Review: Haunted by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Haunted

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #5

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: May 26th 2005

Format: Paperback - 495 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

 

 

Eve Levine - half-demon, black witch and devoted mother - has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can't be killed again - which comes in handy when you've made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn't too bad - all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter Savannah and she'll be happy.

But fate - or more exactly, the Fates - have other plans. Eve owes them a favour, and they've just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does any more damage, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy - previous hunters have been sent mad in the process. As if that's not problem enough, it turns out that the only way to stop her is with an angel's sword. And Eve's no angel...

My thoughts:

I'm a really big fan of Kelley Armstrong, and yet I hadn't gotten round to reading this one until now. Safe to say though, I loved it.

I was a little apprehensive when I read the summary of the book only to find that Eve is the protagonist in this one. She isn't exactly portrayed in the best light in the past books. I thought that maybe she would come across as she did in the previous books in the series, and in that case I wouldn't enjoy the book. I was pleasantly surprised though, she came across as a woman who is desperate to see her daughter again, desperate to help in any way she can and a woman wanting to find a purpose she didn't have before. It was a nice change of pace from the past books.

As all the past books in the series have, Haunted had an amazing plot that really kept me turning the pages. It was full of action, surprises and near misses that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There wasn't a moment in the book where I wanted to stop reading for any reason so Kelley was obviously doing something right. It was definitely a page turner, no doubt.

This series is really big on characters. There are so many different characters introduced throughout the books, and each book sometimes has a different character as the protagonist. It's for that reason that if somebody doesn't like the characters in the book, then they won't get along with the series as a whole. I honestly fell in love with Eve as soon as I started reading. She was a strong, well-rounded character with lots of flaws and yet lots of strengths at the same time. I felt for her where I was supposed to and urged her to make the right decision where it was called for. Paige, Lucas and Savannah come into play a little in this book which was all the better since I adore them all. It was great how they all had their parts in the book. 

Overall I can't really fault this book. I can't wait to read the next in the series, especially since it focuses on Elena this time who is my ultimate favourite character.

My rating: 10/10

Kelley Armstrong:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Women of the Otherworld:

1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. Thirteen

Teaser Tuesday #46

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz.

 

The police would probably find him in the end, but that didn't matter. They could put him in a secure training centre for as long as they liked… Anything, so long as it didn't involve Mrs Deverill or Lesser Malling.

page 80

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Title: Crewel

Author: Gennifer Albin

Series: Crewel World #1

Publisher: Faber and Faber

Publication date: 04/10/2012

Format: Paperback - 384 pages

Genre: YA - Science Fiction | Dystopian

 

 

An extraordinary girl.

Sixteen-year-old Adelice is a Spinster. She can weave time and matter. But no one knows just how talented she is.

A dangerous love.

Guild Ambassador Cormac Patton has taken a shine to her. The Guild demands loyalty…even in love. So Adelice's handsome, mysterious valet Jost poses a dangerous threat to her place at the Coventry.

A deadly secret.

Everyone at the Guild has their secrets. But Adelice is about to unravel the deadliest one of all, a sinister truth that could destroy reality as she knows it...

My thoughts:

This was definitely so much different to anything I've ever read before. I loved how original the story line was. It was so intricate in the details that sometimes I would have to read over paragraphs just to make sure I didn't miss anything important. I actually didn't know what to expect with this one so I picked it up with no initial thoughts as to how it would be - I went in with a completely blank slate since the premise of this book was so strange at first.

What I loved about Crewel the most was that I really had to use my imagination whilst reading it. There were parts of the book that were a little bit more complicated than the usual books I read so I would piece everything together using my imagination. It was definitely a good consequence of such an original story - it's like if you pick up a book with a vampire as the protagonist. As soon as you realise that he/she is a vampire, you immediately have some sort of image come to mind, whether it's something similar to Edward from the Twilight films or something similar to Dracula, you have that image there already. But with Crewel, you have no idea what is being described looks like - you simply dream it up and it's brilliant.

This was the kind of book that I always see to be divided into three parts. The beginning was great - the settings were being described and the characters introduced. The world of Spinsters is explained and the story starts to get interesting. But then the middle is where I had a problem. It slowed down to a big extent about halfway through the book. I actually got bored with all the explanations and training involved - it was definitely essential to the story, but I thought it could have used a little more excitement to keep me reading. The ending was something else entirely though. I wasn't expecting it so it came out of nowhere for me - I loved it. It took the book in a whole new direction.

I really enjoyed the characters. I thought Adelice had a fiery personality but was still calm and collected where she needed to be. I immediately took a liking her and her family so, of course, I was rooting for them a long while. As for the rest of the characters I really felt as if a lot of their personality was held back. I have a feeling things are going to be very different with the characters in the next book of the series - we'll have to wait and see.

All in all I thought this was a great read. It was one of the more original books I've read and that deserves a lot of credit. I can't wait for the next book in the series - it's a shame I have to wait so long with the sudden change in the story at the end. It was such a big cliffhanger.

My rating: 8/10

Gennifer Albin:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Review: Dark Life by Kat Falls

Title: Dark Life

Author: Kat Falls

Series: Dark Life #1

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication date: August 2010

Format: Paperback - 304 pages

Genre: YA - Science Fiction

 

 

When the oceans rose, entire continents were swallowed up by the rising water. Now humans live packed into high rises on small tracts of land, while those willing to forge new frontiers settle deep on the ocean floor.

Ty has lived under the sea his entire life, helping his family to farm the ocean floor. But when outlaws attack, Ty finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from topside who is looking for her missing brother, Ty ventures into the frontier's rough underworld - and discovers some very dark secrets. Secrets which threaten to destroy something...

My thoughts:

I'm still trying to get over the fact that I let this book sit on my shelf for so long.

I absolutely loved reading this one. It was wonderful in so many ways. Most of all though, the world-building in this book is breathtaking. The main settings are underwater at the bottom of the ocean - there were so many different creatures mentioned and weird technology. Houses that look like jellyfish, mini-submarines and Liquigen that allows you to breathe underwater. Who wouldn't want to read about all of that?

The characters were also wonderful. They were brilliantly written. I immediately fell in love with Ty from the get go - he was so loveable and mysterious. When I realised that the book was from a male's p.o.v I was immediately curious. I doesn't happen very often and I found myself loving the subtle difference. Gemma was also a great character. I loved how strong willed she was an yet incredibly vulnerable at the same time. 

 

The plot was pretty simple in comparison to other books I've read. However, it really didn't matter purely because the story is so original. Most of my attention was on the descriptive writing, not on what secrets I had yet to find out. When all the details were revealed I was pleasantly surprised so it wasn't too predictable. Especially towards the end. 

 

I really can't fault this one. I loved its originality, the characters and the world it's set in. I definitely need to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I can. 

 

My rating: 10/10

 

Kat Falls:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook

 

Dark Life:

1. Dark Life
2. Rip Tide

Review: Undeadly by Michele Vail

Title: Undeadly

Author: Michele Vail

Series: The Reaper Diaries #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication date: Dec 2012

Format: Paperback - 272 pages

Genre: YA - Paranormal | Mythology

 

 

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper - and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its pluses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain - Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble...

My thoughts:

This is going to be a difficult review for me to write since I have no clue how I feel about this book.

One thing I get so disappointed about in books is when I don't get on with the main character. From the beginning Molly came across as a strong and wilful character but she also came across as a right brat sometimes. I seriously found her so annoying at some points in the book that I really wanted to scream. It took all of my attention away from what was happening throughout the story - I felt like I couldn't appreciate the mythological side to the book or what was happening. 

What I really find frustrating is the fact that I think this series has so much potential. I really loved the mythology that played a part in the plot. I've never read anything based on the ancient egyptians before and as soon as it came into play, I started to really enjoy it. I also really liked some of the other, supporting characters. Rath came across as incredibly mysterious and I really want to read more of him. I'm definitely intrigued with that side of the story. 

I did, however, find the plot somewhat lacking some substance. There wasn't really anything leading up to any of the big events in the read - when something big did happen there wasn't enough suspense. Nothing came of any surprise because of that so I quickly lost interest. 

I can't really decide if I want to try my hand at the next book. On the one hand, I really want to find out what happens but on the other, Molly will have to grow up a whole lot for me to carry on. 

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Michele Vail:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

The Reaper Diaries:

1. Undeadly
2. Unchosen

Review: The Escape Diaries by Juliet Rosetti

Title: The Escape Diaries

Author: Juliet Rosetti

Publisher: Loveswept (Random House Publishing)

Publication date: Dec 10 2012

Format: Ebook - Netgalley

Genre: Adult - Romance

 

Wrongly convicted of killing her philandering husband, Mazie Maguire is three years into her life sentence when fate intervenes-in the form of a tornado. Just like that, she's on the other side of the fence, running through swamps and cornfields, big box stores and suburban subdivisions. Hoping to find out who really murdered her husband, Mazie must stay a few steps ahead of both the law and her mother-in-law, who would like nothing better than to personally administer Mazie the death penalty via lethal snickerdoodle. With the Feds in hot pursuit and the national media hyping her story, Mazie stumbles upon a vast political conspiracy and a man who might just be worth a conjugal visit-if she survives.

My thoughts:

This book is definitely one to capture your attention from the get go. It wasn't like anything I've read before - it was absolutely hilarious.

I really loved how the author made this such a light, quick and easy read. From the first page, I was sucked into the quirky and insane world of Mazie Maguire. This book is definitely the kind of read that isn't suited for everyone. I know plenty of people who would hate this kind of thing and just find it downright annoying, but I found it too bizarre to stop reading. It wasn't just funny in the sense that the characters got into hilarious situations - it was also the characters. Mazie's character just shone through in the author's writing so I fell in love with her immediately. The other thing I adored about this one was the rest of the characters. They were great - all of them were different in some way, they were all hilarious and they were all loveable. 

 

However, I was a little disappointed with the rest of the story. I felt as if I didn't really have enough time to get to know the supporting characters. Since I really liked them it was a little bit of a let down. The book was actually quite a quick read so that probably played a part - the characters didn't appear as much as I wanted throughout the read. 

 

The plot was a little predictable but I didn't really mind much as it was a really light-hearted read that was more character based than anything. The reader is supposed to get to know the protagonist and root for her the whole way since she could go to prison for the rest of her life, or walk free. Essentially, I did root for her the whole way, no matter how much I wanted to get to know the rest of the characters. I enjoyed that feeling, it's refreshing in any book.

 

For me, this was a perfect read to get a laugh out of you and get you in a good mood. Apart from that though, it wasn't exactly one to add to my favourites list. 

 

My rating: 5/10

 

 

Review: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Finale

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Hush, Hush #4

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication date: October 2012

Format: Hardcover - 464 pages

Genre: YA - Paranormal

 

 

Nora is more certain than ever that she's in love with her fallen angel, Patch, despite her Nephilim heritage making them destined to be enemies. For her, there's no turning back on him. But now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one fast trial. Old enemies and new are ranged against them, standing between them and the peace they so desperately crave. The battle lines are drawn - but which sides are they on?

My thoughts:

I am a really big fan of this series - I love everything about it. The characters, the plot lines of every book in the series and the writing. As usual I was a little anxious that this one wouldn't live up to my expectations because of how amazing the first three books are. I needn't have worried though because I thought this was a fantastic read.

Everything I loved about the past books played a big part in this one too. Especially the characters. Patch and Nora were brilliant as always. I would have liked Patch to have been more involved in the first part of the book but it wasn't big deal - it was just because I love Patch so much. Scott and Vee play a bigger part in this book which really surprised me - especially Vee. I thought they both played their part really well and were incredibly well written. 

What I loved most about this book was that it stands out on its own and not just as part of a series. I'm not a big fan of series where each book depends on the other - books that when read by someone who didn't necessarily know that it's part of a series, they don't like them because they don't have enough substance by themselves. Finale was just that little bit different to the rest of the series that it gave it a lot of depth and made it a great book by itself and not just part of the Hush, Hush series. 

Nora was a big part of what made it different in my opinion. She changed a little for the worse for reasons I won't give away. She soon gets herself out of it thought which made her seem so much more independent and tougher than ever. It just shows how far the characters have come since the first book. 

I can honestly say I have nothing bad to say about this book. Or the series as a whole for that matter. I love, love, love it! It's definitely one that I'm going to read over and over. If you haven't read this series yet, please do check it out because you won't be disappointed.

 

My rating: 10/10

 

 

Becca Fitzpatrick:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

 

Hush, Hush:

1. Hush, Hush
2. Crescendo
3. Silence
4. Finale

In My Mailbox #41

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

 

This week I got: (click on the images to take you to Goodreads).

 

 

Hereafter by Tara Hudson.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

Title: The Other Countess

Author: Eve Edwards

Series: The Lacey Chronicles #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication date: 01 Jul 2010

Format: Paperback - 352 pages

Genre: YA - Historical Fiction

 

 

Ellie - Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none more so than the handsome new Earl of Dorset...

William Lacey has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune.

Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be, Will is destines to marry a lady worthy of his status, so the only question is - which one…?

My thoughts:

This isn't the kind of read that I usually go for but I decided to give it a go and see if I enjoy the genre. I have to say my initial reaction was that I definitely have to pick up more historical fiction including the second book of The Lacey Chronicles.

 

More than anything, what impressed me about this read was the depth to the characters. They were each as flawed as the other but owned up to it and had changed in different ways by the end of the book. 

 

I fell in love with Ellie instantly. I thought she was a well-rounded character who had a lovely fierceness to her that isn't typical to this genre. Will was also just as loveable. He came across as an arrogant snob at the beginning of the book but he soon changed. It was literally as if he knew he was behaving similar to a child and was doing his best not to - he soon stopped when Ellie came into the picture though!

 

My only problem with this book was the pace of the plot. It was pretty obvious what was going to eventually happened but it seemed to take so long to do so. It was one of those reads where it divides itself into three parts. The beginning was really fast paced and great because of the introduction of all the characters. The middle, however, went on for far too long in my opinion. It resulted in me distracting myself from the book by putting it down, trying to find something else to do. I get really disappointed when that happens - it makes a 300 page read seem like 600. By the time I got close to the end I had almost given up, however, it got so much better. It was really dramatic leading up towards the end.

 

The end was something else entirely. It was so lovely purely because of the desperation of the characters beforehand in the story. It was great to read and it made me a little desperate to get my hands on the next one.

 

All in all I would recommend this read to both readers who are a fan of historical fiction and those who are anxious to try it. Give this one a go!

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 Eve Edwards:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

 

The Lacey Chronicles:

1. The Other Countess
2. The Queen's Lady
3. The Rogue's Princess

Review: Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Steel

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication date: 13 March 2012

Format: Paperback - 304 pages

Genre: YA - Paranormal 

 

 

 

 

A mysterious broken sword transports a modern teen through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past, and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as she learns about the dark magic that brought her there she forms a desperate scheme to get her home - one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain!

My thoughts:

This book had been on my wishlist for over two years before I finally decided to buy it. I just thought that the idea of going back through time to a pirate ship could turn into a really fun read and it was.

 

 

First off, I have to say I really enjoyed Vaughn's writing style. It was really simple and to the point whilst still having enough descriptive writing to keep the settings magical and interesting. It had a little of everything that a good writer has which really kept me turning the pages.

 

 

My favourite part of this book was all to do with the characters. I instantly fell in love with Jill with her fencing and frustration with herself. I loved how she changed throughout the story - she really came out of her shell and learnt to appreciate what she already had. I thought that the fact that she was a flawed character at the beginning that learnt from her experience was really refreshing - it's not done in books no way near enough anymore in my opinion. 

 

 

I also loved the other characters. I thought the villainous pirate Blane could have been included a lot more in the book since he played such a huge part in the plot - he was just mentioned a lot of the time which I wasn't really satisfied with. Cooper, Abe and Henry were absolutely adorable. I thought they, especially Henry, were so loveable that I was rooting for them the whole book. They were all well-developed and relatable so they made for a nice read.

 

 

My only problem with this book, and it is a big one, is the plot. It was so underwhelming for me. It was over so quickly so I felt like it was too easy for the characters to get what they want - there wasn't much of a struggle and there was no way near enough adventure. The only reason I kept reading was entirely because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters - I couldn't really care less what happened in terms of the plot.

 

 

Overall, I thought this was a nice read. Considering it only took me a couple of hours to read I would recommend it, especially to fans of pirates!

 

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 

 

Carrie Vaughn:

Goodreads | Website | Blog 

In My Mailbox #40

 

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

 

This week I got:

 

Happy reading everyone!