roommate s very bad ex-boyfriend wants her back, and wouldn t mind you in the process. And especially when he s six feet of sheer supernatural seduction, and you ve got a demon mark that makes vampires literally hotter than hell....

To save herself and Ivy, Rachel must confront the vampire master-and the dark secrets she s hidden even from herself.

I have to start off by saying that I'm so glad I decided to carry on with 'The Hollows' series after not liking Dead Witch Walking - book one in the series.

Rachel - the protagonist in the story - was so much stronger as a character than in the previous book. I did think she was stupid in the last book but now she seems to have grown up a lot since having to fend for herself.

I also still love the villain, Trent Kalamack. He's better than ever in this book and I loved his sneaky secret that was revealed thanks to Rachel's wits.

For the most part this book was quite action-packed but I found it a little hard to get into until the second half of the book.

The plot-line was flawless; so many things happened at once and all the dots were connected towards the end making it a thrilling read at times.

Great quotes:

I told you, computers are like women. If you shout at them or ask them to do too many things at once, they shut down and you won't even get a sniff

*** 

"Come work for me, and I’ll tell you.” 

My eyes went to his. “You are a thief, a cheat, a murderer, and a not-nice man,” I said calmly. “I don’t like you.” 

He shrugged, the motion making him look utterly harmless. “I’m not a thief,” he said. “And I don’t mind manipulating you into working for me when I need it.” He smiled, showing me perfect teeth. “I enjoy it, actually."

About the author:

Kim Harrison, dark urban fantasy author of the New York Times bestselling The Outlaw Demon Wails, was born and raised in the upper Midwest. After gaining her bachelors in the sciences, she moved to South Carolina, where she has remained since. She is currently developing a new young adult series between working on the Hollows books, and is a member of both the Romance Writers of America and The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. When not at her desk, she is most likely to be found chasing down good chocolate, exquisite sushi, or the ultimate dog chew. 

 My Rating: 7/10

Publisher: HarperTorch

Author: Kim Harrison

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Linger by Maggie Stiefvater Review

Summary:


I feel the weight of the pack's gaze...


Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to save the future.


But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace realises she has changed in ways she never could have expected.


I was so anxious to read Linger after the way Shiver left me reeling. I loved Shiver for the writing, for the poetic tone to it and for the intriguing plot-line.

Linger, however, didn't seem to step up from Shiver at all.

I thought that the majority of the book was rather dry and slow-going; there were parts that were as exhilarating as they were in Shiver but for the most part, Linger was lacking something I can't put my finger on.

I still loved how original the whole story was and how the writing had a certain flow to it.

I also loved the characters, especially Sam who was as serene as ever; I was amazed with his lyrics in this book; they were beautiful.

But I still kind of feel that if I hadn't read Shiver before Linger, I wouldn't have finished Linger at all. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I wanted to find out what happens - in the long run - between Sam and Grace.

The ending was definitely the best part of the book for me. It was so heartbreaking it left me shocked for a while as well as crying for about an hour!

I really can't wait for book three - Forever. It can go either way from here; either I'll love Forever or I'll hate it.

Great quotes:

"She loved all of the wolves behind her house, but she loved one of them most of all.  

And this one loved her back. He loved her back so hard that even the things that weren't special about her became special: the way she tapped her pencil on her teeth, the off-key songs she sang in the shower, how when she kissed him he knew it meant forever.  

Hers was a memory made up of snapshots: being dragged through the snow by a pack of wolves, first kiss tasting of oranges, saying good-bye behind a cracked windshield. 
A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam's smile.  

It was a life I didn't want to leave behind.  

It was a life I didn't want to forget.  

I wasn't done with it yet. There was so much more to say." 

About the author:

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki. 

My Rating: 5/10

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

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On My Wishlist (#8)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick Cityand runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I want but haven't haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

********************

It began with blood and death amid the streets of late-night Toronto. Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto's homicide detail, now a private investigator, witnessed the first attack by the force of dark magic that would soon wreak its reign of terror on the unsuspecting city. And as death followed unspeakable death, Vicki became more and more deeply enmeshed in an investigation which would see her renewing her stormy relationship with her former police partner, Mike Celluci, even as she teamed up with writer Henry Fitzroy, in a desperate attempt to track down the source of the seemingly unstoppable attacks. For Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, had knowledge of realms beyond the mortal acquired over the centuries during which he'd mastered his own insatiable needs - the life-from-death cravings of a vampire.

Henry Fitzroy had long since learned to survive without killing, learned the skills needed to blend in with the human race. But unless he, Vicki, and Mike could find the key to conquering the magic-raised menace stalking the streets of Toronto, Fitzroy's true identity might soon be exposed and his life might prove forfeit to the uncontrollable fears of humankind. And without Henry Fitzroy, mere mortals like Vicki and Mike would not long survive against the ancient force of chaos that had been loosed on their world.

********************

Savannah's most unconventional tattoo artist, Riley Poe, lives on the edge. Now she's put over the edge when her younger brother is taken by a sinister cult led by vampires. Her only ally is the hot-tempered vampire Eli Dupre, attracted to Riley's beauty and rare blood type. To save her brother from certain un-death, Riley faces dangers she's never dreamed of, ruthless bloodthirsty enemies, and an evil of endless hunger that wants to devour it all...


So that's what's on my wishlist this week; what's on yours?

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder Review

Summary:

The apprenticeship is over

Now the real test has begun

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder - able to capture and release souls - spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before.

Honour sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies and enemies. Yelena would have but one chance to prove herself - and save the land she holds dear.

After defeating an evil Soulstealer, Yelena must now once again focus on her studies. She soon discovers, however, that her kind of magic isn't very popular within the Magician's Keep.

But when there is word that Ferde - a past enemy of Yelena's is plotting to bring war to her homeland, all hell breaks loose.

Fire Study follows the story of Yelena and her small group of trustworthy allies, including her brother Leif, her lover Valek and her storyweaver Moon Man.

Although I didn't love this book as much as much as the first two in the series; I did find it to be breathtaking at parts.

Loyalty is tested in this book as Yelena and her friends face more danger than ever with a new criminal introduced and a possible future war at hand between Ixia and Sitia. 

I loved how mature this book felt compared to the last two. Yelena is figuring out what the responsibilities of her rare and dangerous gift are and what consequences may come with it.

The history of magic and it's relation to soulfinders become apparent in Fire Study. The revelation of Yelena's true purpose shocked me in all it's wonder.

Having said that, I would have loved to have read more of Valek, Ari and Janco who I adore as characters. I also would have liked to have read more about the Fire Warper (main villain in the book)...I still don't know what he was exactly - demon, human that happens to live in the fire world? I don't know!

All in all, Fire Study was a wonderful end to the Study series which is definitely one to keep coming back to.

About the author: 

Maria V. Snyder earned an MA in Popular Fiction Writing from Seton Hill University. Her freelance articles appear in magazines and newspapers, and she enjoys teaching fiction writing classes at the local college.

My Rating: 9/10

Publisher: Mira

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The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter Review

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)

She has tempted many men...but never found her equal. Until now. 

Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death--a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him. 

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining... 


I am really starting to love this series! For those of you that haven't read book one in the series, The Darkest Night, go and pick it up now! You definitely won't regret it!


The Darkest Kiss moves on to the point of view of Lucien who possesses the demon of Death.


After recently being released from a curse (I won't say what kind) Lucien finds himself meeting Anya, the minor Goddess of Anarchy.


I loved Anya's character. She brought so much fun into the series. Lot's of you know I love strong-willed and vivacious female characters in books and Anya fulfilled all of my expectations of her as a character. She challenged the Lords, Lucien most of all, rebelled against the Gods an most of all made me laugh!


Just like the first book, The Darkest Kiss, was full of action, suspense and romance.


I couldn't put it down.


About the author: 

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”. 

My Rating: 10/10

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin 

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Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong Review

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)

In the aftermath of her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals — a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance. 


I'm writing this review straight after finishing Industrial Magic so I might start rambling a bit! 


If I had any previous misconceptions about Paige's character in Dime Store Magic I'm completely over them now!


In Dime Store Magic I thought Paige was a weak character compared to Elena, but she completely came into her own in Industrial Magic .


Paige was strong as a protagonist, loyal to her friends, selfless in her actions and just generally awesome.


I loved all of the characters in this book - both new and old - and how they interacted with each other.


Lucas is just as smart ever, Lucas's father is actually starting to grow on me, Savannah was as sassy as ever, Clay has started to ease off his obsessive side (just a little) and some of the new characters introduced were absolutely hilarious.


The plot of Industrial Magic was absolutely flawless in it's perfection.


It was so action-packed and exciting that I found myself finishing the book in no time at all.


The last third of the book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was so well written and thought out that at times I was nearly gasping in shock.


I seriously can't get enough of this series and strongly recommend it to anyone!


A thoroughly enjoyable read!


About the author:

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets. 

My Rating: 10/10

Publisher: Spectra

Author: Kelley Armstrong

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Teaser Tuesday #10

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
• Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Random Page: #99

Teaser:

Lindy shrugged. "I once had a rose someone gave me. I pressed it in a book. The scent didn't last."

I stared at her, knowing the rose she meant.

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The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter Review

Summary:

His powers -- Inhuman

His passion -- Beyond immortal . . .

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . . .

The whole concept and history behind this book was amazing. I mean, cursed warriors being possessed by demons released from Pandora's box because they rebelled against the Greek Gods? Wow, just...brilliant.

Maddox - one of the protagonists of the story and a warrior inhabited by the demon violence - was brilliant. I loved his relationship with the rest of the warriors and how he never complained that he was worse off than anyone else.

Ashlyn - another protagonist who hears past conversations in her head - was perfect for Maddox. They fit so well together as a couple and as sort of wonder walls for each other and someone to lean on.

This was a read that got better and better as it went on. As new characters were introduced and their demons with them, the story became a bit more light-hearted than before and had me giggling at times. But then, right towards the end of the book I was shedding tears by the bucket load ( a slight exaggeration, of course) it was written so well.

Normally, I'm not that into the whole 'love at first sight' aspect in some romances such as 'soul mates' and the like. This one felt a little different to me though. Maybe because Ashlyn was not just attracted to Maddox's looks, sexy beast as he is, she was attracted to the silence he brought with him - Maddox silenced the voices or conversations Ashlyn hears, past and present. Ashlyn, in turn, tames the demon within Maddox, so everybody's happy right? I don't know...it just worked.

That said, I thought the warriors weren't as 'dangerous' and 'dark' as they were made out to be, mainly because they weren't given much of a chance to show it in my opinion.

About the author:

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”. 

My Rating: 8/10

Publisher: Harlequin Books

Find the author:

Website|Twitter|Goodreads