The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

3 Stars. (Paranormal romance)

ARC provided by Netgalley

  

mass market paperback, 376 pages

Publication: March 27th, 2012

Published by Mira

 

Definitely not as enjoyable as book 1 in the series. Felt like there was something missing. But I am looking forward to book 3 if only to revisit Devlin and Amelia and find out how/if they can resolve their 'ghosts' and get together.

I waffled back and forth between giving this book a 2.5 or 3 star rating. On the one hand I enjoyed revisiting Amelia and her story, but on the other I was disappointed that the setting changed from Charleston to Asher Falls which meant Devlin was excluded from the story as well as the majority of the characters we met in book 1 in the series. Overall, I have to say that this book felt very much like a filler novel rather than any real advancement of plot.

The pieces of the puzzle that are revealed about Amelia and her birth and history are important and relevant sure, but at the same time they all could have been brought to like within the space of two novels. For the amount of information we get, and the way we have to work up to it slowly through out the rest of the drama of The Kingdom I wasn't sure it was worth it in the end.

Although I liked the inclusion of Thane Asher, a new suitor for Amelia's heart, I wasn't as pulled in by the setting or mystery or ghostly presence as I was in The Restorer. The setting which seemed to very alive in book 1 fell flat for me here. Although some plot points were interesting and kept me intrigued and reading I felt that so much more could have been developed.

A worthwhile read if you've read book 1 and want to continue the series for sure, but I thought that so much more could have been made of this book. I'll definitely pick up book 3, I want to know what happens between Devlin and Amelia but I was slightly disappointed by this book after loving The Restorer so desperately.

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

3 Star (Paranormal) 

Fun and light-hearted. An entertaining read!

This book is full of snark and comedy, which is nice considering the main character is a grim reaper and can see and speak to the dead but not so departed. Charley Davidson is a go getter girl full of snark and sass which I love to read in a heroine. She's tough, capable, not a bullshitter and loves to protect the innocent folk. She also has a interesting career trying to help the souls of the dead pass over into the afterlife by trying to solve the mystery of their deaths.

I won't go into mighty detail about the plot itself, there is an interesting if not fully fledged love triangle, two very intriguing men to drool over, as well as enough wit and spark to keep the story moving. At times I did feel like the snarkiness went a bit too far - when I read a few pages where mostly every line was some pun or sarcastic joke it began to get on my nerves a bit, but I know several people who have read this book and loved the spark of humour. I prefer a good balance between humour and a darker edge which I felt this book could have maybe done with a bit more of considering we're reading about murder and demonic presence and all...

Overall, this book was enjoyable if not slightly forgettable. I liked Charley, she brings new meaning to a tough as nails heroine but she also had a more vulnerable side which made me like her even more. Both Reyes and Garrett are interesting characters and both a likeable so it makes the love triangle that is beginning to form that much more interesting. I liked the love/hate banter between Garrett and Charley and was sucked in by the mystery and intrigue and darkness that surrounds Reyes.

A light read, perfect to curl up with if you want a good laugh with an interesting storyline and cute heroine. 

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is going to be a tough one to review.

Better than Clockwork Angel for sure, but I'm still a bit undecided in a lot of small ways about this series as a whole.

3.5 Stars

First off I thought I'd list the things that bugged me a bit in this book:

1. The constant name dropping of Victorian authors and books. Added to this, the countless times Tessa compares herself to a heroine or hero in a books she's read. I know this is supposed to be a part of her character, the girls a book lover, got it, but still. It grated on my nerves after a while and I kept wondering how books could seriously be her only reference for things.

2. The way Tessa is somehow completely irresistible to both Jem and Will. The girl is cute, she has her moments of toughness and sassiness, but usually she's just insecure and way to proper for my liking. I've said this in a previous review of the Clockwork Angel I read historical romances and historical fiction, so I know well how girls of this time period would think and act, but something about Tessa's cluelessness grates on me. Honestly what I realized is that I don't really love Tessa all that much. She has her moments, but not enough of them to make me really identify with or appreciate her as a character. Not a fabulous thing when as a reader you want to be invested in what's happening in her life and want to believe that two eligible guys would desperately want her.

There were a few other smaller things that got to me, like a certain scene between Jem and Tessa - not because it was between them but because it seemed out of character for Tessa. If you've read both books you might understand what I mean.

I love Will. I'll make no bones about this. I think he's the best character in the series. He's dark and light at the same time. He's sarcastic and mean, but honorable and loyal. I love the push and pull with his character, the back and forth and the angst he has wrapped up in his character. Out of everyone I think he is the most interesting but all the best developed. I think I read these books mostly for him, to see how it'll all work out for Will in the end.

Because of the similarities of this series to Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities I think there are definitely ways this series could end. I'll be interested to see if Clare turns the predictability on it's head or sort of flips the developments of Dickens's classic on it's head a bit.

I liked the action in this book, the developments with the Magistar and the addition of more characters. Gideon was an interesting character and I really enjoyed Sophie more in this book. I hope more develops for the both of them.

Ultimately towards the end this book really picked up. I loved reading the scenes between Tess and Will, but what I noticed, which ultimately led me to give this a 3.5 star rating, is that I didn't feel that punch to the heart I usually do when I'm thoroughly invested in the characters, the drama and the angst playing out. I loved reading the scenes, but I didn't feel much while reading. I react heavily when I read books. When I'm invested I get worked up, just ask my best friend what I look like when I'm feel the heartbreak right along with the characters. She thinks it's pretty funny.

I thought this book was much better than the last one, it has lots of action, developed the overarching plot and the character were more interesting.

Definitely worth reading if you love Cassie Clare or have read Clockwork Angel but I have to be honest and say I'm not enjoying this series as much as Mortal Instruments.   

Below are my feelings about the whole Tessa, Will, Jem triangle. 

Read on only if you've read this book or don't mind spoilers...

It is plainly obviously that Tessa loves Will. She loves Jem as well, but the love she has for Will is the passion filled, desperate, forever, soul mates kind of love. With Jem, it's the comfortable, stable, tame love that will sustain itself through the years but really never be the love girls spend their youths dreaming about. It was obviously by the way the scenes between Tess and Will were written and then Tessa and Jem that every time Tessa kissed Jem she thought of Will. When you're kissing the guy you can't be without, there's never anyone else on your mind. It's obvious that Will is in Tessa's heart and always will be. She's marrying Jem, but she wants Will.

End of spoilers.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

2-2.5 Stars.

Honestly I can't say I loved this book. I haven't read Melissa Marr's YA series but when I read the premise for this book I was intrigued. I think I was expecting something more eerie, darker, more of a ghost story than what I actually got. It started out well with a murder and ghostly presence that's unexplained, but the author just took way too much time flipping between various character perspectives, some of whom didn't even matter and who before their scene readers had never met before. There was was too much setup and buildup that didn't justify itself once everything was ultimately revealed.
Over half way through the story was just, just barely beginning to really pick up and readers were only then starting to discover the truth behind the towns weird burial rituals - which in a way weren't all that odd except for the fact that anyone born in the town had to be buries in the town. Otherwise, things like no embalming and the need for bodies to be buried within two days (3 at the very outside) of their deaths wasn't weird at all. Many cultures have this practice and for very good reason.

Aside from that I guess the story was supposed to be a love story. I can't say I was all that invested in Rebekkah and Byron's relationship or their history. Usually I'm a fan of following reunited lovers and seeing their past collide with their attempts at a future. In this book though it all just seemed forced and cliche in some ways.

warning of possible spoiler Basically the secret of the town involves the need for an undertaker and a woman they call the graveminder who essentially - minds the graves. The graveminder and undertaker are naturally drawn to one another in a written in the stars sort of way. So this sort of cancelled out any real affection Byron and Rebekkah had for one another. Because of who they are it seemed like their feelings were overridden and if some other man or some other woman would have been chosen for these roles, the feelings Byron and Rebekkah had for one another would have been transferred to them. I don't think this is what Marr really meant for their relationship, but nonetheless it's how it came across. end of possible spoilers

Regardless, I just wasn't invested, in the story of the characters.

It could have been really good, but just read sort of flattley and without much intrigue or intensity to keep me going.

An okay read at best. 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

3.5 Stars. Paranormal Young Adult

The ending was suitably cliffhangerey and now I really want to get my hands on book two...oh Ms. Clare how you toy with us all!

Obviously, as anyone who knows me well can attest to, I am a huge Cassandra Clare fan. I whipped through the Mortal Instruments series in a weekend and the proceeded to talk about the genius of the storyline non-stop. Still guilty of that sometimes I think. I had the pleasure of meeting her in Dublin when she was here about a month back for a book signing and the meeting only made me more excited to start the Infernal Devices series when she answered questions from the audience about the book and the release of Clockwork Prince.

So, knowing that the release date was coming soon, I decided it was time to finally pull Clockwork Angel off my shelf and read it. I knew it would end in Clare fashion, with a nice cligghanger to keep us all guessing, which is partly why I waited so long to read this one until I knew book two would soon be in my hands.

I was intrigued by the storyline, the way Clare managed to converge the world of the Mortal Instruments and meld it together with the Steampunk genre that has become such a craze lately. The villains were new but recognizable if you've read her first series. The characters were much the same, thrust into the Shadowhunter world but different given the time period they live in and the fact that they are at the beginning of a war and don't have the luxury of looking back on past events in the same way as Jace, Alec, Izzy, Clary and company do in present day.

The story begins when Tessa Gray arrives on the shores of England to reunite with her brother Nate after the death of their aunt back in America. She is abducted by the Dark Sisters, two witches intent on unleashing a power Tessa never knew she had. She is later saved by Will Herondale and brought to the London institute for safety. She is introduced to the rest of the cast of characters, Jessamine, a shadowhunter by blood and birth but a lady at heart who wants nothing more than to turn her back on the world she knows in favour of ignorance and marriage in the Victorian world. Jem, Will's best friend, delicate and gentle, caring and understanding, who hides a sickness that incapacitates him. Charlotte and Henry, the married couple who run the institute as well as Thomas and Sophie, two servants who have the power of sight and can see beyond the mist of the Shadowhunters into their underground world - much as Clary could in the Mortal Instruments series. The action takes off as readers come to learn that Nate has disappeared and is supposedly being held captive by the Dark Sisters, Tessa is being hunted for her power by an unknown villain referred to as the Magistar who is threatening the Shadowhunters with an army made of neither angel or demon and therefore cannot be killed by the instruments used by the Shadowhunters.

The overall storyline was interesting and kept me reading, the characters were good, although lacked a bit of the zeal and were less relateable than characters from Clare's first series. Tessa as the main female character had moments that really grated on me. She is American coming into an unknown Victorian England world and all she knows and understands about society or the customs she has learned from books. This could have been cute, but was mostly annoying because her views were so antiquated. Obviously it fits with the way society was in the Victorian era, but instead of seeming real or reliable, Tessa only seemed naive and her naivete was annoying. She insisted more than once that it was wrong for women to be Shadowhunters, believing that women didn't have the same blood lust as men. She learned a lot through out the book, but I'm still shy of loving her.

Will was my favourite character. He stood out clearly to me as the main male character. Whether this changes as the love triangle develops further between Tessa, Will and Jem, I'll have to wait and see. So far though, he is the character I am most interested in. He was caustic and rude, charming and flippant, caring and quiet, quick to anger but clearly wracked with some sort of guilt of self-loathing. I was fascinated by the way he could be so much at once and can't wait to learn more about him and the secret he's carrying as we move into book 2. The cliffhanger at the end of this book had much to do with Will - and that's all I'll say.
He and Tessa had chemistry, but I felt like his feelings for her came on suddenly - mostly because he plays his emotions off so well and hides his thoughts so cleverly that there was hardly a moment when as a reader you knew what he was really thinking or feeling where Tessa was concerned. Also, because I was annoyed with her at the beginning, I wondered what it was Will thought so lovely about her. She had her moments, and these moments were mostly in her interactions with Will, but I wanted to see a bit more lightness from her.

Jem was sweet and kind and clearly has a good heart. I'm never as fascinated by the 'good guy' the tortured souls are always much more interesting a read!

Sophie I liked, she has zeal and strength and I like that Clare is bringing her in, even if only in a smaller side role. She has a lot to give to the story I think and I'm interested by what was revealed about her feelings for a certain boy. I think it could makes things very interesting.

Overall, the story was a good introduction to the Infernal Devices. I am geared up to read the next books in the series, although I will admit it took me longer to get into this book than it did in book 1 of the Mortal Instruments. The book lacked a bit of action that would have helped the thrust of the story. But around page 320 or so, I was suddenly sucked in and the story took off until the end. It happens with first books in a series, having to set up characters and back stories and the world itself, so I understand the lack of action could have been because of this. I love Clare though and will pretty much always read anything she writes. She has a great knack for storytelling and I can't wait to see this series fly in book two.

 

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

3 Stars. {Paranormal YA}

no major spoilers below - although for those who don't know what happened to Dimitri at the end of book 3, you may not want to read on - although I mention nothing explicitly.

Not my favourite of the series, but a necessary part of the story as a whole!

I still can't decide if part of my disappointment with Blood Promise lies in the fact that I hadn't picked up a Vampire Academy book in months or if it really was just a disappointing part of the series. I think in a way it was both.
The series is written young, I knew that from the beginning, the action takes over the plot, but it suits the books considering the characters and Rose herself, who is a tough cookie and will always step out to protect her loved ones. Blood Promise though felt written very young. It circle around itself so often that I got bored at points.
Rose sets off to find Dimitri and after several days of aimless wondering is brought to the Belikov house to meet his mother and siblings. Rose cannot stop thinking about Dimitri, however. Because we only really get things from Rose's perspective, through her eyes as she narrates the story, the excessive pinning for Dimitri started to grate on my nerves. I'd usually be all for it, but her pining felt empty and didn't really hit me emotionally. She's hurting, yes. She's grieving, yes. But did I feel any of that? Not really, I saw it through Rose's actions and her determination to find Dimitri, but I got annoyed because every time she mentioned Dimitri it was as if she was doing the obligatory - I miss him, I love him, my life is incomplete without him. Got tiring to read let me tell you.

I also missed being at the Academy. From other reviews I read, I know this was a big let down for readers. I thought going in that I would be fine with it, but then as we learn what is happening back at the Academy in Rose's absence, I thought the storyline there much more interesting to the one I was following with Rose. Her's felt repetitive and at a standstill for much of the book, while Lisa and Adrian and the rest were all in movement, their story progressing each time. I wanted Rose to get herself together and get back to the Academy as quick as possible.

Now, Dimitri. Oh the heart breaker - for one, he wasn't in the book (unless you count how many times he was mentioned) until about 200 pages in. When he did show up though, I felt like the action started to pick up. He was dark and dangerous and not the Dimitri I was used to, but like Rose, I couldn't bear the thought of her having to kill him. He was still Dimitri in some small way. I enjoyed the push and pull between the couple. The way neither could really let go of the other. It was very much like an abusive relationship at points - with Rose losing all of her strength and everything that makes her Rose, and Dimitri the cause of her retreat. I thought this was well played, but also hard to read given that I love Rose and wanted her to thrive.

The ending was perfect, I guessed some of the revelations, but the main one which will be the key in the coming books was a surprise and I am now anxious to see how all this information will play into the final books of the series. Some heavy duty drama is on the way.

Ultimately, this book was a necessary step in the series, although I did think it was dragged out much longer than it really needed to be. All the stuff we get at the beginning while Rose is staying with Dimitri's family could have bee hugely condensed, likewise with some of the action after she finds him. The book was really just too long and didn't need to be, which made me all the more anxious to just finish it.
We do find out some pertinent information by the end, so it is an important part of the series and must be read. We also meet several new characters in this book - Jill (Jail bait - loved that), Sydney, Abe, the list goes on, but I have a feeling these are the prominent characters in books to come.

All in all and okay read, by no means my favourite, but now that it's done I can move onto Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice ! Yay!

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

5 Stars. (PNR)

Angel’s Blood what to say, what to say. I freakin’ loved it. This book kept me glued to the page, hating work because I had to put the story down, hating my usually calming bus ride because I’d inevitably get to my stop too early, hating my lunch break for only being an hour long. Thsi is my first full read by Nalini Singh – although I own the first in her Psy-Changeling series but have yet to pick it up. I was very impressed by the way Singh took otherwise much used paranormal themes – vampires and angels and melded them to create a brand new idea and unique world for readers to dive into. The mythology she turns on its head is great and I loved the creativity of this plot.

This story is amazing and so so creative. Elena Devereaux the stories main protagonist is a Guild Hunter, in New York (although a very different NY than we’re used to) where vampires and angels are widely known and acknowledged by mortals, Elena is tasked with tracking rogue vampires who have either skipped out on their 100 years of servitude to their Archangel masters or are succumbing to blood lust and are therefore dangerous to the public and must be tracked and eventually punished or killed. In this world it is the Archangel’s who are the only ones who can Make a vampire and there is a sort of signup sheet if you will for those mortals who wish to live a life immortal. It is rare for someone to be Made against their will. So, Elena does her job and does it well, she is one of the best and it doesn’t hurt that she also has the ability to sense when a vamp is near like a type of overactive sixth sense. In this world Archangel’s are the supreme rulers and each archangel holds domain on a different area of the world. In this case the Archangel Raphael rules New York and this 500 year old immortal enlists Elena to track a crazed, psychotic killer who has succumbed to a vicious bloodlust. He must be tracked and killed before his horrific killing spree continues. To Elena surprise the vicious killer is not a vampire but one of the oldest Archangel’s gone rogue.

What progresses is a tightly wound, action packed, thrill ride that kept me reading and reading and reading. I loved the characters, every one of them including the ultra evil and supremely annoying. Elena’s father and Michaela – another Archangel are at the top of my supremely annoying – verging on evil list, but they each provide much drama and give readers much more insight into Elena as a heroine. And what a heroine she was. Tough as nails, able to handle herself, cheeky at times, sarcastic, but also really caring and sweet and loving with those she calls friends and family. I loved that she never backed now with Raphael, who is one majorly tough and often arrogant angel who due to his age is beginning to lose touch with what it means to be human. This disparity between hero and heroine made for some really interesting tension as Raphael continued to use his abilities and strength against Elena in order to get what he wanted from her. Elena was no simpering miss though and each time she felt Raphael overstepped his bounds she called him on it. Which, I loved. I hate it when the heroines – who are always described as strong and in control -allow themselves to be overly dominated by the hero, I always want to scream at them to stand up for themselves and get a grip.

The push and pull between an immortal and mortal was very interesting to see and had a really nice edge to it that kept me wondering how these two would pan out. I also really loved the secondary characters. Elena’s Guild Hunter friends, Guild Hunter director Sara and fellow Guild Hunter Ransom were equally compelling characters and I loved how much the three of them cared for one another. Dmitri, Raphael’s head of security and a vampire to boot was also a fascinating character and I am really excited that he gets his own book later in the series.

The action was great and easy to follow, the suspense of trying to find the rogue Archangel but also of trying to put the pieces together of exactly what has caused this archangel’s psychopathic transition is all part of the fun that keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next in this book.

Elena and Raphael sizzled and I loved their bickering and the ways they tried to understand one another even though they were so very different. Raphael was a particularly fascinating hero, strong and confident but also vulnerable and I enjoyed very much getting to see him come to terms with the part of himself that has always been human. Elena is a heroine to love and I can’t wait to read more about her, especially given the ending of this book.

The only thing I will say that wasn’t resolved was Elena’s traumatic past. You get tiny glimpses here and there throughout the first book and sort of know what happened, but there was never a clear scene that gave readers all the details into the how’s and why’s and consequences of what ultimately killed Elena’s childhood and made her father disown her for her abilities. I hope that we’ll see more of Elena’s past in the next few novels and that the resolution of the hint we got in this one will come to pass.

All around a great intro to what is shaping up to be a wonderful series! I’ve already purchased the next two in this series and can’t wait to dive in :)

Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

4.5 Stars.
(omnibus - contains books 1&2)

4 stars for Glass Houses and 4.5 stars for Dead Girls' Dance really loving this series so far.

I read the first book in this series Glass Houses back in May over two days and really enjoyed it! here's my review for that one - Glass Houses Review I picked up the omnibus versions of the following four stories in the series because the standalones aren't readily available at my bookstore anymore - plus I like the omnibus covers quite a bit.

So here is my review for the recently read second book in the series, Dead Girls' Dance

This story takes literally right where the previous book ended. Shane, Claire, Eve and Michael are back again, this time to stand against a hoard of vampire hunters with a vengeance and thirst to kill the night walkers of Morganville – an act punishable by death. Low and behold, the leader of said gang is none other than Shane’s grief stricken and slightly (or more than slightly) unhinged daddy dearest Frank Collins out for revenge for the deaths of his wife and daughter several years earlier.

There are several twists and turns in this book, several moves that advance the plot for more books in the series and quite a few advancements on the romantic front for all four characters. Number one, the action was superb. I was never bored or flipping through pages, which I tend to do with books where the action takes over the rest of the plot but drags. I was always eager for more and although for most of the second half of the book Shane isn’t around (for good reason) and therefore unable to interact with Claire and the rest of the gang – which tend to be my favourite parts, when these four are together and more often than not bickering, I never felt jipped or sorry. I was eager to read more and learn more and see where this twisty plot would take me. I loved every minute of the action and the way this story developed.

One of the better parts of this book was seeing Shane and Claire grow closer. These two are so cute together and I love that for all Claire’s innocence and seeming mousiness, she knows what she wants and want she wants is Shane. She isn’t as timid with him when she realizes what she wants and I enjoyed seeing her break out of her shell in not only her interactions with Shane, but also with bitchy and seriously insane Monica Morell and her psycho gang as well as with the vamps. Claire is becoming a force to be reckoned with in her quiet unsuspecting way and I really enjoy her as a heroine. As always, Shane is great for a party line and although he was more worried and serious in this book – understandable given the circumstances, he was still the great ole’ Shane I met in the previous book and I loved him. Michael and Eve were equally likeable and I especially love Michael as well. The one thing I will say though is that although you know that Michael and Eve are falling hard for one another, you as a reader don’t fully see it. They have interactions and exchanged words that are related to the readers through Claire’s observations, but in terms of seeing behind that closed door into their personal and private interactions, the readers miss all this and therefore miss much of the development of their fantastic relationship. I love each character separately and think they go so well together and seeing the way Michael loves and protects Eve I so badly wanted to see more of them behind the wall that Claire can’t see past. That would be my one and only complaint about this book really. I want to see more Eve and Michael.

The only other thing I could mention as an irritant is Claire's unrelenting desire to go to school - I know she's a smarty pants and loves education and doesn't want to sacrifice her classes, but come on girl - she is in the middle of a very real and dangerous crisis and insists that she not only go to school, but go alone. Forget the threat of vamps, she goes to a place where she was beat up, thrown down a flight of stairs but Monica and her minions and targettet, taunted and threatened more than once. It's a stupid move and irritating that Claire is so smart in every other way and yet makes these poor choices. Because inevitably whenever she does get to class there is alwasy some dire insident which leads to more drama and action, but also makes the reader think - "see, if you had listened to Michael and Shane you wouldn't be in this mess!" It's a small thing, but still annoying in the grand scheme.

The evolution of the plot was great and I loved the way Caine leaves readers on such tenuous cliffhangers. As in the previous book, the atmosphere of Morganville was still wonderful and I continue to love this foursome and the real genuine and heartfelt love and devotion they have for one another. In a short amount of time they have all grown to love, respect and care for one another and when Michael called the others his family, I got a stupid happy grin on my face, thinking Ya! You are family!

These four would lay down their lives for one another and in the constant danger and drama of Morganville that willingness is both real and a very strong possibility on a regular basis.
Another fantastic instalment of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

4 Stars.

I read this book back in early March and had my review up on Goodreads, but I wanted to post it here as well :)

This was a really enjoyable read. I finished this a few days back and since then the thing that has stuck with me the most is the setting.
Cynthia Hand does such an amazing job of bringing the small town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming to life in the story. It's almost like a separate character in the story, providing the setting for many of Clara's adventures in her new town. Skiing, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, fishing. It's unique to have all these elements incorporated into a story that usually focuses on the high school environment and then the home or job of one or more of the characters. This story really focused on the colourful town which I appreciated.

Clara is a great character. She's sweet, down-to-earth, insecure like the rest of typical high school girls - even though she's and angel. She makes a great heroine. The other thing I really like was that Clara knew what she was, what her mother and brother are before the book even starts. From the first page you know as a reader that Clara is aware she's an angel and that she has a purpose to carry out. In so many YA paranormal books reader spend at least 4 chapters being introduced to the world and being guided by the previously clueless main character. It's a great way for the author to do it, but gets tedious once you get to know the formula. I liked that Hand chose to go in a different direction with her story.

Now for the boys - Tucker and Christian. I knew almost right away who I was rooting for. They're both nice, personable charming characters in their own way and Clara is attracted to both, but you can tell she is more sincerely developing feelings for one. I won't spoil it. All I'll say is that she chose the guy I had my eye on ;) The thing I most appreciated is that Hand takes real care to develop relationships in this book. Not just with the guys but with Clara's girlfriends. They all have distinct personalities and have credible use in the book. There are no wallpaper characters in this one. The relationship between Clara and her guy in particular is very well done and totally had me melting in some scenes. You could tell these two really cared for one another and saw the development of those feelings!

The end was engaging and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen. It was fast-paced, maybe a little too quick, which is part of the reason this book got 4 instead of 5 for me as well as the fact that I felt there could have been more of a showdown or climax after all the workup through out the story. The whole book, Clara's move with her family and what follows is designed to help her achieve her purpose and then when readers get to the end, the inevitable showdown, the moment where all her visions of her purpose will come to pass, the whole thing moves much too quickly. I'll say here that I would have made the exact same decision Clara chose to make in that final moment. But, I thought that some of the events which came before the crisis moment could have been better established. The whole climax needed to flow a bit better. The ending wasn't enough to really detract from the enjoyment of this book, because the very end, the last few lines is what hooks readers for the next books.
There's no frustrating or insurmountable cliffhanger, but there are several little teasers that make you want to know what will happen next.

Overall, a very entertaining and engaging read. A nice introduction to Cynthia Hand's work.

Oh, and BEAUTIFUL COVER! It's gorgeous. The cover in itself is worth 5 stars :) Although the girl on the cover always reminds me of Natalie Portman, even though Clara is supposed to be a blond. Ah well.



The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

More than 5 Stars!

This book deserves way more than 5 stars!

The Restorer is right up there as one of the best books I’ve read this year. I don’t think I can even express how wonderful this storyline was or how unique and perfect the writing was. It wasn’t that the writing style itself was all that different, but the way Amanda Stevens was able to draw the readers so thoroughly and completely into the world where our heroine Amelia lives. The story takes place in Charleston, South Carolina and is told in first person perspective by Amelia Gray a cemetery restorer, who from the age of nine has been curse with the ability to see ghosts. This ability was only heightened by the fact that growing up she spent much of her time in the old gothic cemeteries around her home. Her father was a groundskeeper and shares Amelia’s abilities and has raised her with strict rules where ghosts are concerned.

Never acknowledge the dead
Never stray far from hallowed ground
Never associate with those who are haunted
Never, ever tempt fate

Amelia is about to let the rules that have governed her entire life fly out the window when John Devlin a police detective enters her life asking for her help in a gruesome murder case. Several bodies are being discovered, buried beneath the tombs of graves in an old and derelict graveyard where Amelia has been hired to restore the grounds. I won’t say much more about the plot because even if it wouldn’t give away spoilers I don’t think I could do the premise justice.

I was so very impressed with this story. It may come across in the beginning as just a simple ghost story/detective novel but it is so much more. I loved each and every one of these characters, even the creepy ones who always questioned. Amelia was a wonderful protagonist and I loved her smooth and engaging voice. Devlin is in a league all his own in my opinion. The guy is haunted, full of guilt, torn apart because of a past tragedy and from the beginning Amelia can sense his sorrow and see the life being drawn out of him bit by bit. She knows she has to stay away from him, but what happens when the one person you can see yourself identifying with after having lived your life so closed off from everyone around you, becomes the one person who could be a threat to the very thing that keeps you safe? This is Amelia’s very tricking predicament and it was fascinating and heartbreaking to see these two try to get close to one another and then ultimately come to realize all the reasons they cannot even be friends. I’m not giving too much away here – don’t worry – this is a series and there are two more books scheduled for release. (I am personally waiting very impatiently to find out what happens next)

The fluidity with which the book is written is what captures a reader so intensely. The writing is almost poetic. Melodic and gentle, the writing itself reminds a reader of the setting. The small Charleston setting is so real while you read, it’s amazing. You can feel the heat seeping into your bones, the smell of the jasmine and grass; almost see the wilting flowers in a garden. It’s amazing how many of my senses were targeted while reading which only made my enjoyment that much more.

The story itself is fascinating and had me guessing the whole way through. You think you know about Amelia and her curse/gift and yet by the end you realize that everything Amelia knew and everything you though you understood could be wrong. Amelia will have a fierce fight ahead of her and I can’t wait to see what happens in her life next. Especially where Devlin is concerned.

The mystery/ghost story aspect of the novel was superbly executed; a mix of history, some mythological legend and creeptastic imagery is what it’s all about. I was reading the final few chapters of the book in bed the other night during a storm and let me tell you I was scary myself pretty bad. It’s not that anything is told in graphic detail, but you almost get more scared because everything is described so gently in that same melodic way as the rest of the book. It all fits the setting so perfectly in my opinion.

Honestly, I’m probably going to start gushing even more than I already have been if I continue, so bottom line – this is more than a 5 star! This is a forever favourite and I wasn’t even expecting it. Such a treat and I am now addicted to The Graveyard Queen series. Cannot wait for the next, The Kingdom to be released.

PS – Love this cover and hope the second and third installments are such as hauntingly beautiful.

Just to clarify - Mira publishes romance books and this novel is labelled as a paranormal romance, but let me say that having read more romance books than I can count in almost every genre, this story is so much mroe than romance. Yes, there is a bit of romance, but the way it progresses is much more geared towards fiction. The stories backbone is the ghosts and the murders being solved and the relationships between all characters. Amelia, and the way she has always lived her life is turned on its head in this book and Stevens set ups several storylines in this first novel that could trickle into future books. So if you are weary of reading romance, have no fear - this book contains so much more and in my opinion should be labeled as fiction. Don't let the lable deter you! You'll be missing out on a great read :)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

3 Stars. (Young Adult)

Hex Hall was for the most part a cute and light hearted read. It was entertaining and the cast of characters were enjoyable.
I can’t say I absolutely loved this book, but it was a fun read and the pages fly by quickly. The pace of the story starts out fast and keeps going all the way to the end. There isn’t much filler and the book does a good job of setting up the world of Prodigium for the readers.

Sophie Mercer is exiled to Hex Hall after another of her spells goes horribly array, basically Hex is a boarding school for delinquent Prodigium - fairies, werewolves, witches etc. who have for one reason or another been caught using their abilities in front of humans which could severely harm the secrecy so important to the magical world. Sophie arrives at Hex and is immediately singled out by the mean girls, develops a futile crush on one of the hottest boys at the school and a friendship with the one and only vampire on campus, who is an exile among exiles.

Sophie was an intriguing character, funny, strong, smart and sometimes sassy; she knew how to handle herself well among the elite of the school. She wasn’t willing to let anyone push her around and made sure she stood up for herself when necessary. I would have liked to see her stand up just a little more for Jenna, the resident vampire, though when she was being accused of some pretty heinous acts.
All in all the story was fluid and interesting but lacked in a few ways that made it only a 3 star read rather than a possible 5.
For one, although the characters were interesting, they needed much more development. I was 155 pages in and felt like the author was still setting everything up for the reader. Sophie and Archer’s relationship needed a lot more attention, especially given the ending of the book and the outcome of said relationship. It really bothered me that the author didn’t give enough attention to these two. Sophie started mentioning in her narrative about the talks she and Archer shared while they worked in the cellar after receiving a semester long detention. Well, the reader never really gets to witness these interactions and although they are mentioned so the reader knows these two are getting closer, I never saw the change and so didn’t fully believe that Sophie’s feelings changed so drastically. Archer had the potential to be a great lead and for the most part he was, but again his characterization needed some work. I needed to see him more in the story. I wanted to know what his motivations were and how his feelings changed so suddenly for Sophie. I know that the book is told from her perspective, but so many YA books are and I still feel like I witnessed the ultimate change of feelings between hero and heroine. I didn’t get that feeling with Hex Hall. The pivotal scene between them was well played and I really liked it, but it fell flat after I passed it because their previous interactions didn’t live up to the emotion of that key moment.

Sophie was the most developed character but I still questioned her sometimes. She was consistent but I wanted more from her. More of a personality one way or the other. Is she a strong, kick-ass heroine or a shy girl who needs to step out of her shell and fight. She was both and I guess that bothered me.

The mean girls were suitably mean, but the ultimate showdown between Sophie and her nemesis and the resolution of the ultimate mystery in the book felt rushed and too simple.

The history of Hex and the present dangers to the Prodigium were all well developed and explained, but I would have liked a bit more mystery and intrigue. As a final point, a story about magic and witches, in my opinion could have amped up the magical elements. The spells that weere cast seemed very superfifical and I was definitely hoping for more from the moments when magic was used at Hex Hall.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read but lacked depth and tension in a lot of places. I will probably read the second in the series at some point, because there were definitely interesting lose ends to tie up for the rest of the series, but it’s not a high priority on my list right now.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

4 stars. (Young Adult - pnr)

I really enjoyed Glass Houses. It was the perfect book to read for the mood I was in last week and I savoured every minute of it. The characters were compelling and real, their relationships were heartfelt, at once jokey and light as well as emotional and deep. I loved the atmosphere of the Glass House, a relic in time complete with secret doors, hidden passage ways and protected by a creepy although handy magic ward that keeps the occupants of teh house safe and sound.

I really liked the overall concept of Morganville, a small town overrun with vampires - and everyone knows it. This type of premise is different from many other vampire books I've read where the vampires live in secret and seclusion, the hunters but also the hunted should any human discover their secret. In Morganville, the vampires rule the night and the day. They are in charge and all the humans who occupy the town are subordinates to the ultimate power of the nightwalkers. I liked this bit because it threw the whole concept of power into a tailspin. While most everyone in the small town carry on their lives alongside the vampires, most familes are under the "protection" of one or more vampires and where special bracelets to prove it. These bracelets are the only thing that keep the vamps from taking a midnight snack. There are the exceptions, however, those rebels who refuse to pledge themselves to the vampires and by consequence are pretty much fair game for anyone who wants to take a bite.

All this is what 16 year old university freshman Claire Danvers learns in her first month in Morganville. A brilliant student, Claire has always been on the outside of every in crowd and she's struggled to find her place in a world where age definitely matters. She's young but she's smart enough to be in university, but her parents refuse to allow her to attend MIT or Stanford or any other Ivy league school that would carry her far away from her home and family. So they shuttle her off to Morganville where she is accosted by the mean/psychotic girls...seriously these chicks are fierce and not in a good way. Anyone who will shove you down a flight of stairs, bruise your face with their fist, kidnap you in broad daylight for an intended group beating before then letting you go with the promise of retribution and death are not really girls you'd want to have a sleepover with. Claire is accosted and so decides that she has to leave her dorms. She ends up coming across a notice for a roommate and heads off to the Glass House. She doesn't expect to be invited to stay - and when Michael Glass, the landlord/owner of the house at 18 realizes her age, he isn't keen on letting her stay. A 16 year old in a house with 3 18 year olds, two of whom are boys could easily cause some issues. Claire makes her friends though, in the goth girl Eve who has a funky attitude and funny snark. Shane, the seemingly aloof but ultimately extremely loyal sarcastic one and Michael, the responsible, level-headed one of the bunch who carries a few secrets of his own. Claire grows in confidence and finds her inner strenght through her friendships with these guys and I liked seeing her evolve and get stronger. She's a tough cookie you can tell, she just needs to let herself unleash her own strength.

The most fun about this book is the chance to see these compelling characters get to know one another and form their bonds. They all get along really well and it happens quickly. They bond, the protect one another, they try to survive in a town where choosing to be unprotected by the vampires can get you into a lot of trouble.

This was a great introduction to the Morganville world and I'm really excited to read more.

The only things that didn't work and so didn't earn this book a 5 star where small tidbits in the end, but would have really made this book that much more exciting for me to read.

1. I really loved Shane and Claire together and was waiting the entire book for something to happen between them. When it finally did I loved it, but it somehow felt rushed and also came a bit out of left field. You could tell they liked one another as more than friends, but all the signs were VERY subtle and could have easily have been shrugged off as friendly banter or the like if they hadn't come to terms withone another. I felt like their needed to be a bit more interaction or less subtle signs of their feelings before the 'big moment' came. I'm eager to see how their relationship will play out.

2. I wanted more interaction between all four of the roommates and also to see more scenes between just Eve and Michael. Even if it was just a quick glimpse of something happening between them, nothing big - but something to make me smile cause these two are great.

3. I wanted a teeny bit more action. It all came towards the end and it was great but again I needed more dispersed through out the book.

Overall a very enjoyable read! I'm excited to continue this series and learn more about Morganville, it's hierarchy and power struggle between the vampires and the foursome of friends I've come to adore.

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz

4 stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz
ARC copy provided by Harlequin Teen and netGalley

Expected publication: June 28th 2011 by Harlequin Teen 

Paperback, 384 pages

I received this book for review through netGalley from Harlequin Teen. I don't know what I was expecting going in, but I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by what I got. Spellbound was a really fun, interesting and cute read about a girl trying to fit in at her new school while trying to understand the strange pull she seems to have towards a classmate. Enter Brendan Salinger, smart, super hot, funny and very interested in Emma.

I was half in love with the guy when he stepped into class on Emma's first day. I also very much appreciated that Shultz made the relationship between Emma and Brendan believable. Starting with Twilight I've read way to many books where the girl and guy have some inexplicable connection they are both willing to die for and yet, this amazing soul connection is never explained to readers. I don't know how I'm supposed to invest myself in a book or it's characters when the fundamental relationship seems underdeveloped and chaotic. Well, have no fear with this book. Emma and Brendan connect from the start and you can tell that they are intrigued and fascinated by one another, more so on Emma's part since the book is told from her perspective, but readers are also lead through their relationship from the very beginning. It's not like they meet and fall in love the next day. There is a noticeable evolution in the attraction these two feel for one another and you could feel it as a reader. It's normal and very high school and it's sweet and makes your heart flutter in some scenes.
Brendan is very protective of Emma, but she in turn is a very strong and capable girl. She stands up to the rich b*tch in school on her first day and sticks up for her cousin when her reputation is smeared by the school jock (or jerk, whichever) - who is very sinister and a very good villain. I liked that Emma wasn't a wimp or a damsel in distress. She'd been through some tough experiences in her short life and she knows how to take care of herself. I liked that about Emma, because it meant that she was willing to open herself up to Brendan without loosing herself.
The only thing I would have liked is for their relationship to stay in the same zone of 'normalcy' it started in once they find out the reason they feel so connected to one another. It made sense why they would become so committed so fast, but I did miss the normal evolution of their dating once they jump started everything when they found out the truth about one another. It really is just a small point, but it would have been nice to see them be a bit weary or wondering or even just get in a fight without making up minutes later.

Brendan was a really great hero though, he was compelling and captivating and very loving. I loved his determination and his attitude even if he did pull the whole - love you ignore you schtick in the beginning with Emma.

The secondary characters were great! Each and every one of them. Ashley, Emma's younger cousin was sweet and naive but very loving and a great friend to Emma. Jenn and Cisco were equally entertaining, although I could have done with seeing them a little more. It felt like once Brendan and Emma got together the friends fell off the radar a bit. They were great when you saw them though. Especially Cisco.
Angelique was also a nice addition, although I think she could have had more of a role beyond simply being the one to help Emma unearth the truth.

Overall this book was a great debut and kept me glued to the pages as I read and read and read. It was unique and intriguing and very touching. On a final note I think that the issue Brendan and Emma face could have been a little more complex. The way to saving one another could have been more complex and I felt the conflict ended a little too easily, although the final showdown between Emma, Brendan and the villain was very well executed. It left the door open for more drama and danger if, Schultz is planning on a second book. There is a hint that there will be more stories about these characters and if that is the case I will definitely be picking them up once they're published.

This book is an definite must read, great writing with a unique and very admirable heroine. This girl has gumption!

(thanks to netGalley and Harlequin Teen for the arc copy)

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

4 Stars. (Young Adult)

The Dark Divine was fast paced, heartfelt and exciting read. It had all the hallmarks of a great debut paranormal YA read. What I loved about it though was the same thing I loved about Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten, the first in her Women of the Underworld adult series. It involves otherworldly creatures but doesn’t stray completely into the paranormal universe. This world is real. Grace, Daniel, Jude and the rest are all struggling to define their roles and natures in a real setting that is largely based on fact rather than ancient bloodlines or religious myths. I really enjoyed the melding between the real world and legend. Bree Despain did a great job of grounding her story in interesting historical legend.

The story starts out when Grace Divine, the second eldest child in a family of five and daughter of the local Pastor runs into her old crush and one of her brother’s former best-friends when he returns to their small town after a sudden an unexplained disappearance three years before. Daniel, said crush, is dark, mysterious, definitely has a secret he’s fiercely guarding and yet he’s also a broken and trampled young guy who beneath all the edge and otherworldliness is simply a person looking for love. It was really touching the way that Despain characterized Daniel. He had lots of strength and yet his weaknesses weren’t glossed over to make him the perfect hero for Grace. Of course she worshipped him, but a lot of her admiration stemmed from their memories as children. Another thing I loved. I am a sucker for a story that involves two people who once knew each other when they were kids or who have some sort of history. It always heightens the drama and definitely goes a long way to explaining the connection between two characters if done correctly.

Grace I enjoyed for the most part, but her character was one reason I didn’t give this story a full 5 stars. She had her moments were her naiveté and innocence turned from charming to annoying. Grace is a kind and sweet tempered young girl who wants to help her old friend. She is very much her father’s daughter, having learned at a young age the virtue in charity and kindness. She starts out wanting nothing more than to help Daniel return to his former life, they share a passion for art so she tries to help Daniel get into a good art school. Grace is also determined to repair the very fractured friendship between her older brother Jude and Daniel, who before Daniel’s disappearance had been best friends. Where Grace bothered me though was in regards this second point. She wants desperately to know the truth about what happened three years ago, when her brother came home covered in his own blood and the boy she loved disappeared. When she learns the truth, though her reaction made me lose a little patience with her. I expected her to be forgiving, understanding and want immediately to help Daniel. Instead, she turned away from him, began to ignore him at school and all but ejects him from her life. This isn’t to say she’s rude or mean about it, she’s not. Grace lives up to her name in that all her snubs are quietly and remorsefully delivered. She feels bad for snubbing her friend, a boy she cares deeply for, but she wants to align herself with her brother – who has been fiercely against her friendship with Daniel since his return. I wanted Grace to be stronger in this moment. She comes around eventually, and it’s satisfying to see her reunite with Daniel, although the circumstances they face towards the end are less than desirable! I forgave her her stupidity in the moment, but her reaction to Daniel’s secret bothered me slightly. Not enough to affect my overall enjoyment though.

The setting of a small town felt perfect. Just the right amount of expectation and dissection from nosy neighbours tempered with warmth and affection from outsiders. The mystery of Daniel’s past and the road to discovering what exactly he is was capturing and never failed to keep me invested in the story. The religious aspect to not only the truth of what Daniel is, but also the background of the characters was refreshing and a very interesting way to spin a story that could have very well felt like another blah YA read.

Overall, The Dark Divine was a very exciting debut and I’m eager to read the next in the series. There isn’t really a cliffhanger, but you definitely want to know what’s going to happen next when a few people’s lives are thrown off course, namely, Jude and Grace.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

2 Stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

I really wanted to like this one. I know the reviews are VERY mixed but I always make up my own mind about things because sometimes my tastes are very different. I wasn't a huge fan of Twilight so when other reviews complained of too many similarities I was weary but also keen to see if maybe Fitzpatrick could write something similar but do it better.

This book started out well. I was intrigued by the narrator, by the setting and the people. There was a real sense of normal vs. something very eerie and mysterious at work. Fitzpatrick did a great job of pulling readers into the suspense without giving too much away. Of course from the back blurb you know going in what Patch is, but its all the other weird events going on in Nora's life that are left unexplained. How are they all connected? and what do they have to do with Patch?

These questions were enough to keep me reading but not enough to make me love this book. I felt all the way through that there was such potential that wasn't being reached. The meat of the story was there but it was almost like the author didn't quite know how to pull it all together in a believable way.

Nora was a nice narrator, she wasn't annoying or frustrating, she was sweet and naive at some points and tough and go-getting in others. She seemed like a normal girl you'd meet in high school, not popular, not bitchy, not particularly whiny or snotty. Average but cute and someone you wouldn't mind knowing. Patch was suitably mysterious and kind of edgy but really fell short of the "ultimate bad boy" Fitzpatrick claimed to have written. I've read a lot of YA and a lot of fiction with bad boys and Patch isn't exactly in their league. He's on his way but not dark or dangerous enough. I couldn't really ever get a clear shake on his personality or what he was trying to do. Was he trying to scare Nora or pull her in? He wasn't as well realized as he could have been.

The story also fell flat for me when it came to Nora and Patch's relationship. The mystery of the who, what, when and why almost had me intrigued enough for the relationship not to matter but it became such a focus for Nora that I couldn't ignore it. Which was also weird. The first meeting between Nora and Patch was strained and she seemed not to like him, but then he began to continually consume her thoughts.
Patch is supposed to be dangerous and there are several moments all through out the book where Nora accuses him of some pretty serious and messed up acts and yet she claims in the same breath to really like him. She can't shake her attraction to him and all the while I'm thinking "why?", "when did you start to like him so much? When he was supposedly beating people up, or supposedly stalking you?" It seemed really silly and I thought that I had missed some key moment of interaction between them which would have believably perked Nora's serious interest in Patch. The moments were there where I could see an attraction build but it seemed unrealistic that Nora would like him given her inability to trust him. In the real world if you were ready to accuse someone of violent acts I doubt you'd be thinking about making out with the guy. Also, in the real world if you accused someone of violent acts I doubt he'd be receptive to dating you. Nora has no idea Patch is anything other than a normal teenage guy, so it seemed weird that she'd be comfortable calling him out on stuff. How did she know he wouldn't think she's nuts, or just get pissed with her for accusing him of wrong doing?

The setting was interesting and could have been a real asset to the story, but I wanted more description.
The characters waffled and weren't consistent and problems and dramatic events were too easily explained away or dismissed. 

The fact that Nora is being forced to see the school psychologist because of her father's murder was also a huge missed opportunity. Nora never seemed to suffer because of her dad's loss. She barely ever reflected on it unless she was talking about the reasons she had to see the shrink. The inclusion of such a dramatic event without the follow through character-wise showed a lack of technique in the writing. Don't include something so dramatic without explaining it fully to readers. It should have affected Nora's character more than it did.

Nora had potential as a character but ultimately the unrealistic nature of her relationship with Patch ruined it.

I would have given this book a 3 star, but I got bored towards the end and never felt a real pull to pick it up and keep reading once I'd put it down. I know when I love a book I will drop everything else to whip through pages and I never once felt that with Hush Hush

Ultimately this book had tons of potential but never quite reached it!

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

5 Stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

What a fabulous end to a great series. Everything that I was hoping for happened in this book, not the least of which is that Chloe got her man.

**Possible Spoilers Ahead**(because I had to gush)

I was so impressed with this last book in the series and the amount of action Armstrong packed into the scenes tempered by still and really lovely scenes between the kids. Derek and Chloe's relationship really took a turn - well a few - in this one, but even when they were really annoyed with one another they still understood one another in a way no one else in their group could. I loved that when Derek finally made his final transition, their communication was effortless and instantaneous. There was no muddling through or guessing games, Chloe took charge and let Derek know that she would always be the one to know what he was thinking and feeling - no words needed. It was such a unique relationship between these two and I loved it. Having read Bitten Armstrong's first book in her adult Women of the Underworld Series which centers on werewolves I knew that she had an immense talent for weaving incredibly visceral scenes when her characters are in wolf form and the Wolf-Derek scenes lived up and even at times exceeded my expectations. There is one pivotal scene that has to do with his transition in each book and each time Chloe was right by his side guiding him through. They were such sweet and endearing moments that really proved to the reader how much these two cared about one another.

I will say that the love triangle wasn't much of one. I don't really know if it was meant to be. Simon doesn't seem overly interested in Chloe until mere mentions in book two and then when they kind of have a date in this book its clear that although he thinks she's a great girl, the chemistry isn't there. Simon can tell Chloe doesn't feel it. I think the fact that Simon is a genuinely nice guy made Chloe think that there could be more between them because she already cared about him as a friend. Obviously though there was a lot missing between them and Chloe's heart was already laid elsewhere. Although there could have been more drama in this mixed up triangle, considering Simon is Derek's brother, I think it was handled appropriately given that Simon really loved his brother dearly and knew how much he needed to be happy - and how much Chloe made him happy. Simon's affection, while seemingly sincere, didn't seem to run that deep. He cared about Chloe for sure, but I think he could see that she wasn't going to be the girl for him. And if he could let go that easily, clearly it wasn't a die-hard love!

**End of Spoilers**

Another character I really came to admire in this book was Tori. In my first review of The Summoning she was the bitchy, whiny trouble-maker who targeted Chloe relentlessly. She was the character that had the most transition. The reasons for her behaviour were clear and I was shocked at the way she was being treated by her mother, and admired the fact that she chose to mature and get past the trauma her mother had put her through - was still putting her through - she's really the character you feel for. Derek and Simon aren't eager to trust her and she knows it, but she's determined to prove her worth and I admired that about Tori. She really came into her own and I liked that her growth as a character didn't mean that she became the sicky sweet character just to prove she was different. Tori retained her snarky attitude but it became a really great element of her character rather than a flaw.

Chloe too impressed me with the transition she made through out all three books. She started out as a really naive, innocent, and overly-nice character but blossomed into a very self-sufficient, capable and take charge girl. She was often the one the other characters leaned on for support even though she may not have even realized it. I really enjoyed watching her grow, and like Tori this maturation didn't mean she lost all the elements of her character she'd had in the beginning. She was still naive - but more endearingly so. She was still overly nice at times and I wanted her to speak up for herself, but she got stronger and told others what she though. I really liked that a facet of Derek and Chloe's relationship was that they were the most honest with one another. When Chloe was at her strongest it was when she was fighting or talking and goofing off with Derek. Likewise, although Derek was still overprotective, quick to anger and hard to read at times, he let it all hang out with Chloe. He told her off, apologized and let himself be totally vulnerable with her. He also encouraged her to be strong, although like any good werewolf continued to be protective of his mate :p

So, although there were loose ends left untied in this books, they aren't the type of loose ends that are frustrating or impossible to stand knowing this is (for now) Chloe's last adventure. Armstrong has made it pretty clear that although Chloe's story is done for now, she foresees connecting Chloe and the gang with Maya and her gang in the next set of Darkest Powers novels. The Gathering takes up with another group of kids forced into experiments on supernaturals by the Edison Group and Armstrong has mentioned that when Maya's trilogy is done she sees a potential for connecting the two stories. So, all that to say that I can understand why Armstrong decided to leave the loose ends she did in the final book. If everything was tied up neatly there would be no story left to tell. It's appropriate for the type of story she's telling because although Chloe and the gang took down there adversaries, they are an arm of a much bigger monster.

Looking forward to reading the rest of the Darkest Powers books and getting to know the new gang.

Armstrong has a great talent for telling engaging, fast-paced, action packed reads with real characters who leap from the page. She writes with sincerity and refuses to fall back on cliches or the dreaded misunderstanding to fill the pages in need of drama. Her clean and easy prose makes for quick books that seem to fly buy. You finish one of her stories always clamouring for the next one!
 

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

5 Stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

The Awakening was even better than the first in the series The Summoning . It was jammed packed full of action from the first page and they literally fly by as you read. I was about 300 pages in after buying it last night and sitting down to read for a few hours.

All the great characters from the first novel are back in the second and I love the development of them all. I will say that the only character I still feel I don't know that well is Simon, but really I don't even care that much because I'm so in love with Derek and Chloe. It's not even their chemistry that is compelling, although that is a draw. It's the individual characters and how they interact and react to one another. Chloe and Derek who were always snipping and griping at one another in book one, fall into same old patterns in the beginning of book two, but I loved seeing this pair evolve and come to understand each other better. Chloe is a sweet girl, as Tori says "the sweet energizer bunny...always going." Although Chloe has her moment when she's not so sweet, I felt that she was the most herself when she was interacting with Derek, for better or worse, snippy or sweet she was great to read when she was sharing a scene with the resident dark and broody anti-hero. These two had some pretty great moments, especially one in the woods which was a pivotal scene in creating a turning point for these two (and no it's not what you all think...get your minds out of the gutter! :p) My heart ached for Derek in this scene and Chloe's reaction only made me love her more.

Although the book opens with the foursome separated from one another and takes about 130 pages for them to reunite, it felt super quick and everything you learn while Chloe and the girls are locked away is essential to the progression of the plot. I was itchy for them to meet up with the boys again and when it happened everything zoomed!

The Edison Group is one creepy bunch and I thought that Armstrong have just enough detail and info to keep readers interested and on the edge of their seats without giving all the fun away. I'm eager to see where the whole conspiracy will be taken in the final book.
I'm also eager to see how things evolve between my two fav characters. I suspect Simon will come along to throw a wrench in things, but tension always makes things more interesting.

**A special nod to those who have read Bitten the first in Armstrong's adult Women of the Underworld series. A minor character from that book, Zachary Cain is mentioned briefly in a scene in this novel and I smiled when I read it. I was wondering if Armstrong would find a way to connect her two worlds even though they take place in different cities. But as the group passed through Syracuse, heading for NY I figured she'd find a way. It's always fun to pull out the connections.

A great installment in the Darkest Powers series.