Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan (The Lynburn Legacy #2)

With her link to Jared broken, Kami is alone and scared. But like the feisty girl reporter that she is, she begins making plans to defeat the evil sorcerers now threatening to overtake her town. Finding allies is the first step and that might be harder than she thought.

I loved Unspoken so much and yet it took me a long time to get around to the sequel. I think that is partly because people keep talking about the ending on Twitter and I wasn't up for it yet. It turns out though if you are spoiled that the ending is shocking it actually makes it less shocking or at least that is what happened to me. It's the downside of following an author. Anyway, other than that I wish I had read Untold sooner. It was really good though less funny than the first book. I admire Kami for her willingness and courage to stand up to the sorcerers and there were some plot threads left open, aside from the obvious big character developments, that I can't wait to find out the answer. I also hope that (spoiler) the link between Ash and Kami is severed though how many times she can do that I don't know. I actually found that part pretty surprising. All in all, it was definitely a middle book. Now I can't wait for the finale.


*Just a note to say that this is my 1,000 post! That is just so amazing!*

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (audio)

Tana wakes up at a sundown party to find all her friends murdered by vampires. Still she manages to escape, rescuing her infected ex-boyfriend, Aiden, and a mysterious vampire boy who was chained in the room with him. From there they travel to Coldtown where all the infected and vampires are sent in the hopes of curing Aiden and saving them all.

If  you are looking for a book with real vampires, then look no further. This is a book with blood and murder and vampires and sadness. Tana has lived what is a pretty sad, reckless life after her mother was infected. So she has this tough girl persona. But all that is tested when her ex-boyfriend is infected and she thinks she might be too. She runs to Coldtown hoping to fight off the infection and go home normal even though she knows the duplicitous nature of the wannabes and the vampires that live there.

I loved this book. I thought it was so great and I don't know how so much talent lives in one person. Black did a great job of making the vampires scary and the situation tense and violent. It was so well done. I really felt for Tana as she navigated this minefield and deals not only with the idea of being infected but with Gavriel, the vampire she rescued from the party. He is definitely an interesting character and it was nice to get his backstory without it overwhelming the book. The flashbacks done on the characters were a nice touch and nothing was given that wasn't necessary to the story. I liked it all.

Christine Lakin is the narrator and I liked her as the voice of Tana. She does fine with the different characters and I liked her reading. The musical cues in the book are really fun and add a little something to the book.

12 hours

The Diviners by Libba Bray (audio)

I swear Libba Bray gets better with each book that she writes. The Diviners is a brilliant book. It not only has a mystery written in but it deftly sets up the next book but not in a frustrating way.  There are a lot of elements and characters but the main focus is Evie O'Neill and the Pinnacle Killer. After Evie makes a mistake in her hometown her parents send her to Manhattan to live with her uncle Will, the curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult (AKA "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies") and his assistant Jericho. There she revels in the New York City life. But when someone is killed in a particularly gruesome fashion and the body left with occult symbols, Will is pulled into the case by the police and Evie cannot help herself and gets involved as well.

It's easy to see the vast amount of research that Bray must have put into this book. From the slang to locale to the speakeasies, she covers one of my favorite historical time periods, the 1920s. And then she adds a creepy murder/ghost story to the mix and everything is jake. I will have the little song the murderer sings as he gets to work haunting me for a long time. That's not a good thing but it shows how expertly these details are woven into the story.

Evie is a brat for a good portion of this book. She is very self-centered and comes off as uncaring about other people's feelings. While it was nice to have a strong female character, one is less of an asshole to everyone else would be nice. But it gives Evie room to grow. I love the romance that develops as it happens naturally but I wonder if a love triangle is planned because while Evie develops feelings for one boy, I developed feelings for another. I'm curious to see how it plays out. 

The other characters who are minor in this book are interesting as well. I expect that they will become more major as the series plays out. Memphis Campbell and Theta Knight are my favorites. They both have such sad back stories. I can't wait to find out what happens to them next especially given that so much of their characters haven't been fully explored. There is actually a lot that needs to be explained. But it didn't feel unfinished like so many cliffhangers do. It just feels like there is so much more to learn.

18 hours

Read by January LaVoy who does a great job voicing all the characters though her Will and Jericho don't deviate too much from each other. And she only seems to have one child voice. But she still does a great job of acting out the story and I liked her reading of it.

"Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones."

Department 19 by Will Hill

Jamie Carpenter watches as his father is gunned down by mysterious government agents.  Two years later he is an outcast in society for his father's supposed crime.  But when his mother is kidnapped by a mysterious and dangerous creature, Jamie is brought into the Loop where the vampire hunters work for the government in Department 19.  It's up to Jamie to find his mother before the oldest living vampire does the unthinkable.  

Confession: I've never read Dracula.  It was just never high on my list of things to read.  And that story figures heavy into this story.  Despite my lack of Dracula literature reading, I still got the gist of the story and the background of some of the characters.  In this novel, Dracula is dead, killed like in the original story, but he turned three brothers into vampires and they are the oldest living vampires.  They are brutal and vicious and they are creating an army of other vampires.  The second oldest, Alexandru, kidnaps Jamie's mother, leading Jamie to hunt for his mother.  Jamie is taken by Department 19, a secret government agency founded by original slayers of Dracula, to hide him.  But Jamie only wants to find his mother.  Aided by Frankenstein (the monster), Jamie becomes immersed in the world of the supernatural, determined to find his mother and figure out what really happened to his father.

There is a lot going on in this book and I suppose part of that is a trilogy.  There is the mystery of Jamie's father, and why his mother was taken.  And there is something going on with the vampire brothers.  It's not confusing when you're reading it but when thinking about it, I can only hope that more is answered in the next book.  I enjoyed it though and I liked the characters.  I found Jamie a bit abrasive and there was a lot of yelling (I can't help noticing when a verb is overused), but it is all understandable.  It is on the gory side so if you are squeamish, be forewarned.  Mostly it is vampires exploding and lots and lots of blood.  But it didn't bother me too much.   enjoyed the alternating historical chapters and thought they were a nice touch.  There are definitely a quite a few stick with it images.  I'm curious to see where all of this is going.

Won from LibraryThing
Off the Shelf
350 Page

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Evie works for IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency)  bagging and tagging paranormals and wishing she was a normal girl herself.  But when the paranormals start dying, the mystery of who and what Evie becomes all too important.

Just as he reached for my neck, I tased him. I was there to bag and tag, not to kill. Besides, if I had to carry separate weapons for every paranormal I took out, I'd be dragging around a full luggage set. Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine's pink with rhinestones. Tasey and I have had a lot of good times together.

I liked Evie's sarcastic tone and her naivete.  She was kick-ass without being too in-your-face tough.  This was a fun book and I really enjoyed it.  I was a little frustrated by the fact that no one would answer a darn question in a straightforward manner, but still it was interesting, uncovering the secret of Evie and Vivian.  Thought not too much of the secret, I assume, since this is still a series and there is more to the story than what is in this book.  It was nice that the book didn't end on too much of cliffhanger.  I hate that.  It could almost be a standalone if necessary. 

Lend is my favorite boy of the moment.  Who could be more perfect and more perfect for Evie?  Sigh.  No one.  He is awesome and so is his family.   I loved that part of the book.  And I loved the chemistry between Evie and Lend.  I can't wait to read more about them.

8 hours, 40 minutes

Emily Eiden is the narrator and she does a great job of capturing the sacrastic nature of Evie and the sweetness of Lend.  I liked her voices for all the characters.  Her pacing was pretty much just great and she has a wonderful voice.  I really liked her and would definitely listen to something else read by her.

Whisper in my Ear

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

When Ari goes searching for her mother it leads her to New 2, the city formally known as New Orleans, now a washed out shadow of itself after two hurricanes devastated the area.  There she finds all manner of people and she begins to learn about the curse that has taken the life of her mother and so many before her.

I'd just killed a man - my fingers flexed on the hilt of the blade - with a goddamn miniature sword.
Family time with the Sandersons never covered this.  p.22

The good: New Orleans, baby!  It was fun reading a book and knowing all the places the author was describing.  From Covington and Mandeville (where my in-laws live) to the drive across the Causeway to the Garden District and the French Quarter, I know it all and I love it in a book.  Especially a book about New Orleans basically existing outside of the United States and being truly its own place. The atmosphere was just right for a book about paranormal creatures because what better place than New Orleans.  Ari is a pretty kickass character though she jumps to conclusions too quickly and is always ready to just leave when she doesn't like how things are going.  Sebastian too is pretty awesome and definitely a worthy boy for Ari.  I think Violet, a mysterious little girl, might be my favorite character.  Something about her intrigues me.

The bad: My problem with this book is that it reads like an adult writer writing a young adult book.  While I'm not opposed to language in a book (I rarely mention it in a review) this cursing felt forced in places.  Some of the characters who used curse words just seemed wrong saying them.  It was odd.  And I felt like it pulled me out of the book and made me contemplate whether or not such a character would really say that. I also felt like the author just threw every supernatural or paranormal creature at the book hoping something would stick. I was initially disappointed by the reveal of the main antagonist and who Ari turns out to be.  It just felt random.  But I can see it working too so maybe I withhold judgement on that point.

Overbite (Insatiable #2) by Meg Cabot

Meena Harper is now working for the super secret Palatine Guard using her psychic abilities to keep its employees safe.  But when her ex-boyfriend, the prince of darkness and vampire king, Lucien reappears, she knows her life is about to get crazy again.  Something is going on in New York and within the Palatine Guard itself and Meena is right in the middle of the whole thing ... again.

And true, their relationship had gone from amazing to unmitigated disaster in record time because he'd kept biting her.  And then the members of his family kept trying to do the same.  And now vampires all over the world seemed to think of Meena's blood as a refreshing pick-me-up, like Dr. Pepper.  p.30

Another fun book from Meg Cabot and I'm guessing the last book in this series which is fine.  Meena is not very good at keeping in control of her life and she seems to attract the Alpha Male types, like Lucien and Alaric, neither of whom I liked very much.  Both of them rankled my nerves and I have a hard time believing someone as generous and kind as Meena would ever really love either of them.  But I am obviously wrong and, also, not the writer of these characters, because for some reason she does love them both.  So there is the kinda sorta love triangle, only not really because Lucien is a giant ass through the whole book and even Meena had to recognize this at some point.

I thought the mystery of who was turning everyone Meena knows into vampires was very good.  The perpetrator was a little obvious, but it still worked as far as mysteries goes. The book moved at a pretty good clip so there wasn't a lot of down time and Meena and her crew  have to work very fast to figure things out.  There were some funny moments as per any Meg Cabot book and I love Meena's brother who provides the most comedic relief.  The POV switched around so the reader gets a little bit of each person and the story unravels in a more whole manner.  It was a cute and funny story and definitely not the standard vampire story going around these days.  It's more old school than new school and I don't mind that at all. 

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior & Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer (e-books) by Maureen McGowen

"Thanks, but I don't need saving.  Really." She did need saving, but she planned to save herself.  p.97 e-book

A fractured fairy tale with a twist.  In this "choose your own plot" adventure, Cinderella is held prisoner by her evil wizard stepmother and made to be a servant in her own house.  She secretly begins practicing ninja skills and testing her magic abilities.  But a visit from a mysterious servant from the royal house starts a chain of events for Cinderella and her escape.

I loved Choose Your Adventure books when I was young and I love fractured fairy tales so this book seemed right up my alley.  I did like it.  It was very fun though I wouldn't so much call Cinderella a "ninja warrior" as much as a really amazing fighter.  The language felt too modern for the setting but that is my only real complaint.  It was an action packed adventure something you don't see a lot in fairy tales and, though I had a hard time picturing the fighting, it was still exciting.  The choose your own direction part was neat and though I didn't go through all of the possibilities, I will one day.

Hogwarts: History of Magic
E-book

The girl's first instinct had been to go for her stake, rather than sounding the alarm to bring help.  She admired Lucette's instinct to act, rather than relying on others to save her.  This girl had potential. p.306 e-book

Another twisted fairy tale with a "choose your own adventure" plot.  This one was also fun.  I love how the curse came from the neighboring vampire queen rather than an evil fairy queen and how the curse changed as well.  Lucette, Sleeping Beauty, is cursed to prick her finger at 16 and to fall asleep during daylight hours, but then wake during the night while everyone else sleeps.  So she essentially alone at night with the vampires.  But she learns to fight, much to her dad's displeasure, and becomes a vampire slayer. 
Once again I didn't go through all the choices, but I am definitely going to go through them soon.

Hogwarts:  Care of Magical Creatures
E-book


Both provided by NetGalley

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group (e-book) by Catherine Jinks

Toby is just a kid, playing around with his friends and causing trouble.  Then one night he wakes up in the dingo pen at the zoo and suddenly things have changed, especially after a priest and a shaggy-haired man show up on his doorstep claiming he is a werewolf.

This is a sequel of sorts to The Reformed Vampire Support Group which I read last year in that it continues some of the story from that book with no resolution at this one either.  I'm guessing there will be another one.  About what I don't know.  But anyway, it is not strictly necessary to have read Reformed Vampire, but it makes more sense if you have.  It took me a minute to remember who Reuben was and the whole plot of the Vampire book.  This was a fun adventure, much more action adventure than the previous book.  I guess because werewolves are much more robust than vampires.  Jinks certainly does not let up in this book once it gets started.  The first half was slow and I was getting tired of Toby and his friends, but then the location changes and I sped through the rest ready to find out what happens next.  While lacking wholly sympathetic characters, because even Toby is enough to wear a person out, it was still a decent book.  I found a few funny moments, but it is also very rough and tumble, much like a werewolf.  I was happy to see the vampires and I look forward to reading how the over-arcing story pans out.

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: April 14, 2011

Hogwarts: Transfiguration
ABC
E-book
350 Pages

Once in a Full Moon (e-book) by Ellen Schreiber

From Goodreads:
Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.
 Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.
Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon. 

Plot: Standard werewolf love story.  The only good thing about this book is that the concept is at least well thought out.

Writing:  Show, don't tell is something Schrieber needs to learn.  This book is all telling and I mean all. 

Characters: Clichéd.  And maddening.  Celeste made me want to shake her & everyone else made me want to punch them.  They were all so ridiculous especially her friends.

Love Story:  Sudden.  Suddenly Celeste develops an obsession with Brandon for saving her.  This is acceptable and even realistic.  Her "falling in love" with him was stupid because they barely had a conversation.  All of it was dumb.

Overall:  I've never read the Vampire Kisses series by Schreiber and I never will because this book read like a poorly written fan-fic.  I guess at least it was readable enough to get though it so that might count for something.

E-ARC from Netgalley 
Hogwarts: Transfiguration
E-Book
What's in a Name

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

This Eclipse novella shows the other side of the the Eclipse battle between Edward's family and the army of newborn vampires created by Victoria as part of her revenge scheme for the loss of her love at the hands of Edward.

It took me a long time to get around to this novella.  I sort of lost interest in Twilight after Breaking Dawn, a book with which I have a whole lot of issues.  But I figured I might as well read this for the November Novella challenge.  It was a fun, fast read.  Kind of interesting to see how Victoria and Riley created and trained the newborn army and the battle from the other side.  It provides a little more motivation for the Volturi in Breaking Dawn and, of course, we get to meet the vampire that Carlisle tried to save.  Bree is a sweet, some what innocent girl and it is sort of tragic reading about her already knowing her fate.  The "romance" was too short to really make me care and I really only interested in what was going on elsewhere.  The character that I wish we would have had more on was Fred, but he provided an interesting idea to the series.  So all in all, it wasn't bad.

Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts
November Novella
Library

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Avery Hood is discovered one night, covered in her parent's blood after they are murdered.  She can't remember much about that night except for flashes of silver.  Now living with her grandmother, she longs to remember what happened to her parents.  But something dark and evil is evading the woods around her house and it's after Avery too.

But now I realized I hadn't understood longing at all.  It wasn't about hope.   It was about want, pure and simple.
p.55 ARC

Y'all, this book is super creepy.  From the very first moment when Avery is found covered head to toe with her parent's blood next to their mutilated bodies all the way to the very surprising ending.  Creepy.  It really kept me guessing and gave me the shivers.  It managed to evoke a quiet, chilling atmosphere while providing an interesting murder mystery and a few paranormal elements.  It was well-written and the main characters were well fleshed out.

I really liked this book.  I would have loved it though if it didn't include the supernatural element that was Ben, the new boy at school.  I mean Ben the character was fine and his connection thing with Avery was actually fine.  It provided a necessary though mostly unexplained reason for his character.  It's what Ben is that bothered me.  It seemed unnecessary though I suppose plot-wise it actually was necessary.  I just wish it had been different.  But I liked the supernatural aspect of Avery and thought it was pretty neat and different.  Can't win them all.


Sidenote: I bet the real book is beautiful.  The ARC has a little bit of what I think the whole book will be, with red at each chapter break and it is gorgeous.   I'll have to pick up a regular copy to see.

Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts
R.I.P. (mystery)

Virals (#1) by Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan (grand-niece of Temperance Brennan) lives on a secluded island where her father works for a university research center.  She is friends with four boys her age who also live on the island.  After finding some mysterious dog tags on the research island, Tory and her friends get caught in the mystery of a girl's mysterious disappearance 40 years ago and also discover an illegal experiment that transforms Tory and her friends into something more than human.

     Shelton was right.  Things had gotten insane.  For a moment, I wondered if life would ever be normal again.
     No.  We'd been changed at some fundamental level.  There was no going back. p.426 ARC

Having never read anything by Kathy Riechs I wasn't sure how Virals was going to read.  I think that it is fairly evident that an adult writer is trying for a young adult audience.  However, I can't find any fault with that.  A few reviews I read complained that it felt dumbed down, but it didn't to me.  There was a lot of science involved and it was written for someone who doesn't understand science (like me).  I appreciated that.

I really enjoyed the mystery part of the book.  That was my favorite since I am a big mystery fan.  It was a little Nancy Drew mixed with Bones (of course).  Tory is such an awesome, smart character that I loved her.  I liked how all the kids are thrown together by little more than proximity and they become friends even with their distinct personalities and backgrounds.  Each of the "Virals" is well characterized and thought out.

The paranormal aspect is fun, very sciency though it wasn't my favorite part of the book.  But it is cool to have an almost reasonable explanation for the thing that happens to Tory and her friends.  And the abilities they gain come in handy.  I'm curious to see where this series is going to lead.  Hopefully to a lot more mysteries.

Hogwarts: Transfiguration

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

The March sisters are hunters, after the werewolves responsible for the death of their grandmother and unsuspecting girls everywhere.  Scarlett is consumed by it, having face down a werewolf when she was 12, determined to kill them all and to protect her sister.  Rosie longs for a normal life but knows she owes her current life to her sister and continues on with the hunt.  But when Rosie reaches out for a more normal life, will her sister stand in her way?

I like libraries.  It's a comfort that knowledge can be saved for so long.  That what we learn can be passed on.  p.107

This is a kick ass book in more ways than one.  It was like Buffy/Underworld awesome.  I hadn't anticipated the level of violence but it is on par with The Hunger Games or Rampant.  That stuff doesn't bother me but just a warning if it bothers you.  Sisters Red is, of course, a Red Riding Hood fractured fairy tale.  It's an interesting Buffy-esque take on the tale, but that really lends itself to kick ass heroines and bad ass wolves.  There are some genuine laugh out loud moments combined with all the fighting action.  And, as a librarian, I really appreciated how much the March sisters like the library.  Very very cool.

*Possibly spoilery*
The characters were both strong and sad.  I really felt sorry for both Rosie and Scarlett, having face down a werewolf at a young age and surviving with the burning desire to kill them all.  Scarlett was so driven, both obsessed with the hunt and, to a degree, what her life would have been like otherwise.  I think she was the most complex of all the characters.  Rosie, on the other hand, was the more sympathetic.  She longed for something different, but had a hard time reconciling that longing with the idea that she owed her sister her life.  There were a few moments I wanted to shake them both, but I know they can kick my butt so I refrained.  Seriously. 

Hogwarts: Care of Magical Creatures
YA
Library
Colorful Reading

Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader

Flannery Lane was found on a doorstep and raised by the town wizard.  Despite being very powerful magic-wise herself, her adopted uncle stops her from doing magic.  But Flannery cannot accept that especially when her uncle becomes ill and a vampire comes to town.

She sighed and led him to the bookshelves, thinking that the sooner he began his research, the sooner she would be able to stop talking.  And sniffing him.  p.164

Here I was wishing for just a regular old vampire story and I get two in one week.  First Insatiable and now Nocturne.  Nocturne leans more towards high fantasy than vampire though.  Mostly it is about a world where magic is common and everyday and all the magic creatures of legend exist, werewolves, brownies, vampires and the like.  The vampires just are, they are not the point so that was refreshing for a change.  It was also refreshing to have a head strong, capable heroine who doesn't immediately fall in love and get all stupid.  Flannery is very powerful and knows it.  She just been caged in by her uncle's worries and his need to keep her safe.  But when she decides to take ownership of her powers, then the story really kicks in.  Nocturne is a quick, fun read that borrows more from Diana Wynne Jones than Stephanie Meyer and her ilk.

Provided by Traveling ARC Tours
Hogwarts: History of Magic
YA

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Meena Harper doesn't believe in vampires, but now she has to write about them for the soap opera she works for.  Then at her next door neighbor's party she meets Lucien and finds herself in the middle of an actual vampire war!

...even if vampires were stupid  Especially American vampires.  They hung out in places Alaric himself would never have gone, especially if he were immortal.  Such as high school.  And Walmart.   p.28

As much as I love Meg Cabot's young adult books, I really love her adult books.  The characters are much more rounded and usually don't make me feel like shaking anyone.  Meena is pretty well just awesome.  She has the power to see when a person is going to die and so that makes her much more sympathetic to others.  She is very relatable, with her frustrations with her job and her relationships.  I really liked her and her brother and her neighbors.  I was less than infatuated with Lucien and the vampire slayer, Alaric.  Alaric, in particular, was my least favorite character.

I thought the story was fun and fresh and enjoyed all the digs at the current vampire trend.  I like that the vampires were real vampires, teeth and seduction and blood drinking, and were unapologetic about it.  Meena's gift adds another great element to the story and I hope that this is the beginning of a series.  If it's not, then the story stands very well on its own.  But I'd like to hear more about Meena and her new adventures.

Hogwarts: Divination
Library

13 to Life

Jessica has been having a hard time lately.  And now she has to show around the annoying new kid, Pietr.  But as dislike turns into something more, Jessica must contend with a best friend's crush on him, his unusual family and his dangerous secret.

I'd read enough romance books parading as paranormals to have stumbled across dozens of descriptions of roguish smiles.  They all paled in comparison to the dangerous twist of Max's lips. p.59 ARC

13 thoughts about 13 to Life:

1. Wow. I've been reading a lot of werewolf books lately.  It must be some sort of theme month for me or something.  Anyway, it was nice to read a more straightforward take on werewolves.  I mean I don't mind alternate takes or anything but this was more traditional which was nice.

2.  This was a very genre-savvy book.  It had a lot of little moments in it that made it obvious that the characters knew how to plan in this type of books. (Don't click on that link until you've finished reading this.  Also sorry.)

3.  It was also very meta, commenting on paranormal books in general especially on vampire books.

4.  This is very much a Team Jacob book.  Because the werewolves are hot and Pietr gets the girl.  Of course, there are no vampires but still.

5.  Jessica is a pretty great girl.  She is tough and sweet and can take care of herself.  She is also so sarcastic and funny which I love.  I love that her default is to make a joke because that's my default too. 

6.  I love Pietr.  I'm not one to go around falling in love with fictional characters, but I really like him.  He is never mean and moody like a lot of YA heroes are right now.  He is very cool and pretty open.  Also werewolf.

7.  Jessica has a lot of friends and she stays pretty close to them.  So much lately the heroine falls in love with the guy and then you never see her friends anymore.  Not with Jessica.  Her friend Amy is really a true friend and I was glad to see her stick around.

8.  I wasn't too sure about the subplot with Sarah.  I won't give that away, but it was odd.  I think I understood it, but at the same time I wanted to shake Jessica for remaining friends with her.  I hope that Sarah plays nice for the rest of the series thought I doubt it.

9.  I was not a fan of the Derek crush thing though it was nice to see Jessica have other interests.  I don't know, he just seemed like a jerk.

10. Jessica's family is too cool.  I liked her dad and that he took an interest in her and there were consequences for her actions.  There are so many absentee parents in books now.  I was glad to see a great dad.  Her sister was funny and annoying as little sisters are sometimes. 

11.  The Russian mafia subplot was interesting.  I'm not sure what was going on there, but at least it wasn't out of the blue.


12.  There were a whole lot of unanswered question at the end of this book.  Like of Lost portions and that is too many.  I was not happy that some things were just left open, but I guess the next book will answer some of them.


13. As a book it was pretty good though I was less than pleased with the ending.  I hate abrupt endings with a passion and normally this makes me hate the book.  It's a sign of how much I liked it that I still like this book.  I just wished it wasn't such a cliff-hanger.


From Library Thing's Early Reviewers
Hogwarts: Care of Magical Creatures
YA

Frost Moon (e-book)

Dokota Frost is a not just a tattoo artist, she's a magical tattooist.  Able to tattoo images that look alive, she is one of the best in her field.  But when she is commissioned to tattoo a werewolves and at the same time is drawn into a police investigation involving a serial killer who is cutting magical tattoos off of his victim while they are alive, her life gets a lot more dangerous.

"I find myself less and less enamored of were-whatevers," I muttered, cracking my neck where the collar had kinked it in my sleep." (p.111 e-book)

This is not my normal type of book, but when I won it from Library Thing's Early Reviewers I thought what the heck.  I found that I really enjoyed it.  It's an alternate world Dakota lives in, filled with magic and mystery.  I like the idea of the magical tattoo and the skindancing that makes them come alive.  Dakota is very cool, very badass, and very nice.  She genuinely cares for people and their situations.  She gets into a lot of trouble trying to help a werewolve out and that leads down a dark path for everyone.  Some of it was very tongue-in-cheek and there were some funny moments.  It was alternately horrifying, sweet, cheesy, funny, kick-ass, and magical.  Fans of this genre will enjoy this series. 

My only problem was the writing was a little too loose in some places and the ending was a little too pat, too summed up.  I know it is a series so maybe a little should have been left for the next book.  The other thing that bothered me was the introduction of so many characters into one book.  Again I assume for the series, but it was a bit much.


Won from Library Thing's EarlyReviewer
Hogwarts: A History of Magic
E-book
GLBT Challenge (main character is bi)
Twenty Ten

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

Nina and her support group are vampires. But not glamorous Hollywood vampires or anything. In fact being a vampire sucks with the nausea, the bleeding and the vomiting not to mention the physical weakness. So week after week, they meet to discuss their vampy problems and the temptations of human blood. But when one of them is slayed, Nina and her friend Dave enlist the others to find out who staked him, just in case they are coming for the rest of them.

And although I manage to get by, it's not as if my books are runaway bestsellers. I mean, it's not as if I'm Stephenie Meyer, or anything.  p.74

I've tried to read Catherine Jinks before and I couldn't get into Evil Genius. But this one is so good. It is a very different kind of vampire that Jinks has invented. Sure they can be killed by the conventional methods: sunlight, stakes, beheading. But that's about all these vampires have in common with the stereotypical vampire. In this book, the vampire are weak, fragile things prone to headaches, nausea & vomiting, hemorrhaging among other things. Vampirism is a disease and when you are bitten, you become infected (much like Peeps) only there are no superpowers that come along. So Nina and her group shuffle along during the night and "sleep" during the day with nothing to do but complain. Nina writes vampire novels and her main character is more along the lines of an Edward (or rather Alice) than a Nina. As much as I like the superpowered vampire, I also like this version too. It was a funny book and I laughed out loud several times. The image of these weak vampires trying to do anything more than lift a book was funny. They whine and complain a lot, but finally become pro-active when one of them is staked. And it's not even someone they like, but they are afraid this so called "slayer" will hunt them down next.

This book is also different since all the vampires are different ages. There's Nina who was "fanged" at 15, Dave 17, Bridget who's elderly, and the rest are all middle-aged so there's no super sexy 25 year old vampire. Nina talks about looking like she's 15 forever and how that effects her and how people treat her. It would be difficult looking that young forever. I wondered too what she was going to do when her mum died. Her mother is 76 (Nina's technically 51) so she still lives with her, but what will Nina do when her mother is gone. It's not discussed in the book, but I was thinking about it considering how much her mum does for her.

So anyway, not to sound all Reading Rainbow or anything, read if you like vampires or even if you don't. I'm pretty sure it's good either way.

The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1)

Chloe is a typical teen. Her mother died when she was young and her father is always absent. When she is fifteen, she sees a ghost at her school and is sent to a group home for teens with mental problems. There she learns the secret of her powers and is introduced to the dangers of having her abilities. With a home of teens with some suspicious problems, Chloe must figure out what is going on.

Warning: the following contains spoilers and is slightly PG-13. It's possible I could offend someone, I'm just saying.

First of all, I'd like to say that I did like this book and it was a fast read. The following will not convey that message at all but I did. Everyone else liked this book and had no complaints.

However, I call bullshit. The ending was ri-dic-u-lous. Yes, it was slightly shocking when her aunt turns in her in but not really. I'm also getting tired of "cliffhanger" endings. It seems everyone is doing that these days. Also who didn't figure out that everyone there was going to have powers of some kind and that the adults knew about the teens? If you didn't then you've never read this kind of book before. In fact it was pretty formulaic. Even Derek turning into a werewolf, I mean please. When he started having a fever, I was like Does he have a fever of a hundred and werewolf (shoutout) or what? and he did. I saw that coming before that anyway since his muscles were involuntarily rippling and he had "extra" abilities. I am a little suspicious of Simon and Rae. Someone there is up to no good, mark it.

I will admit that parts of it did give me the shivers especially when she is locked in that crawlspace. That just creeped me out although it did give me a Sabriel flashback so whatever. The real problem is the whole I have powers! no I don't! thing that Chloe goes through. It's in every freaking fantasy book now. Find. something. new. In fact, it reminded me of the Maximum Ride series crossed with the Old Kingdom series with a little Twilight for good measure. At least it wasn't about fairies.

See I told you it would sound like I didn't like it. Let me say something positive about it. It was well written and I liked Chloe. She was very feisty and it was cute how she tried to frame everything like it was movie. I don't trust the character Simon for some reason like I said but I liked Derek. He was a nice change from the normal flawless beautiful hero. The world building could use some work but then it is a series so there is time for that. I'm probably read the next one, but it's not on the top of my list or anything.