Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published: 24th April 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and publisher

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. - From Goodreads

I had heard very little about this book and had blown it off as "just another vampire story". The reason I decided to read the book was Julie Kagawa. I have not read the Iron Fey series, it is one of those series I keep meaning to read, but I have heard so many good things about them. So with this series under her belt, I was hoping that Julie Kagawa would bring something different to the genre.

Allie lives in a future where society as we know it has totally broken down. A plague known as Red Lung has killed a massive number of humans, and in the search for a cure rabids were born. Now humans live in Vampire Cities protected from the rabids in walled cities, but there is a cost. Registered humans get food, but are kept as pets and willing blood donors. Allie is unregistered and this means that every day for her has been about surviving. Her whole world is turned on it's head when she is turned into a vampire and sent out to fend for herself.

I like Allie, she is quite a closed off character and at the start of the story when she was scavenging for survival I found her a little difficult to relate to. I began to warm to her, the internal struggles she had while discovering herself as a vampire were well written and made me like her even more. There are a number of other characters in the book that appear and then disappear. I liked Zeke, he made a great counterpart to Allie. All of the characters she encounters on her journey, from a human surviving in New Covington and on to a Vampire searching for Eden, were great. Don't get too attached to anyone though, this is an apocalyptic vampire book after all! 

We are all quite familiar by this point and some of them were beginning to feel really familiar. However the pairing of a broken society run, in the most part, by vampires made an interesting read. The story is a journey and there were a couple of times when the pace felt a little slow, but I always wanted to know what was coming next. The book is split into parts and these felt like they were well defined sections and I really enjoyed the change in tone or feeling that a new section brought.

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing I had a problem with was the cover. From the start we are told that Allie is a short Asian girl, but this does not fit with the girl on the cover. Details like this are a little annoying, how hard would it have been to find a model that looked like the description of Allie? Putting this aside, I will be reading the next book in the series, I need to know where Allie will be going from there!

Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Title: Spellbound
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Published: 21st June 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Spellbound #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?
Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else. - From Goodreads

I was not blown away by the cover for this book, and I admit that it took me a while to getting round to reading it and clearing it out of my TBR pile. I picked it up when I received the second in the series from NetGalley! This book was not what I was expecting and in my mind it morphed during my reading of it from a romance to a paranormal romance.

Emma has moved in with her Aunt Christine in New York. After losing both her twin brother and her mother in the space of a year her alcoholic stepfather almost kills her in a car accident. It is at this point that Emma realised that she probably needs to be in a more stable environment. When she starts at the prestigious Upper East side school she meets Brendan, a mysterious guy she can't stop thinking about. As the school year progresses and Emma makes both friends and enemies and finds out that there may be more between her and Brendan than she first thought.

I liked Emma, she is a sweet, funny and strong character who does not dwell on her crappy past. There was the occasional niggle in the back of my mind that if it had been me that lost a twin and my mum that I might be a little more upset, but Emma just gets on with her life. Emma has a quick wit, that I often wish I had myself, coming back with brilliant one liners that often made her extra enemies. Brendan to me felt a little two dimensional. I don't think we get a good sense of Brandon and to an extent he feels a bit like an add on character. Now this is not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy the scenes with him and Emma, I did, I just wish we knew more about him!

The rest of the characters were your standard characters for a YA paranormal romance. We had the cool and kooky aunt; the sweet and goofy younger cousin; the gay best friend; the bitchy blonde mean girl; the witchy best friend; and the douchey jock! Even though these characters were nothing new and we have seen them in books a thousand times before I liked reading them and thought they added to the story to make it richer and more enjoyable.

The story itself was a star crossed lovers type of story with a centuries old curse which would cause Emma's death if Emma and Brendan were together (not like that, just together! Tut-tut!). There was flash backs to the origin of the curse, for me this lasted a bit too long and I wanted to get back to the main story and find out what would happen next.

I liked this story. It started out a bit like a contemporary romance as there was practically no paranormal activity until a good way into the book and even then the paranormal takes a back seat to the romance in this story. I would be happy for this story to stop at the end of the book. I don't feel we were left with any cliffhangers, however this is part of a series and even though I feel no need to pick up the next book,  I will to see how the story continues next.

Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Title: Croak
Author: Gina Damico
Published: 20th March 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Series: Croak #1
Source: eArc thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in? - From Goodreads

I was a massive fan of the Series Dead Like Me and I felt hollow and alone when it finished, not to worry though this new series of books looks like it might just be the ticket to fill the void. I have always thought the idea of being a teen reaper was cool so I was eager to jump right in and get started!!

Lex has become a problem child in the last couple of years. After punching out another pupil at school her parents decide that the best course of action is to send Lex to stay with her uncle Mort to "work on his farm". As soon as Lex arrives in Croak she finds out that her uncle Mort is not really a farmer, but is actually a grim reaper. Soon Lex starts to learn the trade and finally find a place where she fits in, but is what she is doing right and is Lex prepared to stay in Croak indefinitely?

Lexington or Lex for short makes bad decisions and has a very short temper. I really enjoyed this about her, she did not back down from a fight and when it came to dealing with her partner Driggs she held her own. At one point this did result in both of them having a black eye, but I thought this was really funny! I enjoyed Lex as a character and how she interacted with others, that may be because I could be difficult myself as a teen. Driggs was similar to Lex in that he is a headstrong character who often does or says the wrong thing, I thought they complimented each other well and that made for a good read.

The other cast of characters in this book were also complimentary to the story and I liked how they all worked together in this unusual town. The characters I felt we didn't get a chance to know very well were Lex's twin sister and her parents. They always felt like they were on the edge of Lex's life, even during the times she was at home and this made it a little difficult to understand their actions.

I really liked this book and I enjoyed the exploration of the themes of good and evil. When the reapers take a soul and can see a murderer standing by, should the reapers do something or should they just leave the situation. Lex struggles with this concept for the whole book and to what extent she should get involved, but there is always humour to keep the story fun and engaging. Also the details describing the town of Croak were well written with nice details and touches to make the town come alive for me.

I really liked the story in this book and I finished it really quickly. I can't wait to pick up the next in the series and see what happens next for the reapers.

Review: The Ghost and The Goth by Stacey Kade

Title: The Ghost and The Goth
Author: Stacey Kade
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Published: 29th June 2010
Series: The Ghost and The Goth #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation? - From Goodreads

I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up, I just thought the title was cute and the cover adorable. So I was so surprised when I started reading this and found I couldn't put it down. It was not a story I had come across before and the book felt fresh and exciting and I loved reading it!

Alona Dare is a ghost! On her way out of school one morning she dies in her gym clothes and she is stuck that way as a ghost. Alona was the most popular and beautiful girl in the school, but as she watches her friends and boyfriend talk about her and move on with their lives Alona realises she is all alone and has no one to talk to. That's until someone looks her way. Not just a glance, but actually looks at her, and it is none other than the school goth Will. Once Alona realises that Will can see, hear and touch the dead she tries to get him to help her, and in return she will keep all the other dead off his back! When a black cloud of negative energy starts to cause him physical harm Alona is determined to help him find out what is causing it.

This book is written with the chapters switching back and forward between Will and Alona. I really enjoyed this as both characters are having such wildly different experiences and both are so extremely different. It worked well as Alona really loves herself and has quite a unique and limited view of the world, and Will is so self contained but sees things with a completely different perspective to Alona. I really liked the use of this as both characters were a joy to read.

Alona was an amazing character. She was one of the characters that you love to hate and then eventually just love!! She is the bitchy girl who's comments are actually quite funny as long as you are not on the receiving end of them. She is not exactly thrilled that she has to spend the rest of her afterlife in her gym clothes, but that is the least of her worries. Alona is from a pretty messed up home and the more we get to see the rubble of her life the more I loved her. There was nothing too profoundly deep about Alona, but she is one character who's snarky comments are so much fun to read.

Will is a very sweet and caring guy who has a special gift... he can see, hear and touch the dead. usually the dead can't interact with anything in the living world, but around Will the ghosts manifest and things like ghost cigarettes can burn and the ghosts realise that they can touch something living for once. Will struggles with his gift and tries to stay afloat in school. Hiding behind his goth mask to avoid connecting with others he struggles with school as it can be hard to pay attention over the ghostly chatter. I thought Will was a great character and a fun sparring partner for Alona.

This book was so fun and light hearted. It was not a difficult read and there were no deeper meanings to things as far as I could see. As soon as I finished reading this book I wanted to know more and I wanted to see how a relationship between a ghost and a human would work exactly. I loved the characters in this book and I only wanted the best for Will and Alona and it was a breath of fresh air not to have any complicated love triangles. A great read that is fun and perfect to pick up any time you are looking for a heart warming, easy story.

Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (VA5)

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 18th May 2010
Series: Vampire Academy #5
Source: Own Copy

Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic nextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series. - From Goodreads

May contain spoilers from earlier books in the series:

This books was jam packed with action from the first to last page, so much good stuff happens. At the end of the previous book Rose failed to kill Dimitri, as we know when he sent her back her stake, and Rose returned to school. This should feel familiar to us, having Rose back at school, but after everything that has happened to her recently she seems to have lost a little bit of her spark. After Rose passes her Guardian test with flying colours (they have to invent new things to test her on, she is that good!) her, Lissa, Adrian and Christian head to court with school behind them. There they begin to discover things that the shouldn't and life changes drastically for at least one of them.

Using some of the information that Rose found on her journey to find Dimitri in the last book, Rose and Lissa begin to discuss the possibility of using spirit to help those who have been turned into stigoli. Soon the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and before we know it Victor is being dragged back into the story along with his crazy brother and an angry Dimitri. Meanwhile at court we see the vampire politics in full swing while Lissa tries to navigate her way through the issues that come with her being the only surviving member of her family.

Rose feels like a completely different character in this book than at the start of this series. We can really see the transition between the reckless and, in comparison, carefree Rose from the first book and the more responsible and cautious Rose. I also loved watching her relationship with Adrian in this book. I think about half way through this book I became a solid member of Team Adrian. Within this story each of the characters had a significant part to play, and I always like it when everyone weaves into the story to compliment it and add in their own individual element.

Rose was not the only character to show a completely different side to them. I felt that the Lissa we saw in this book was far less annoying and actually brought something to the Lissa-Rose relationship. There is the possibility that I was just feeling forgiving when I read this book but I think that Lissa was becoming her own woman far less needy and dependent on Rose to think of all the ideas and protect her. Don't get me wrong, I still found her irritating, just far less so!

This book was faced paced and crammed from the first to the last page with drama, drama, drama!! This is good as after reading this book you could see that the last book was a much slower pace. I thought the story was exciting and the final cliffhanger left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach (which someone had warned me about!) and moving right on to the final instalment!! A great series that I will be sad to finish!

Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Title: Halflings
Author: Heather Burch
Published: 1st February 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
Series: Halflings #1
Source: eARC thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. - From Goodreads

This is the story of Nikki and the half man half angels who have been given a divine mission to protect her. The 3 half man half angels, also known as halflings, are Mace, Raven and Vine. All three of the boys pose as high school students in an attempt to be close to Nikki and keep her safe from some danger both demonic and human.

The halflings in this book are beautiful, Greek god looking, boys and with both Mace and Raven showing an interest in Nikki we have a whole book with the mother of all love triangles! We have Mace who she meets first and who has the sweet and earnest thing going for him, then there is the bad boy type who is Raven. Nikki is torn between the two of them for the whole book which was felt a little forced to me.

There also felt like there was more to Nikki than her just being a mere human. We have a glimpse of what she might be, but the relationship between her parents, another man and the halflings makes it feel like there is far more to Nikki than we get to see. This is not something that is addressed in this novel and it is one of the many threads left hanging with nothing resolved at the end of the book.


By the end of the book I felt that there were a number of plot threads left unanswered with not enough explanations for my liking. I also felt that there was a build up to some kind of grand plot event towards the end of the book that never appears. It feet to me like the whole book was a build up to something and then the book just finishes. I wanted more story and more action. Also it was never very clear who the enemy was in this book. I like a little bit of suspense and mystery, but if I am kept guessing for more than a book I get a little bored.

I think that when the next book in this series is released I will have to have a very light TBR pile for me to pick this up. If I do pick up the next book in this series I will definitely be needing some answers quickly.

Review: Marked (HON1) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Title: Marked
Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Published: 1st May 2007
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Series: House of Night #1
Source: Own Copy

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends. - From Goodreads

So this is a series that I am well behind in picking up on. I am not sure why it took me so long to pick this book up because a few years ago I borrowed Divine By Mistake from my local library and loved it. I had seen these books in the bookshop and had read the back, but it took for someone to actually tell me to read them before I finally bought Marked.

We meet 16 year old Zoey on the day that she is marked. A Tracker comes into her school and announces this to her in front of her best friend, and that is essentially the end of her life as a human! Once the mark appears on a human they only have a limited amount of time to get to the House of Night before "the change" happens. When Zoey makes it to the House of Night she is immediately thrown into the life there and has to find her place even though it is obvious that she is not like the other fledglings.

I loved this series right away. From the start we realise that this is not a world like our own, humans are aware that vampires co-exist with them. As soon as Zoey is marked while she is standing beside her human best friend it seems like all of the humans treat her as if she is an outsider and shun her. Her uber-religious parents think that they can "save" her with a prayer circle. Zoey turns to her grandmother, who is one of my favourite characters in the book, and who helps her with her transition to the House of Night. Zoey is a loveable character from the start who seems a little cynical, but who is genuinely a nice person who you would love to have on your side!

I really liked the other characters in the book, Stevie-Rae, The "Twins", Damien, Eric and even Aphrodite. There is an ease to the dialogue when Zoey and her friends are talking which makes the speech flow and feel very natural. As for the mean girls at school, who are fondly known as the Hags from hell, some of the back and forth between them and the twins made me chuckle out loud (I do love a catty comment!).

Oh and I can't finish my thoughts on this without mentioning how hot, hot, hot Eric Night is - mmmm, yummy! Caught at the beginning of the book in a compromising situation this stud muffin is the perfect hunk of a man for all of the females in the book to drool over!!

This was a great book with a plot line that kept going right to the last page keeping you interested and engaged. I thought the final few chapters were great and left me wanting to pick up the next book to see what was going on. I know I am going to love this series and I can't wait to catch up with everyone else so I can talk about these books without being scared that I will stumble over spoilers!

Review: Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Title: Tris and Izzie
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Published: 11th October 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Source: eARC (thanks to Netgalley and Egmount USA)

A modern retelling of the German fairytale "Tristan and Isolde", Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school. - From Goodreads

I feel that often retellings can be very hit or miss. I am vaguely familiar with Tristan and Isolde, but I have never actually read it. Unfortunately after reading this book I have no desire to read the original. I wanted to like this book so much, I mean look at that cover, it is stunning, but for me the story did not live up to my expectations.

Izzie has the perfect life, a best friend, a hot superstar boyfriend, Mark, and a witch mother. So when Tris turns up as the new boy at school he throws Izzie into a spin. Izzie tries to help her best friend fall for Tris by trying to give them both a love potion, but she accidentally eds up drinking it herself with Tris. This starts the beginning for Izzie's inner war between staying with Mark or following her heart and going with Tris. After she is attacked by a two headed dog at a football game Izzie finds out that not only is she also magic, but she is only one who can save the magical community from a giant snake who eats magic.

I found a lot of things about this book rather annoying. Firstly the dialogue felt very immature and one dimensional. Tris's speech felt very stiff. I understand that it is intended to show that he is from a different society where modern day has little influence, but I am sure that he would still revert to don't, won't and can't. The magic love potion in this novel is referred to as a love philtre throughout, and was spoken about quite a bit which left me wanting to shout "just call it a love potion"!!

As I say I have not read the original text, so I am not sure if there is magic in the original story, but it all felt a little thin for me. It is just assumed that some people are magic and some are not, and that few non-magical people know about magic. I thought that this could have used a little more back story, like have they always lived in their own community, and have the fairies, dragons, giant butterflies or any other creatures ever been seen in the real world, and if so how was it covered up? I thought it could have used a little more depth.

I thought Izzie was also a little annoying. She was constantly moaning about how awful it was that she had taken the love potion and was going to forever love Tris, but she was going to do this to her "best friend" in the first place! The other characters also seemed to be quite happy about swapping relationships, all with no hard feelings.

This book was a bit of a struggle for me to finish as I didn't particularly care what was going to happen and the battle at the end all seemed to be quite easy for Izzie, I didn't feel her struggle or pain the way I have with other characters. I am interested to find out how close this is to Tristian and Isolde, but after reading this I realise there are other stories out there I want to read more.

Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Title: Forgive My Fins
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: 19th May 2010
Series: Fins #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned. - From Goodreads

I have a really weird fear, not only am I afraid of open water I am also afraid of fish. The big ones scare the bejezus out of me and make me want to crawn into my nice safe dry bed, far from the water, and hide. For this book however I cast aside the heebie jeebies and prepared to dive into the deep end of a story about a mermaid. A good thing to because I really enjoyed it!

On the outside Lily looks like a normal teenage girl, she even has a crush on the school hottie, but she has one massive secret; she is a mermaid princess! With a mermaid father and human mother Lily never quite feels like she belongs anywhere and has been spending the last few years going to high school as a human. When the Brody, Lily's crush, does not live up to expectations Quince, Lily's annoying neighbour, steps in.

I really liked Lily, but her focus was a bit annoying and I did not really understand why she hated her neighbour so much! Apart from that I thought she was an interesting character and you can tell she is conflicted about where she belongs. It was quite refreshing to have a strong female character who stepped up to take charge especially when they are underwater! I also really liked Quince and found him to be a very likeable character, maybe I just have a thing for bad boys who are really very sweet!

As I have mentioned above, I love that when we were in the underwater world, which is Lily's Kingdom, she was the one who was confident and knew what was going on and Quince was the one who was uncertain and unsure. I felt rather empowering reading it as often it is the female character who is portrayed unsure and needs the male character to help her on her journey. I like that there was a real challenge for the male character, metaphorically and literally, which was just part of Lily's everyday.

It was great that part of the story was set underwater and the world beneath the sea was painted as a beautiful and exciting place. I found it a little hard to picture, only because my mind kept picturing Spongebob Square Pants and all the other cartoons like Shark Tale and Little Mermaid. When I could get rid of these from my mind I loved reading about this new and different world, which was painted to be a beautiful underwater fairytale kingdom.

I thought this was a fun read that moved at a good pace and the story often kept you on your toes. It had likeable characters you wanted to get to know better. It also had an ending that I was not expecting and I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens next!!

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: 13th October 2009
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life. - From Goodreads

There seems to have been a rash of books revolving around angels released lately. This combined with reading Hush, Hush a few months ago, and reading other angel books after it, meant that when I sat down to type my thoughts I had no idea what had happened in this book. As luck would have it I had a couple of Audible credit's in my account so decided that this would be a great purchase and would not impact on my reading time as I could listen to it while driving, walking to work... Oh am I glad I did this, and how could I have forgotten? It all came flooding back to me.

Nora lives a fairly quiet life with her best friend and her biggest decision will be to decide between the ivy league schools she is set to be accepted to. Then one day in class all the seats get moved around sitting Nora beside Patch. Dark and mysterious, Patch seems to know everything about Nora, but she knows nothing about him except that she can't stop thinking about him.This story was full of suspense, romance, danger and fallen angels.

I liked Nora. I could relate to her and unlike other female characters Nora tends to over think situations instead of under thinking them! This tends to mean she does not jump to ridiculous conclusions (or sometimes any conclusions). And then can we talk about Patch? At the start I think he seems like, as we say in the UK, a total Dick! It took me a while to warm to patch, but as soon as I did I think I fell in love!! Patch can save me from danger any day of the week! I'm not completely blind to Patch being a tad over protective, but I'm willing to overlook that.

There were a couple of points to this story which I felt were cleverly tidied up at the end with a, without giving away to much, "all of those reasons was because..." which perhaps felt a little contrived. Another point that stuck in my mind was that at the start of the book Nora talks about how they are best friends who are an extension of each other. Even as an outsider I thought some of V's behaviour was a bit off, why did Nora not notice? Does V usually act shady?

In a way I am happy that it has taken me so long to get round to doing this review as I can now swiftly move on to Crescendo and the Silence, and by the time I have finished those two books and reviewing them the final chapter of this story will probably be close to publication!! I can't wait to read the next books.

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Published: 4th August 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Series: Hunting Lila #1
Source: Own Copy

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them... - From Goodreads

I had been so excited to read this book ever since I saw it. The cover is stunning and the synopsis on the back of the book sucked me in. In comparison to some other books I have read recently I think the cover to Hunting Lila sets the tone for this books from the get go. This book is a fun action packed read with a lead character that I can relate to and found to be really fun and quirky!

Super powers? Check! Sweet protective brother? Check! Super hot guy? Check. Action and mystery? Check. This book had everything I wanted. I liked that Lila had this awesome super power to be able to move things with her mind, but she didn't flaunt it and when she uses it in public she freaks out and puts herself on a power ban. For me Lila was the 17 year old I was. She can be quite on the ball and clever at times, but is also a bit lazy when it comes to personal safety and gets distracted thinking about hot boys (or one specific hot boy) every 5 minutes; this is the main reason I didn't get round to finishing much as a teenager!!

The hot boy that Lila is obsessing over is the one she thinks she can never have... the brother's best friend! For me Alex is so worth daydreaming over, and in the story it actually go to the point that I just found it funny. Lila would be in some life threatening situation and would be worrying about dying, until she catches Alex's eye, then it's all about the precise shade and getting lost in them. All this time you are thinking "come on move you are going to die!!" Don't get me wrong I absolutely get it. Alex is described perfectly in a way that makes you swoon and wish he was real. I say day dream away Lila.

The characters in this were just right with the protective brother, the hesitant-because-he-is-older love interest and the super-sweet potential sister-in-law. Not to mention a whole cast of characters introduced towards the end of the book who were fascinating. They all added to the story to make it rich and exciting.

My one issue with this book was that I found it very difficult to put down! The story was exciting and it made me wish that I didn't have to get up for work in the morning, because then I could just keep reading through the night. The ending to this book left me gobsmacked and wishing that I could read the next book right away. I can't wait to get a copy of this one and I will be pre-ordering it as soon as it is available.

Review - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Published: 1st August 2009
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Hall #1
Source: Own Copy

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance. - From Goodreads

I fell in love with the covers for this series. They are so beautiful that I bought the whole series as actual books (I am so sorry kindle!). I had read a few glowing reviews about these books, I worried that Shiver would not live up to the hype. I should not have spent any time worrying!!

I was sucked right into the story and pulled into the lives of Sam and Grace. When I realised that the story was told from the point of view of two narrators I was put off slightly as I often find that this loses the impact of the story. In this case I found it to be rather helpful. In the first place while Sam is a wolf we are able to experience what he is feeling. At other times we are seeing the story from the point of view from the person we need to understand the motives.

I really enjoyed the story and thought it was charming. The other characters around Sam and Grace were also well written, from Grace's distant parents to the mean girl you love to hate! I have to say that Isobel Culpeper lifted this book for me. I pictured her as the Regina George of the story! I also really liked the character of Beck, Sam's father figure of sorts.

I read this book super fast and never felt there were any dry or slow parts I had to push myself through, but for a paranormal book I thought there was little conflict past the whole human in love with a werewolf who potentially will never shift again. Lots of threads from the story line were left up in the air, which I expected from a trilogy, I just hope it means we will have a bit of action in the next book!! Also I still can't quite get my head around the age thing. Grace was attacked as a child, Sam is one year older than her, he carried her out of the woods after the attack. Does this not mean that he was also a child? Hmmm... I guess it does not really matter!

Looking forward, I can't wait to read the next books in this series and I hope they are just as beautiful!

Review: The Initiation by LJ Smith

Title: The Initiation
Author: LJ Smith
Publisher: HarperPrism
Published: 15th September 1992
Series: The Secret Circle #1
Source: Own Kindle Copy

The author of the bestselling The Vampire Diaries presents a suspenseful new trilogy. Seduced by the Secret Circle, Cassie is initiated into the mysterious "in-crowd, " a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for 300 years--and risks falling prey to the dark powers in order to have the coven leader's boyfriend. - From Goodreads

So, I admit it... I read this book because I thought the new TV series on the CW was great. Being the impatient woman I am, I decided that I would just figure out what was going on by reading the book! Well you would have thought I had learned my lesson with The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game - the book is nothing like the TV show! That's not to say that this book was not entertaining!

Cassie and her mother move back into the family home in New Salem after Cassie has a mysterious encounter with a handsome boy on a beach a few towns away. Being the new girl at school is difficult in New Salem, especially when you stand up to the head mean girl, Faye! Faye who hangs voodoo dolls in lockers, makes your bag look like it is moving and steals your poetry!

There are a lot more witches in their coven also and there seemed to be quite a bit of unrest within the group with us getting the impression that the coven was split into good magic and bad magic! I also have to remind myself while reading books by L. J. Smith, that these books were written pre mobile phones. When ever a character gets in a jam I find myself wondering "why not just phone for help?"

I enjoyed this book, it was filled with forbidden love, magic, a crystal skull, mean girls and a likeable main character, but I felt that it was over just as the story began. I think, like the vampire diaries, instead of being a trilogy it feels more like one book split across three. I will be picking up the other two because they are super fast reads!

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (VA4)

Title: Blood Promise
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 25th August 2009
Series: Vampire Academy #4
Source: Own Kindle Copy

Warning - Synopsis and Review Contain Spoilers!

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love? - From Goodreads

NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I practically threw my kindle across the room when I read the end of the third book. Dimitri can't be Strigoi! This was a major shock and I swear I actually cried when it happened. I did not see this coming, how could you do this Richelle?

Well, after the attack on the school by the Strigoi everything was left turned upside down. During the attack in the last book Christian and Rose teamed up to be a badass killing machine, with his elemental use of fire and her awesomeness they worked together to kill loads of Strigoi. Unfortunately they took some victims with them when they retreated. When a team is put together to rescue the captured, there are more casualties with one in particular - Dimitri.

I thought this book had a much different feel from the previous ones. For one Rose and Lissa spend the majority of the books apart from each other. This does not prevent us from knowing what is happening with Lissa as Rose can still go into Rose's head no matter how far apart they are. To me this felt like the beginning of the end concerning my relationship with Lissa. I know she is a princess and i know there were other influences, but come on!! She treats Christian like crap and does not give a second thought to Rose off on her journey. Boo Lissa!! Hiss! I am sure I am not the only one who feels like a break from Lissa is a good thing for Rose!?!

This book is Rose's journey to find Dimitri and follow through on a promise made to each other. We meet a few new characters on this journey, including Sydney. Now unlike Lissa I think Sydney, the alchemist with the cool tattoo, is awesome! Oh and how can I forget Dimitri's family? It made me wish I was a member of the Belikov family, well kind of... except for the whole blood wh*** thing (lets at least pretend to keep it clean here folks!).

Following on from the last book, there were a number of points where I cried throughout Rose's journey (I should have just read the books with a box of tissues within reaching distance). I don't know what it is about the Vampire Academy books, but I am completely sucked into Rose's emotional state. When she is feeling confused and woozy or when she is upset, so am I. The ending of this book left me on the edge of my seat desperate to know what's going to happen next.

Review: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Title: Dead Beautiful
Author: Yvonne Woon
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Published: 1st May 2011
Series: Dead Beautiful #1
Source: Own Copy

At Gottfried Academy, just one kiss will take your breath away. After Renee discovers her parents dead in what appears to be a strange double murder, she is sent to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, 'crude sciences', and Latin: the Language of the Dead. Here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student who harbors a deadly secret, but to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. Despite himself, Dante cannot control his attraction to Renee either and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. But Dante's not the only one with secrets...Gottfried Academy has a few of its own. When Renee begins to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a former student, she begins to realize just how deadly these secrets are...Dark romance meets haunting murder mystery in this captivating tale of love, death and destiny. - From Goodreads

I think it took me about a month to read the first chapter of this book. I always seemed to pick it up when I was in the wrong mood to read, when I was so tired I could barely finish a page or I would start to read and then get distracted by something else. Once I finally sat down to properly read this book it found it really easy to involved in the story and I managed to finish in a couple of days.

The story begins with Renee finding her parents dead and having to move to the other side of the country to live with her grandfather to promptly sends her to Gottfried Academy. This is a school where no electricity is used, only candles after dark and Latin is the main language studied. Soon after starting the school year she meets Dante. Dante is beautiful, aloof and super cool.

I found the story in this book to be really slow to start. To me it felt like the first half of the book was spent getting to know Renee and her friends; Dante, Eleanor and Nathan, and describing the surroundings. I also felt like the descriptions of Dante only happened a tiny bit at a time. Now I know this was as Renee got to know him, we would get to know him, but to me there were somethings that could have been mentioned earlier.

So once we got into the story and finding out about what is really going on at the school, who is who and what they are doing, I really enjoyed it. I thought the supernatural angle (I'm not going to ruin any surprises) was really interesting, well thought out and has loads going for it. I think if I had to summarise the last half of the book it would take me a while as lots happened. the story had me guessing as I was reading, and trying to predict what would happen, not only in the rest of the book, but the rest of the series.

I can see this being a series I really enjoy as long as the next few books can get right to the action and don't linger too long on reminding us what happened previously. I will defiantly be picking up a copy Life Eternal (Dead Beautiful #2) as soon as it comes out.

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Published: 30th August 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Anna #1

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. - From Goodreads

It has been about 12 hours since I finished reading this book and I am still thinking about it. This book was exactly what I needed to get me back into the habit of reading in my lunch hour and going to bed slightly early to give me more time to read before I turn off my light! It was the perfect balance of spooky, gruesome and fun which made it an amazing read and left me wanting more.

For some reason for the first couple of chapters I had difficulty picturing the main character as a boy. It may just be because I have read so many books recently with female leads and, let's face it, it is more common for the main character to be a female. Once I could wrap my head round Cas being a boy I thought he was a great character and possibly one of the better male leads I have read in a long time. He was smart but still sometimes had trouble piecing together problems, he is charming but without trying to get all of the girls for himself and he is brave but not stupid.

I love the way the other characters in this booked worked as well. Carmel, Will, Mike, Thomas, Cas's Mum and Anna are all well written characters who seemed to come to life in my mind, warts and all. They were all integral to the story, but did not overpower the story lines which is very focused on Cas and how he thinks through and rationalises his decisions.

There was only one thing that did not feel quite right to me. Without giving too much away, something important is taken during the story. Now if I know if someone took something like that from me then I would fight to get it back. I felt that the character had a relaxed attitude to getting it back. To me the actions did not feel to match the words which was a tiny bit frustrating.

So with that little annoyance out of the way I absolutely loved this book. It was just creepy enough and the writing was fluid with an exciting story that kept moving the whole time. Bring on the next book, I'm not sure I can wait until 2012!

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 4th January 2011
Series: Unearthly #1
Source: Own Copy

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. - From Goodreads

I am fascinated by angels. Some of them are pure and as we have seen in a number of other Angel based books there are also "bad" angels waiting to corrupt our main characters. Part angels or Nephilim are just as fascinating, have you ever seen the Paul Wesley mini series The Fallen? I thought was awesome! (If you have not seen this yet then check it out!!) With the popularity of angels being the main supernatural  increasing at the moment I was surprised to find that Unearthly felt really fresh and new to me. It was not what I was expecting, in a really good way.

For a start the main character is Clara who is struggling to come to terms with the fact she is part angel and has a destiny or purpose to fulfill. Before Clara began to get her visions all she really had to worry about was not being too good at school as being an angel-blood means she is faster, stronger and smarter than a teenage girl should be. Clara's visions start with a handsome boy standing in the woods. From this vision her family (Mum and Brother) move across the country to live where Clara has to be for her vision to take place.

We only find out small details about the vision at a time and the boy who has a starring role in it, Christian. He is not the only handsome man though; there is also the twin brother of Clara's best friend, Tucker. Now to me I felt that the character of Christian was a bit distant and a bit flat and Tucker was definitely the star of the show for me, I am Team Tucker all the way (although I do admit I have a thing for the rugged cowboy)! I think if Christian had been a bit more rounded as a character I would have felt more like there was anguish between the 2 boys.

I liked that a lot of this story was Clara's internal struggle of doing what feels right and what others perceive to be right. There is also a good number of issues left hanging at the end of the book which I am looking forward to finding out about in further books but none of them left me feeling cheated. Too often with books in a series I feel like parts of the story are just left to make you come back, but in this case it felt like there was just so much to know and we would find out in time when it was needed for the story.

I can't wait for the next book in this series, it promises to be amazing.

Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Published:  2nd March 2010
Series: Hex Hall #1
Source: Own Copy on Kindle

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her. - From Goodreads

I love a delinquent! I love a book about high school! I love magic and the unusual! I love being surprised! Luckily for me this book has everything I love and more. Hex Hall is a school for Witches, Faeries and Werewolves who misuse their magic.

When Sophie misuses her magic and creates a disaster at her old school she is sent to Hex Hall. Set away from society Prodigums (Supernaturals - Witches, Faeries, Shifters etc...) can learn to control their powers and more importantly, hide their powers from those who want to hunt and kill them. Sophie is assigned a room with the only vampire on campus and when students start turning up attacked all fingers are pointing at the Vampire.


This has a bit of everything I love and it did not disappoint me. The story was exciting, thrilling and fun all at the same time. The romance aspect of this book was good and has a way of throwing you in different directions. This book felt like it was over way too fast for me because I gobbled it up in one go and it left me wanting more! Bring on Sophie and her magical drama!!

Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Hourglass
Author: Myra McEntire
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: 14th June 2011
Series: Hourglass #1
Source: Own Copy

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut. - From Goodreads

This book begins with a beautiful cover and then the writing and the story pulls you in and walks you along right to the end. In my mind this was a short book due to the fact that I could not put it down so it took me just over a day to read.

Emerson Cole lives with her older brother and his wife after returning from boarding school and, before that, a stint in a psychiatric hospital. Emerson has a special gift, which is what landed her in hospital in the first place, she can see visions of people from the past. Enter the dashing Michael!!

Michael is from the Hourglass organisation. I feel in this book we only touch on Hourglass and what it is but we are given enough to keep us gagging for more. More details, more Em, more Michael, more Hourglass!! I think that the writing in this book is very graceful. It does not feel like you get bogged down in anything. All the characters are well written and rounded and you quickly get a feel for what the characters are all about.

I loved this book. A wonderful debut from Myra McEntire and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Review: Vampire Academy (VA1) by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 16th August 2007
Series: Vampire Academy 1
Source: Own Copy

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . . Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever. - From Goodreads

I have been sitting on this review for a while, so long in fact, that I have reviewed book 2 of this series before reviewing this one!! The reason it has taken me so long to write this is that it took me a little while to figure out if I liked the book or not. I was on the fence between thinking I really enjoyed it or it annoyed me. The story stayed with me even after finishing the book, and while I was reading other books.

Richelle Mead has created a world where there are two types of vampires (Moroi and Strigoi) and the Moroi are looked after by Guardians who are half breeds of Moroi and humans called damphirs. The story follows Lissa Dragomir (a Moroi princess from a royal bloodline) and Rose her Guardian. Rose and Lissa share a special connection where Rose can share Lissa's feelings.

The story begins with Rose and Lissa being found and brought back to their school, which is a boarding school for vampires and guardians to learn to fight (the guardians) and use their magic (the vampires). Rose has to catch up on the Guardian training she has missed and has to train every day with the sexy Dimitri (even his name is hot!!). There are some great additional characters including Mia and Christian which make this book great.

Ok so I think it is obvious that I really do like this book. I am currently on the 4th of the series and love being engulfed in this world.