Tag: Magic/Supernatural (Page 19 of 29)

BOOK REVIEW – Come Alive (Experiment in Terror #7) by Karina Halle

BOOK REVIEW – Come Alive (Experiment in Terror #7) by Karina HalleCome Alive (Experiment in Terror #7)
by Karina Halle
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Come Alive didn’t seem to have the effect on me that it did on everyone else. While the beginning was adorable and Pex was in an ignorant bliss, the rest of the story closed up and swallowed most of the preconceived warm and fuzzies evoked from the beginning of the story and left me feeling bored and somewhat reminiscent of the times where Perry was our narrator.

As I said above, the beginning started off somewhat strong-Dex and Perry are happy and starting fresh after all their earlier mishaps, hoping for a bright future…together. Neither of these characters ever believed they would be where they are now, and they are basking in the unbelievability of their tentative relationship. I really enjoyed seeing their feelings show for each other at the same time for once. There was only one glitch (well, actually many glitches, but that’s beside the point) that really bothered me about their new relationship.

The fact that we had, YES I said had, to hear it from Dex’s POV, really didn’t work for me.

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BOOK REVIEW – Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

BOOK REVIEW – Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare BlakeAnna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)
by Kendare Blake
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

5 Unexpected Stars!!!


Thunder Bay, Ontario, is our destination. I’m going there to kill her. Anna. Anna Korlov. Anna dressed in blood.

Scary books have never been something I find easy to read, so when I started reading the reviews for Anna, I became super nervous. A creepy ghost who kills anyone that enters the house she is bound to? Yeah…not good for someone prone to nightmares. But what I soon learned as I delved deeper into the story was that this book had nothing on Karina Halle’s EIT series, and for that I was grateful. I love the EIT series, but Anna was so refreshing, light, and easy to read. So for those of you who don’t like scary books, this would be a great beginner-while there’s a spine-tingling undertone to the story, it never reaches over the top and terrifies you….just gives you glimpses of mangled ghosts and eerie settings.

Over the course of my life I’ve been to lots of places. Shadowed places where things have gone wrong. Sinister places where things still are. I always hate the sunlit towns, full of newly built developments with double-car garages in shades of pale-eggshell, surrounded by green lawns and dotted with laughing children. Those towns aren’t any less haunted than the others. They’re just better liars. I like it more to come to a place like this, where the scent of death is carried to you on every seventh breath.

By far my favorite thing (okay…one of my favorite things) about this story was the mood with which everything was set up. I wasn’t merely a bystander left to coast through pages with which there was no connection whatsoever, I was in the story, playing out the scene alongside Cas- Making the story come alive and even scarier as it became increasingly darker in the deep recesses of Blake’s gloomy fantasy. The author painted a vivid picture with each and every instance, choosing to invite us to be a part of the story instead of just letting us ‘see’ what happens. That is my biggest gripe with certain authors, so I was beside myself when I realized just how well Blake delivered each fighting scene-It brought me a sense of satisfaction I have missed long since finishing my other favorite scary parnormal series.

It’s a funny thing about ghosts. They might have been normal, or relatively normal when they were still breathing, but once they die they’re your typical obsessives. They become fixated on what happened to them and trap themselves in the worst moment. Nothing else exists in their world except the edge of the knife, the feel of those hands around their throat. They have a habit of showing you these things, usually by demonstration. If you know their story, it isn’t hard to predict what they’ll do.

With each new book, there is a different identity and reasons why I fall in love with it. Not always is the main character a reason I can relate to the story, but in Anna, I completely gravitated towards Cas, our lead male character. He was funny, quirky, cocky, but not overly so, and as loyal as a constant mover and shaker can be. The narrative voice was so fun and refreshing, I continually laughed out loud. A serious moment became light as air as soon as Cas would make a flippant remark or mentally knock on other characters. And once he met Anna, he became unbearably sweet and hooked his claws into me.

But somewhere out there is one that matters. Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breaths out of living throats.

….

I wonder how she’ll try to kill me?

A tragic love story where hunter meets his prey, inevitably feeling drawn to this unseen force that tugs on him even away from the unidentified source of obsession. Knowing he has to do what is right, what he was born to do, he struggles internally with the idea of banishing this tortured soul to the depths of…well, wherever the souls go after he ‘kills’ them. As more people get involved, it becomes harder and harder to protect Anna, to stall what must be done, and it all leads to an epic showdown that lead me to plead for more.

This isn’t right. Now that they’re here and afraid, they’re laughing at her, trying to turn her into a joke. Crushing their full beer cans against their heads feels like a great idea, and yes, I feel the hypocrisy in my wanting to defend something that I’m trying to kill.

Overall, a totally fun and unexpected ride that I couldn’t separate from, making for a quick weekend read. The most unexpected aspect was the connection to each character. While in most reviews for Anna the downfall was the lack of connection to the characters, I felt the exact opposite. They weren’t necessarily deep and meaningful per se, but more quirky and down to earth. For instance-the popular ‘queen bee’ wasn’t snooty or trapped in a stereotype at all. She became a main character that meshed with the ghost hunting duo and ultimately made it a ghost hunting trio. Many times the protagonist is the character that shines above the rest, but in this story I never felt like the only person I cared about was Cas. There were so many more characters I didn’t want to die, I was invested in them all.

…I can feel the newspaper clipping in my pocket like it weighs a thousand pounds. I can feel that photo of Anna, staring out from sixty years ago, and I can’t help myself from wanting to protect her, wanting to save her from becoming what she already is.

Adrenaline pumping, pulse pounding and a race to the finish ending, I was in my element. I didn’t know what would happen to Anna or Cas, just that I didn’t want anything catastrophic to happen to them. Many people will love this story, others won’t be able to identify with it. I tend to just take a book for what it is-fun and carefree. If you want a deep-rooted and mind-altering story, this probably isn’t it. It’s an accomplished escape from reality that will keep you entertained for hours and unable to switch back into ‘real life’ mode. An insta-favorite for me, and I am already half-way through book 2….and I’m still completely enthralled.

“Don’t be afraid of the dark, Cas. But don’t let them tell you that everything that’s there in the dark is also there in the light. It isn’t.”

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BOOK REVIEW – Inescapable (The Premonition #1) by Amy A. Bartol

BOOK REVIEW – Inescapable (The Premonition #1) by Amy A. BartolInescapable (The Premonition #1)
by Amy A. Bartol
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Throughout the course of my Goodreads experience, I’ve read many angel and paranormal books that have ranged from extremely corny to the most excellent and well thought out stories I have ever read. While this angel book didn’t stand out as excellent, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and had fun reading it all the same.

Evie is actually a pretty funny heroine. She says what is on her mind and doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do-namely…Reed. Reed is a brooding enigma from the very beginning, starting their relationship off to a rocky start at best. The minute she steps foot on campus and meets Reed at orientation, she is both immediately drawn to him and creeped out by the sudden intensity with which he wants her to leave Crestwood.

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BOOK REVIEW – Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

BOOK REVIEW – Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret StohlDangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1)
by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Let’s get something straight. I’m supposed to be the bad guy. I will always disappoint you. Your parents will hate me. You should not root for me. I am not your role model.
I don’t know why everyone seems to forget that. I never do.

This is both an easy and hard book to review. Easy because, of course I loved being back into Ridley, Link, Ethan and Lena’s world. Hard because, well, again I did not have time to fully immerse myself into the story. I would get a good bit to read, and I would totally get into the story and become very excited, and then I would lose time again. It was a vicious cycle and I was very unhappy that this book I’ve waited forever on had no time to fully develop for me.

Instead, she slept on, dreaming of things that were far eerier than a ring. Even eerier than an unknown cast-forever binding a Siren, a Natural, a Keeper, a Wayward, and two Incubuses-under a full summer moon in a Caster county.
A full moon was for making magic.
Magic and memories.

The subjects of the book, Ridley and Link, were always favorite characters of mine. They were great side kicks and I loved seeing what all they were willing to do for their friends (In Ridley’s case, her cousin and friend). But, admittedly, it scared the shit out of me that they were getting their own story. What could they possibly do for a whole book? Or whole spin-off series, for that matter? But, rest assured, they got themselves into trouble all on their own even without Ethan and Lena around.

He looked at Necro. “What’s up, Gaga?”
Ridley snorted. “Link. Don’t be rude. It’s not Gaga. I’m not even sure it’s a lady.”
“It? are you talking about me?” Necro examined her fist like she was examining her options. “Ouch, Barbie. Where’d you learn your manners?”

Ridley has screwed up-she lost a deadly hand at a club named Suffer and she now owes 3 markers. One of those, coincidentally, is that this guy needs a drummer for his new club in New York. Hmmm…where does Ridley know a drummer? The other marker…well…let’s just say that one could cost her her life.

“Did I say Link Floyd?” Ridley shook her head. “I meant Supertramp.”
She glared meaningfully at the blond chick staring at her boyfriend.
Back off.
Floyd bumped fists with Link and added, “Or Superhot.”
Excuse me?
Ridley frowned. This wasn’t what she was expecting. “Did I say Supertramp? I meant bitch.”
Link’s eyes flickered over to her, surprised. Even Floyd looked at her like she was psycho.
Rid shrugged. “What? It’s a band. Look it up.” She stifled the urge to kick the coffee table to pieces. It would be bad for her boots.

One of my only complaints would have to be the cast of characters. I didn’t like the new crew. I missed Rid and Link and Ethan and Lena and Olivia and John…and Amma…and Ethan’s old aunts. I just missed them. I know this is Rid and Link’s journey, but I just kind of hated the band Link got with. Necro and, I think it was Floyd (which, is a GIRL, btw) just bored me to tears and they drove me insane. That isn’t to say I didn’t like other additions-like Lucille Ball’s reappearance (the Aunts’ awesome cat) and Lennox Gates-he was a cool character. But because I missed those other characters so much, I wanted their shoes to be filled and to not miss them much. But, as it was, I did.

“Why don’t you ever believe me when I say I’m sorry?” Ridley attempted to appear sorry, but she was having trouble remembering how that particular expression looked. She went with sick instead, because she’d faked that one enough times growing up that it was almost second nature.

The writing was, as always, great. I’ve always loved the way these authors have composed their works together, but, I didn’t connect quite like I did with Ethan. Ethan just was one of my favorite voices ever, so Ridley had a lot to compete with. Also, part of my resistance was probably the beginning where I was trying to get used to the switch of characters and POV and also, I really didn’t like when the writing referred to Ridley as ‘Rid.’ I just felt like when it wasn’t Link talking or someone who might call her that, it was a tad juvenile. But maybe that’s just me. I just didn’t connect with that abbreviation in reference to our strong, witty, and hilarious main character.

Then, as quickly as Ridley had caught him, she threw him back, breathless and stammering. When she pulled away, Link looked like he was going to pass out.
“Bye, then,” Rid said sweetly.
Link stumbled toward his car. His mother came after him with two open arms, then let them drop, disgusted.
“Well, Wesley Lincoln, are you happy now? What kind a mother could kiss her own son after a sordid display like that?” Mrs. Lincoln snapped. “You’d better go in the house and wash your mouth out or I’ll never be able to kiss you again.”
“Aww now, wouldn’t that be a shame,” Ridley purred.

As I think it on it, though, Ridley’s inner dialogue broke my heart. She was good but she got dealt a bad stick-I mean she’s a Siren for Chrissakes. What’s she supposed to do? Not EVER use her mojo? (By that I mean persuasion with the help of cherry red suckers-LOVE that) She fights her nature everyday-she fights the urge to compel people and make them bend to her will. She fights persuading Link to be one way when they are arguing, and she hates when he thinks she is doing it to him anyway. She is very hard on herself, and we never knew that before. She has a sassy snark to her that I hope she never loses-it makes her her, and while it leans her towards the dark caster she is, it only proves one thing: she is putting on a front. Oh, and she does have a ‘tude anyway. She is hilarious. I found myself more than once smiling when I didn’t realize and laughing when she bantered with Link or his evil mother. I really did enjoy her POV-it was definitely not what I was expecting.

What can I say? Payback’s a bitch.
But here’s the thing:
So am I.

So, all in all I really loved being back in this world again. I love the way Ridley can call someone “Darlin'” and it doesn’t come off cheesy or out of place. It fits with her tone and the way she is either being sweet to someone (Link) or putting them down (Floyd). And Link-all his zaney words and pet names for Ridley have always been out there, but, oddly, they worked in this story. Nothing was overdone and he was just the right amount of jealous (which I love). I hated when he would get mad at her when all she was trying to do was make things right, but I guess that angst is necessary for a story to have a little substance. So. Anyway. Loved the story, loved the world and trouble they created, and loved them. Who’d a thunk it??

BOOK REVIEW – Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta

BOOK REVIEW – Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina MarchettaFinnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1)
by Melina Marchetta
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

“Because without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?”

I suppose this is going to be one of my rare ‘short and sweet’ reviews. I hate not writing long reviews because that generally means I didn’t like a story-when I fall for a story I can’t stop typing and it becomes a novel of some sort despite my strongest attempts to wrap it up (this isn’t always the case, but more often than not that’s what it means). I wanted so badly to fall in love and cherish this novel. I wanted to get over my book hangover and find something new to explore and obsess over. I wanted to be all consumed and unable to focus on reality….but I just….didn’t.

I didn’t fall into step with the story and I didn’t connect on a level that seems normal by everyone else’s standards. I just didn’t.

The truth is that while it may be assumed that I just don’t know what good writing is or what makes a deep and meaningful story, that’s hardly true at all. I just need more from a story than a life saving journey and tons and tons and tons of theorizing and explaining and talking. This book was always with the talking. That isn’t to say that there wasn’t beautiful writing or a beautiful slow-building romance. In fact, I actually loved the progression of the romance. It was sweet, sad, hopeful-and it was the only thing that kept my attention, if I’m being completely honest.

Another thing this story did have was a cast of strong, heroic characters. Each person brought something to the table that the others didn’t, making for a well-rounded and interesting formula. As far as the characters go, there was never a dull moment. Finnikin, our main character, was an admirable guy. I loved his thoughts and being in his head-he was loyal, brave, snarky with a wit that translated from his inner thoughts when he spoke. I even loved the progression of his feelings for Evanjalin-from a deep-rooted dislike to a reluctant admiration to a soul searing and passionate love. It was beautiful while maintaining a heartbreaking undertone.

“You have a very dark heart,” he accused.
“It’s good of you to recognize, Finnikin,” she said without looking up. “There’s hope for you yet.”

But overall-the bottom line? This just wasn’t for me. At all. Even with all the talking and journeying, generally I still can fall for a story through the romantic backstory or action sequences-but the action came far and few between and the romance could not stand on its own. A story has to be great for me to like the ‘traveling’ aspect-I’m very picky about this-and I just wasn’t wowed. This book was very beautiful and had what everyone seems to love-just not me.

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