Tag: Mystery (Page 16 of 19)

BOOK REVIEW – Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning

January 17, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

Bloodfever (Fever #2)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

Review:

*spoilers for Darkfever (Fever #1)*

Bloodfever slowly morphed into a phenomenal second installment in the Fever Series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes! I was reading along, enjoying the ride and somewhere past the 50% mark I transitioned from like to love! Bloodfever sunk it’s claws deep into me. It stole my breath, it was impossible to put down, the tension and unknowns were through the roof and the peril was fantastic. When I reached the final page I screamed NO at my kindle because I knew I would take a little break to write out my thoughts. I am counting the minutes until I can start the third book in the series, Faefever.

In one short month I’ve managed to piss off virtually every being with magical power in this city. Half of those I’ve encountered want me dead; the other half want to use me to find the deadly, coveted Sinsar Dubh.
I could run home, I suppose. Try to forget. Try to hide.
Then I think of Alina, and how she died.

Mac finally has a face and a name to whom she believed killed her sister. Retribution has to be hers! Well, that is once she heals. After barely surviving a battle with the Lord Master and his minions, Mac is recuperating back at the bookstore. And she has Barrons to thank for saving her life. With the target in mind, Mac is even more determined to acquire the Sinsur Debar and finish what her sister had tried to start!

I wanted to stab every one of them with my spear as I walked by, but I refrained. I’m not in this for the little battles. I’m here for the war.

After being put through an endless supply of trials and tribulations, Mac is officially kick-ass in my eyes! I love her! She threatens others who try to destroy her, she puts up phenomenal fights, and she’s not afraid to take calculated risks. It is almost as though she has slowly been gathering all of Barrons good qualities and making them her own! Barrons and good qualities in the same sentence together? I know, shoot me now, but I kind of like him.

For a moment there he hadn’t looked dark, forbidding, and cold, but dark, forbidding, and …. warm. In fact, when he’d laughed he’d looked … well … kind of hot. I grimaced. Obviously I’d eaten something bad for lunch.

I feel guilty for liking Barrons! Is he controlling? Yes! Is he manipulative? Yes! Does he keep Mac in the dark and still use her as his personal OOP sniffer? Yes again. But we seem to be getting some glimpses beneath that exterior of his, and not only is he hot, but he does have a heart after all! Who would have thought?! The tenderness he displayed to Mac for 2.2 seconds at the end of Darkfever could not be forgotten. He cares for Mac. He values her safety and life. Or maybe I’m just reading into it too much? I don’t know and I don’t care because I need to have a little bit of romance and stolen touches and moments here and there in my books. It’s a weakness. But I think there may just be a future for Mac and Barrons in the upcoming books! Fingers crossed!

He brushed a curl from my forehead and I shivered. Barrons had strong hands with long, beautiful fingers, and I think he carries some kind of electrical charge because every time he touches me it shoots an unwelcome thrill through my body, I took the keys from his hand, being careful not to make contact with skin. If he noticed, he let it pass unremarked.

Bloodfever was a fun and fast paced read! I love who Mac and Barrons are turning into and the direction the story is taking. I love how my questions are slowly being answered……although not the main ones I’m desperately seeking answers for! And I’m looking forward to following Mac’s adventure and slowly taking on the world with her one puzzle piece at a time!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Darkfever #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Bloodfever #2 Reviews:	Faefever #3 Reviews: Jen Anna
Dreamfever #4 Reviews: Jen Anna	Shadowfever #5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Iced #6
Burned #7	Feverborn #8

Save

BOOK REVIEW – Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie Moning

January 11, 2015 / Jen / 2 Comments

Darkfever (Fever #1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

Review:

There is a good chance that I may become slightly obsessed with this series. Why? Because of our protagonist, Mac, and the intricate story that unfolds. Mac has this way of slowly reeling you into caring for her. Before I knew it, I was right alongside her feeling every bit as anxious and confused while the craziness swam around us. Because what started out as a trip to discover who murdered Mac’s sister, turned into a story that was filled with rich history and mysteries at every turn. Be careful, because before you know it, Darkfever’s suspenseful, sarcastic, page-turning story could suck you right in too!

Before, I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew who I was, where I fit, and exactly what my future would bring. Before, I thought I knew I had a future. After, I began to discover that I’d never really known anything at all.

The story starts out with Mac receiving a call that her sister has been murdered while studying abroad in Ireland. Upon facing the horrors of having to identify her mutilated body, Mac is convinced that she has to set matters right. She will go to Irelend and push the police to solve her sisters murder. But upon arrival, “things” keep interfering with her ability to move ahead. She starts to see evil, disgusting creatures that were just human a second ago, she hears words she doesn’t understand, she finally discovers a horrifying message from her sister on her phone, and she meets a man that pulls her deeper into the twisted world of the Fae. Or as I like to put it….the story becomes more and more addicting as we discover random pieces of the puzzle.

“I tend bar. I like music. My sister was murdered recently. I seem to have gone insane since then,” I added this last almost conversationally.

Mac is, ha, well, Mac is someone you would not expect. She is a 22 year old girl who loves her pink fingernail and toenail polish, dressing stylish and keeping herself bronzed and beautiful. YET the internal Mac is the polar opposite. She is sarcastic. She is witty. And most importantly she is determined! As each chapter progressed and the more I learned about Mac, I shockingly went from meh to I-love-this-girl! It also helped that she tries her damnedest to stand up to Barrons. Because she was 100% correct when she said he was a dickhead!

He just didn’t look like the kind of creep that would messily murder a woman in her hotel room; he looked like the kind of creep that would line her up in the sights of his assassin’s rifle without a shred of emotion.

Jericho Barrons, aka Barrons, is an ass. He is not what I wanted for the main male, but shoot me now…..I like trying to hate him! I know, so, so, so wrong! As I was saying, he is an ass, his proper talk is annoying as hell, his lack of compassion makes me want to cause him physical harm and I loath how he calls Mac Ms. Lane. Yet……and I hate this yet……..he is perfect for this book. I liked that he tries to help Mac find her sister’s murderer, despite his screwed up ways and selfish reasons. I loved how Barrons is a huge mystery since we don’t really know who and what he is. I have three guesses, but it’s driving me crazy that I can’t solidify any one of my theories!

You want to believe in black and white, good and evil, heroes that are truly heroic, and villains that are just plain bad, but I’ve learned in the past year that things are rarely so simple. The good guys can do some truly awful things, and the bad guys can sometimes surprise the heck out of you.

Although I was a little slow to warm up to Darkfever, I can’t wait to fly through the rest of this series. I’m hoping that an element that is introduced to us in the first book continues! Mac talks to us and she would point out something that would affect her later on, or explain how she was oblivious to the current situation. I loved how that read and how that pulled me into the story even more! But I I do have one small issue with this book and that is in regards to V’lane, an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction to human women, and the scenes that contain him and Mac. They rubbed me the wrong way View Spoiler » and I’m hoping that will somehow become resolved in future books or my mind.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Darkfever #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Bloodfever #2 Reviews:	Faefever #3 Reviews: Jen Anna
Dreamfever #4 Reviews: Jen Anna	Shadowfever #5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Iced #6
Burned #7	Feverborn #8

BOOK REVIEW: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1) by Darynda Jones

December 16, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1)
by Darynda Jones
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.
Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

I was a little worried Garrett would try to give me a boost again by grabbing my ass. Then a little disappointed when he didn’t. A girl had to get her thrills somehow.

Ugghhhh I haaaaate when I’m in the minority. What’s worse, I was so so sure that I’d love this!! It’s one of those things where you can tell that the series will be great, but the first book was a bit much for you. That’s where I’m chillin’-on hope island.

While I normally weighed around 125…ish, for some unexplainable reason, between the hours of partially awake and fully awake, I weighed a solid 470.
After a brief, beached whale-like struggle, I gave up. The quart of Chunky Monkey I ate after getting my ass kicked had probably been a bad idea.

This male lead, right? This male lead was HOT. He was dark, mysterious, sexy and….dead? A ghost?? I think that’s where my largest frustration came in. Being the neurotic BBF collector I am, I kept waiting for more Reyes. He would appear, literally, he’d appear virtually out of nowhere, and then he’d disappear just as quickly. I ached for his presence because, I’ll be frank, the story itself didn’t hold my attention. I mean to say, this particular mystery didn’t appeal to me. I felt I was thrown into the middle of it too quickly-her jokes, her current predicament with Reyes, the mystery of the murdered lawyers…I just wanted something….different? Perhaps a physical Reyes instead of a ghost-like one?? Hmm maybe that’s my ONLY problem.

I sat blindsided, stunned into silence a full minute, absorbing what Kim told me, turning it over and analyzing it in my mind. It was painful even to contemplate, like the thought itself was a physical entity, a box covered in razor sharp shards of glass, slicing though my fingertips every time I tried to open it.

I remember reading a review by Kat Kennedy that said it perfectly-basically our lead is in lust with Reyes, but we really don’t get to see why she is so obsessed with him. There was this one instance where I texted my friend very excitedly because we actually got a flashback with him in it-I was ECSTATIC. It was the first real moment where we got to see more than a ghostly form feeling her up. He was real. He was tormented. He was scary. Ummm yum. I was SO invested at that point. I found his background to be so intriguing and it attached me to the novel in a way Charley couldn’t….but these moments with him were few and far between.

“That’s me,” I said with an inane giggle.
She didn’t smile back. Not even a little. I totally needed to read that book on how to win friends and influence people. But that would involve an innate desire to win friends and influence people. My desires were a tad more visceral at the moment.

I guess I’ll be more specific-the mystery with the lawyers? Didn’t interest me. The mystery of ‘what the fuck is Reyes?’ That hooked me. Near the end things begin to get revealed and again…while these revelations intrigued me….they also put me off a little. If it goes one direction, this will be a sinfully fun series. If it goes the way I’m thinking it will…not so much. There are big no-nos when I read my books and one direction would lead straight into the no-no forest. So I really really really hope and pray it stays on the road less taken, because the other shit? It’s tired. I’m tired. Keep it simple, will ya Jones??

Okay, I also want to say: Just because this wasn’t what I expected doesn’t mean it wasn’t a well-written or funny book. I laughed quite a few times, actually. And Charley is a really fun MC to follow. I just wanted more.

So without further rambling on my part, I bid you adieu. I don’t think I’d rec this to my friends without seeing where it goes from here. If I’m confused, I can’t imagine what my fickle (love you all-shhh, I’m saving you here) friends would think. It’s a toss up, really.

BOOK REVIEW: The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab

December 15, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Unbound (The Archived #2)
by Victoria Schwab
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy -- not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.

“Open your eyes,” he warns.

I drag them open and find his face inches from mine. “Why?” I growl. “So I can see the truth?”
His smile sharpens. “No,” he says. “So I can watch the life go out of them.”
And then he drives the knife forward into my chest.

Well, well, well…..color me surprised. You see, I received an ARC after finishing book one of this series, so immediately after I chose to read it…before this one. Bad mistake, my dears-Because what happened was that I became so enraptured and awed by that complex, barbaric ARC, that when I finally came back to this precious piece of work, I wasn’t as interested or as in tune as I had been before. But then, about 50% through, the author knocked me upside the head and screamed in my face ‘PAY ATTENTION,’ and Wesley immediately came into focus-brilliant, funny, loveable, and witty Wesley. And we all lived happily ever after.

Nah, I’m screwin’ with ya. But the fact remains, about halfway through the book I started to wake up again and see why I fell in love with this world in the first place. That’s not to say that there weren’t reasons I had issues at the beginning, Ie unnecessary flashbacking (okay, I’m TOTES making that into a word, shut up) and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, high school attendance. See, I actually always love when the main characters go to school in a YA novel. It’s where all the flirting and jealousies and petty fights commence-GUILTY….I’m a YA drama whore-but in this book, I felt it took away from the beauty and magic that we felt in book one. At the beginning of it all, Wes and Mac met during the summer…so I would have liked for it to end during the summer. You know, all that free time to hunt histories and ghosties together? Alas, this was not meant to be, so at some point, I had to push my whiney shit aside and play the hand that was dealt to me. And guess what? When I did that, the story blew wide open.

“It’s all new to me, too, remember?” he says a few minutes later. “I’d never met another Keeper before you. And having you in my life is terrifying and addictive, and I’m not going to lie and tell you it doesn’t make my heart race. It does.” I wonder if he can feel my own pounding pulse through my noise as he tangles his fingers through mine. “But I’m here. No matter what happens with us, I’m here.”

I loved how much Wes showed he cared for Mac in this one. He always has, but there’s something adorable about him being out in the open about it and not caring that she’s trying to keep him at arm’s length. I know people got annoyed by Mac’s secrets and her not just letting Wesley in, but that is the agreement, life, and oath a Keeper takes on when they are welcomed into the Archive. In book one, we saw Mac hide everything from Wes, her family, etc, but that came with the territory, and I totally understood it. But in this one, she only kept secrets when necessary from Wes-she swore, after the life-altering events of book one, that she would never keep Wes in the dark, no matter how painful. And we see her struggle through the entirety of the novel with the burden of keeping him safe, keeping him away from the evil enveloping her, and what to include and not include of her sordid nightmares and illusions that blur between reality and dysfunction.

Music fills my head, strong and steady, and I look down to see Wesley’s hand wrapped around mine, his eyes bleary but open. He must misread the shock and fear in my eyes for the echoes of a nightmare-how I wish this were still a bad dream-because he doesn’t ask what’s wrong. Instead he climbs onto the bed beside me and rolls me in against him, his arms wrapped around my waist.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he whispers sleepily into my hair.

The best part about our darling, Wesley? No matter how odd, how crazy, how off-the-wall weird Mac is acting or her situation is, he still stands by her side and believes everything she says. He is kind, understanding, and doesn’t let anyone walk all over Mackenzie-not even her parents. He would sacrifice himself and his time in a heartbeat…just to spend more time with her or to save her.

Wes hits the table. “You broke into a crime scene without me?”
“Be glad, Wes, or we both would have been caught.”
“We’re a team, Mac. You don’t go committing a crime without your partner in crime. Besides, if I’d been with you, we probably wouldn’t have been caught. I could have stood at the door and made wild bird sounds or something when the cops came back. And if we did get caught, our mug shots would look fabulous.”

Probably one of my other favorite things about this series is the action and…hmm…what’s the word…violence? No, for real, though, I think the correct term is bloody reality? I have no clue, ugh. My point is, this author doesn’t shy away from bashing someone’s head in or slicing and dicing and bringing the pain. I love that…if you don’t know me lol.

He’s not real, whispers another voice in my head. You’ve just lost it.
Cracked little head, echoes Sako.
Broken, whispers Owen.
Weak, adds Agatha.

So, you know, despite the disconnection, for me, in the beginning and the flashbacks (I HATE flashbacks), this book was stellar. Oh yeah, bringing that word back, too. I think my biggest problem with the flashbacks was the fact that they were cute Wes and Mac moments that I would have liked to have lived, myself. Why couldn’t we have just seen that firsthand? That’s all, really. Hardly a big deal-just a personal preference that I’ve always been wonky about. So, I really think this series is great for everyone, with fun characters, a new and original plot, and a love interest that will make you smile from ear to ear. But, don’t let me tell ya, pick it up for yourself…enjoy!

Fight back…

…with everything you have…

…to the very end.

BOOK REVIEW: The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab

December 5, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Archived (The Archived #1)
by Victoria Schwab
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Knowledge is power, but ignorance can be a blessing.

This book…this book took me by surprise. If not for how much the idea of a place where the dead are cataloged and their memories forever embedded in their very being (I think that’s the best way to describe it), then for how much I loved and adored these abilities.

A death is traumatic. Vivid enough to mark any surface, to burn in like light on photo paper.

Imagine a place where the dead sit behind shelves. Where they aren’t really gone. A place where, if word got out, the masses would storm to get only a glimpse of their loved ones shelf-only to make it out to be a shrine of something it really isn’t. The bodies are preserved. They look just as they did before they died-same clothes, same face-peaceful. But what you see isn’t what you get. Say one of these ‘histories’ wakes up. They break out of their shelves, they are disoriented, scared, unsure. And as they begin to slip….they become unpredictable. They lose their shit. They’re frantic. Their pupils begin to slowly seep into their irises until nothing is there but a black orb…and that person is no longer that loved one you once thought they were. They are a walking, talking, violent shell of soul and they aren’t where they are supposed to be-in their shelf. And that’s where the keepers come in.

We leave memories on objects we love and cherish, things we use and wear down.

Ya know, I got creeped out quite a few times. I make it a habit to stay away from books with people that have black eyes or where there are spirits or ghosts-I’ve learned my lesson and I know my limits. But, as I was reading this beautiful story and I began to realize what I had unintentionally gotten myself into, I couldn’t make myself put it down. It was so expertly written, with a soft finesse that leads you from one scenario to the next. Each scene unraveled in a way that made you so eager to continue that you couldn’t help but to become gluttonous with your limited reading time, couldn’t help but to curse when your time wound down and you had to give way to sleep lest you become a ‘history’ yourself the next day-all tired and disoriented and disgruntled. Ultimately, this author knew how to pull me along on a string and paced this so wonderfully that it never became too much-info, action, or otherwise. It was a mystery through and through, and I had so much fun trying to figure out who was letting histories out of their boxes and who was wreaking havoc in the library. I am not ashamed to say that I went in circles on who I thought the villainous traitor was. Because only a trusted someone could have been the possible culprit for wreaking the havoc that rained down on the archive library….right?

“What happened to the humanitarian approach?”
I shrug. “Sometimes it’s just not enough.”
“You are crazy,” he says. “You are a crazy, amazing girl. And you scare the hell out of me.”

The characters. I loooooooved the characters. Schwab painted such a vivid canvas that I could actually see their facial expressions and guess their next move. Mackenzie was such a great main character to follow. She was strong, fierce, determined to do what was right and just for the archive and those who inhabited it. She started to fall for a boy….but didn’t ever let it get in the way of her judgement (Ha, well maybe a little, in a weird way, you’ll see (maybe, if you ever read it, lol)). And then there’s Wes. I just…I really liked this guy. He was sweet, funny, witty, kind, caring, and, most of all, vulnerable. They’ve been through so much so when they finally meet and start to talk and realize things….it was like finding a mirror of their own soul, in a way. And, while he wasn’t in it an overwhelming amount, he actually made me smile so big. He was just so cute and so sweet to Mac! In a way, and this is very very minuscule, he really really reminded me of Augustus Waters-only in his wit, loyalty, and charm. He had THAT type of thing going on. I dunno. I was immediately drawn to his quirky personality in just the same way as I was with Gus. So…for me…there was that.

“Looks like you’ve lost a couple fights of your own,” I say, running my fingers through the air near his hand, not daring to touch. “How did you get that?”
“A stint as a spy.”
A crooked line runs down the back of his hand. “And that?”
“Scuff with a lion.”
Watching Wesley lie is fascinating.
“And that?”
“Caught a piranha bare-handed.”
No matter how absurd the tale, he says it steady and simple, with the ease of truth. A scratch runs along his forearm. “And that?”
“Knife fight in a Paris alley.”
I search his skin for marks, our bodies drawing closer without touching.
“Dove through a window.”
“Icicle.”
“Wolf.”

(Oh, forgot-keepers can’t actually tell anyone that they are, indeed, keepers-no one knows of the archive. Also, when Kenzie, being a keeper, touches something, if there is a memory attached to it, she can see it. It’s so fascinating and I wanted to get it in my review somewhere. Imagine being able to see history through an inanimate objects’ perspective-a wall, a floor with blood on it, a teddy bear a child held…it could SOLVE MANY MYSTERIES…unless someone erased the memory or altered them…. see the dilemma?)

I may fangirl and obsess and flail about on my reviews when I love a guy or a story, but it’s rare you see me actually, out in the open, smiling as I read. Like, Wes and Kenzie just made me smile. In the midst of pandemonium, they brought something real and palpable to the book that made the words jump off the page for me. They still did their jobs. They still had other things going on. But when they were together, it just completed the story in a circumvent way that touched me deeply.

“Don’t look at me like that with those big brown eyes.”
“They’re not just brown,” he says. “They’re hazel. Can’t you see the flecks of gold?”
“Good God, how much time do you spend looking at yourself in the mirror each day?”
“Not enough, Mac. Not enough.” But the laughter is gone from his voice. “You’re clever, trying to distract me with my own good looks, but it won’t work. What’s going on?”

A side character that I also adored? Roland. He trusted. He sacrificed. He taught. He mentored. And he was her friend and savior. I loved him. He really brought the story to another level. He was so sweet, kind, and giving. And, most of all, he was so funny. If you read this and saw the scenarios she walked in on-him reading Lifestyle magazines in a library full of dead people, feet propped up on the desk, wearing red chucks despite being on duty-I loved him. So, it was very fun to read and learn more about him, as well.

What if echoes through my head as I hunt.
What if haunts me through the Narrows.
What if follows me home.

That’s all. Honestly. If you pick it up, the story speaks for itself. The characters speak for themselves. The way it all unwinds….you get the picture. It’s an impressive novel with intricate layers that you should pull back delicately…but you should pull them back, all the same. It is expertly woven with a funny flair for the dramatic concerning certain characters, and I don’t believe anyone would feel they are wasting their time. I certainly cannot wait to read the second. I only hope it’s as compelling as the first.

BOOK REVIEW – Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning

Synopsis:

Review:

I wanted to stab every one of them with my spear as I walked by, but I refrained. I’m not in this for the little battles. I’m here for the war.

For a moment there he hadn’t looked dark, forbidding, and cold, but dark, forbidding, and …. warm. In fact, when he’d laughed he’d looked … well … kind of hot. I grimaced. Obviously I’d eaten something bad for lunch.

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW – Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie Moning

Synopsis:

Review:

Before, I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew who I was, where I fit, and exactly what my future would bring. Before, I thought I knew I had a future. After, I began to discover that I’d never really known anything at all.

“I tend bar. I like music. My sister was murdered recently. I seem to have gone insane since then,” I added this last almost conversationally.

He just didn’t look like the kind of creep that would messily murder a woman in her hotel room; he looked like the kind of creep that would line her up in the sights of his assassin’s rifle without a shred of emotion.

You want to believe in black and white, good and evil, heroes that are truly heroic, and villains that are just plain bad, but I’ve learned in the past year that things are rarely so simple. The good guys can do some truly awful things, and the bad guys can sometimes surprise the heck out of you.

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1) by Darynda Jones

Synopsis:

I was a little worried Garrett would try to give me a boost again by grabbing my ass. Then a little disappointed when he didn’t. A girl had to get her thrills somehow.

While I normally weighed around 125…ish, for some unexplainable reason, between the hours of partially awake and fully awake, I weighed a solid 470. After a brief, beached whale-like struggle, I gave up. The quart of Chunky Monkey I ate after getting my ass kicked had probably been a bad idea.

“That’s me,” I said with an inane giggle. She didn’t smile back. Not even a little. I totally needed to read that book on how to win friends and influence people. But that would involve an innate desire to win friends and influence people. My desires were a tad more visceral at the moment.

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW: The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab

Synopsis:

“Open your eyes,” he warns.

I drag them open and find his face inches from mine. “Why?” I growl. “So I can see the truth?” His smile sharpens. “No,” he says. “So I can watch the life go out of them.” And then he drives the knife forward into my chest.

He’s not real, whispers another voice in my head. You’ve just lost it. Cracked little head, echoes Sako. Broken, whispers Owen. Weak, adds Agatha.

Fight back…

…with everything you have…

…to the very end.

Share this:

BOOK REVIEW: The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab

Synopsis:

Knowledge is power, but ignorance can be a blessing.

A death is traumatic. Vivid enough to mark any surface, to burn in like light on photo paper.

We leave memories on objects we love and cherish, things we use and wear down.

“What happened to the humanitarian approach?” I shrug. “Sometimes it’s just not enough.” “You are crazy,” he says. “You are a crazy, amazing girl. And you scare the hell out of me.”

What if echoes through my head as I hunt. What if haunts me through the Narrows. What if follows me home.

Share this:

Follow Us

Enter Email to Subscribe to Posts

Recent Reviews

Fun Lists About Books

Recommendations

Jen’s Currently Reading

Archives

Follow Us:

Search:

Archives

Recent Reviews

Fun Lists About Books

Recommendations

While I normally weighed around 125…ish, for some unexplainable reason, between the hours of partially awake and fully awake, I weighed a solid 470.
After a brief, beached whale-like struggle, I gave up. The quart of Chunky Monkey I ate after getting my ass kicked had probably been a bad idea.

“That’s me,” I said with an inane giggle.
She didn’t smile back. Not even a little. I totally needed to read that book on how to win friends and influence people. But that would involve an innate desire to win friends and influence people. My desires were a tad more visceral at the moment.

I drag them open and find his face inches from mine. “Why?” I growl. “So I can see the truth?”
His smile sharpens. “No,” he says. “So I can watch the life go out of them.”
And then he drives the knife forward into my chest.

He’s not real, whispers another voice in my head. You’ve just lost it.
Cracked little head, echoes Sako.
Broken, whispers Owen.
Weak, adds Agatha.

“What happened to the humanitarian approach?”
I shrug. “Sometimes it’s just not enough.”
“You are crazy,” he says. “You are a crazy, amazing girl. And you scare the hell out of me.”

What if echoes through my head as I hunt.
What if haunts me through the Narrows.
What if follows me home.