Tag: Paranormal (Page 24 of 51)

BOOK REVIEW – Shadowfever (Fever #5) by Karen Marie Moning

BOOK REVIEW – Shadowfever (Fever #5) by Karen Marie MoningShadowfever (Fever #5)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.” — MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. — Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

“You can’t save people from themselves. You can only try to wake them up.”

This is the End – The eeeeeeeeend. Oh. My. I’m totally remembering Muse song right now. What? I was a teenager, hey. I’m not even sure they’re famous anymore. What a pity.

Oh, here’s the town crier! Let’s hear what he wants. *whisper* I heard he was a bit crazy you know, so don’t expect he’ll make so much sense okay?

Ah, yes. I forgot to warn you : the guy is a friend of Dani. Because exclamation marks powaaaaa!

So, twists. I didn’t guess anything. And by anything, I mean, nothing at all. I’m such a dumb, seriously. Or it was really well-done and plain brilliant. Yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, that was mesmerizing. Who is Barrons? Who is Mac? Who is everyone? They could be dwarfs which have been morphed for all I know. Ha ha, you wish I could tell you, don’t you?

Yeah, I’m so calling them that in my head. The guys cracked me up with all their testosterones and threatening statements. See? That doesn’t bother me if Mac actually reacts and if they’re not pictured at love interests. I loved them.

“Ryodan thrust my clothes at me. “The Keltar women are out of control. They cook. They chatter. They laugh. Idiots.”

Mac’s mum comments were awesome right? Seriously, her apparition was so refreshing. Comments about V’lane being just-marry-him-already-guy? Maybe my longest laugh of the book. With Barrons’ conversation about dick. Don’t forget that one.

I know. I knooooow.

“Just saying, things ain’t always bad just ’cause you don’t understand ’em or ain’t like ’em. That’s like thinking anybody who’s smarter or faster is dangerous just ’cause they got more brains or quicker feet. Ain’t fair. Peeps can’t help how they’re born.”

I can finally clarify my opinion about Barrons, and what our weird relationship is. Such a mixed dichotomy. A mess, that’s for sure.

I’ll copy Mac and make a list of pros and cons. Or maybe not.

PROS : Why I love Barrons and CONS, because there’s no such thing as me doing a clear-headed list about Barrons, duh.

“You’re roaches, we’re Raid. We’ll get rid of you eventually.”
” We. Are. Not. Insects, ” Velvet said tightly.”

#1 I really like his character, as in, I stayed intrigued and proud of the fact he is taking shit from no one, follows his own rules, doesn’t give a damn about the hypocrisy the world is filled with. He’s fierce, ruthless, strong-minded – and I love that side of him, “the Alpha that doesn’t play well with others and doesn’t take orders from anyone.”

#2 I strongly dislike him as a love interest, that is to say – could I drool over him? Nope. Am I weird to accept my book villains as murderers or selfish bastards but not as almost-rapists? Maybe. Perhaps I’m not being fair or clear or whatever. Oh, well. That’s what I feel. It seems that I can forgive a character for being ruthless and lawless, but not sexually offensive.

#3 Did I enjoy the way he was pushing Mac out of her comfort zone? Yep.

#4 Did I love the fact he was willing to do anything to achieve his goal? Hell yes!

#5 Did I resent the growing sexual tension these two were always bringing? Of course not, this was insanely hot.

#6 Did I want to finally see them together? Yeah, I did, I have to admit, they drove me nuts, these fucking stubborn.

#7 Did he bring an evil grin on my face almost each time he was talking? He did.

#8 to #98 I spare you my rambling. I try anyway, I really try.

#99 Do I accept the explanation that as Mac wanted him anyway the whole time, his behavior when she’s Pri-ya doesn’t matter? I can’t. That reminds me too much of the statement which says that an husband can’t rape his wife. That’s not true. For me domination and even lust never permit to take action without a complete and freely given permission. That Mac couldn’t give at the time. End of story.

Anyway, I feel the urge to write it because I’m not sure my review made the point clearly : that book was awesome and I’m missing this world already.

Sigh. ← It reminds me some character in I-don’t-remember-which-one book who said he didn’t understand why girls kept saying sigh instead of, you know, sighing. Sorry, completely irrelevant. See you in – Well, I’m not sure I’m reading Iced. Guess we’ll see.

 

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
karen marin moning darkfever
Darkfever #1
Reviews:

Jen

Chelsea
bloodfever karen marie moning
Bloodfever #2

Reviews:
faefever karen marie moning
Faefever #3
Reviews:

Jen

Anna
dreamfever karen marie moning
Dreamfever #4
Reviews:

Jen
Anna
karen marie moning shadowfever
Shadowfever #5
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea

Anna

Iced #6

Burned #7

Feverborn #8

BOOK REVIEW – Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie Moning

BOOK REVIEW – Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie MoningDreamfever (Fever #4)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master’s spell.…In New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning’s stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin’s battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest—and most erotically charged—adventure of her life.

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister’s murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac’s every thought—and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V’lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister’s diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac’s greatest enemy delivers a final challenge.…

It’s an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth—about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons…and about the world she thought she knew.

Wow, hello, awesome book!


Where we stayed
: in a King Size bed (yeah, I know, I know), an abbey ruled by a dumb bitch, a bus full of guns, a Fairy jungle hidden in the road, a hopeless cell, an asshole head (Now,that was pretty great), near dangerous cactus, in a circle of pee (yeah, I know, I know (2))… Mostly in Dublin.


Best part of the book
: Emergence of Mac.4 Finally, the girl realizes that if everybody has an agenda, she has to follow hers. Whatever it takes.

Coolest thing we saw
: Anytime Mac keeps the Alpha-Male in their place/fights like crazy/writes cool stuff in her journal like “Kick their fecking asses off our world!” (What? I was tired of the petunias)


Best food of the day
: I’m not sure. Do they eat in this book? Wait, Unseelie? I miss V’lane’s chocolate that doesn’t make us gain weight.

Worst asshole comment
: (What? These books are full of it, right?)

My Kindle just erased the quotes I had underlined. I might throw it on the wall after reading Shadowfever

(more) details?

Characterization : Brilliant. All the characters are multi-layered, captivating, and make me feel both strong and mixed feelings. Yes I can’t bring myself to make excuses for Barrons’ sexually offensive behavior (no, that’s not okay for me, I don’t care if she’s Pri-ya, grow some restraint, asshole – and SHUT UP about it, what’s with the rape jokes? Seriously? Dude, you made me rage), yet that does not mean I’m not able to enjoy the excellence of his characterization and be captivated by his wicked way of thinking. I. am. In. Awe. of Karen Marie Moning for having created such riveting and complex characters – we’re lost in a blur, where Good and Evil are vain boundaries which don’t make any sense, and hell yeah I loved that.

Plot & world-building : What a gripping story! I feel like I can’t get enough of this world and I adore the way KMM constantly surprises me. Each time I think I know where the story’s going I end completely stunned and that’s a wonderful feeling for sure!

To be continued… In Shadowfever

 

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
karen marin moning darkfever
Darkfever #1
Reviews:

Jen

Chelsea
bloodfever karen marie moning
Bloodfever #2

Reviews:
faefever karen marie moning
Faefever #3
Reviews:

Jen

Anna
dreamfever karen marie moning
Dreamfever #4
Reviews:

Jen
Anna
karen marie moning shadowfever
Shadowfever #5
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea

Anna

Iced #6

Burned #7

Feverborn #8

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

BOOK REVIEW – Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie MoningBloodfever (Fever #2)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
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 #)
karen marin moning darkfever
Darkfever #1
Reviews:

Jen

Chelsea
bloodfever karen marie moning
Bloodfever #2

Reviews:
faefever karen marie moning
Faefever #3
Reviews:

Jen

Anna
dreamfever karen marie moning
Dreamfever #4
Reviews:

Jen
Anna
karen marie moning shadowfever
Shadowfever #5
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea

Anna

Iced #6

Burned #7

Feverborn #8

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

BOOK REVIEW – Darkfever (Fever #1) by Karen Marie MoningDarkfever (Fever #1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
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 #)
karen marin moning darkfever
Darkfever #1
Reviews:

Jen

Chelsea
bloodfever karen marie moning
Bloodfever #2

Reviews:
faefever karen marie moning
Faefever #3
Reviews:

Jen

Anna
dreamfever karen marie moning
Dreamfever #4
Reviews:

Jen
Anna
karen marie moning shadowfever
Shadowfever #5
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea

Anna

Iced #6

Burned #7

Feverborn #8

BOOK REVIEW – Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

BOOK REVIEW – Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh MafiUnravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
by Tahereh Mafi
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Review:

What was once an inquisitive story that I was enthralled with, turned into something that was frustratingly difficult to finish. I’m still in shock that I went from not being able to put the book down, to forcing myself to pick it back up. My problem with Unravel Me began when some of the characters started to change. Their demeanor became foreign and honestly, I stopped caring for them. They weren’t who I knew and loved. I could no longer understand or connect to them. They turned into strangers, and I am saddened over how they were altered.

You know how your favorite books feel as though the characters are real and that they are the ones driving the book forward? Each and every choice or action, whether you agree or not, are theirs and they own it. THIS was one of the many things I loved about Shatter Me. Adam, Juliette and Warner were each distinct and their decisions felt real. But somewhere during the pages of Unravel Me, that all changed. It felt as though the characters were transformed to MAKE the story lead in a certain direction. And I can’t be OK with that. I LOVED Adam, and he became someone I disliked. He became angry, distant and desperate. My heart hurt watching him morph into a man I didn’t even recognize. And Juliette became someone who was indecisive and wouldn’t stop toying with others emotions. She would throw Adam away only to reel him back in part way and then throw him back out all over again. I started to dislike Juliette. Maybe even hate. And Warner was such an amazing villain. He was dark, twisted and someone I loved to hate. But he became the misunderstood one. The one whose past is so horrible, that he just needs love and his secret actions are meant to warm your heart. I. Just. Can’t.

So it’s safe to say, I will not be continuing on with this series.

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