Tag: Paranormal (Page 37 of 52)

BOOK REVIEW – Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

BOOK REVIEW – Sentinel (Covenant #5) by Jennifer L. ArmentroutSentinel (Covenant #5)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant Series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear... or the end of herself.

5++++++++++ stars

My heart skipped a whole beat, and then sped up in recognition. Ah, I knew that voice. My heart and my soul knew that voice.

There was a time not all that long ago when I was grappling around trying to find something awesome to read…and I was out of inspiration. I had previously read the Lux series by this very author and had fallen in love, so I thought I’d take a chance and jump-jump into a story I had no clue what the blurb was talking about and give Armentrout another opportunity to amaze me-and amaze me she did.

In the darkness, Aiden placed his hand over where mine rested on my stomach, and it stayed that way through the night.

Nine months later and here we are at the end of the Covenant series, and I’m both happy and sad to say goodbye to Aiden, Alex, and Seth-three people who have invaded my heart and haven’t let me go since I picked up the first book.

I never would have thought that her Lux series could be surpassed, and I’m not saying it has been, but it’s damn close. A world corrupted by laws that put pure-bloods on a pedestal and halfs in servitude for the smallest mistakes, we are swept into this crazy place where a young girl will strive to rise above these outdated laws and restrictions to fight for the love of her life. Isn’t forbidden love always the best?

As a pure-blood, he was untouchable to me even though I was the Apollyon, and even now he risked everything to be with me. He was my strength when I needed him to be, my friend when I needed someone to talk me down, my equal in a world where by law I would always be less than him, and honest to gods, he was the love of my life.

We have Alex, the half-blood who fell for a pure-blood and knew it could never happen. A girl who was so strong willed she:
-Made it on her own with no protection from the covenant
-After falling dangerously behind with her training and studies, she came back and rose above the odds-earning a spot at the covenant again.
-And ultimately, she became the second Apollyon; an anomaly that almost never happens. But how can there be two….?

I could read everything in his eyes. There was so much pain in them that it broke my heart, but I didn’t understand why.
Aiden had to have been such a goody two-shoes in school-the kind of kid who’d raised his hand with the answer to every question. Dork. I loved him.

And then there is Aiden, the pure who fell hard for the half, the pure who offered to train her when no one else would, who pined for that forbidden romance in secret, but wouldn’t be so selfish as to put Alex’s life in danger-because that’s what it is: a matter of life and death. Pushing her away when she needed him most, they both suffer from unnecessary heartbreak that pulls you even deeper into this amazing series and makes you beg for more. He would lay down his life to save her, risk it all with a secret compulsion, battle alongside her only to make sure she lives to see another day-even though he is the one who is really in danger of dying.

”I was selfish in wanting you, knowing what it could mean for you. I was selfish the first time I kissed you, touched you.” The shiver his words brought forth didn’t go unnoticed by him. A dimple appeared. “I was selfish the night I came to your bed when you were at my parents’ house, and I’ve been selfish every day since then. The only time I hadn’t been selfish was when I pushed you away, and that’s the day I regret most.”

Annnddd Seth, the pesky first Apollyon who waltzed into Alex’s life unannounced and charmed his way into her everyday routine. More than once I found myself wishing he would just disappear into oblivion and never come back. He was always a distraction for Alex, someone to challenge her feelings for Aiden, and I never really liked that-but it securely added another intricate layer to these stories that was so desperately needed. Looking back I realize just how much more fun his presence made everything, and I love that he was a part of the journey to where they all are now.

Car keys dangling from his fingertips, Seth passed by us. “If you two can stop making doe-eyes at each other for a few minutes, we’re all ready to go.”
Aiden straightened, his gaze narrowing on Seth’s back. “Jealous is an ugly thing.”
“So is blind ignorance,” Seth shot back, rounding the front of the Hummer.

A story of power, self-sacrifice, love, loyalty, and strength of will, I couldn’t have loved this final installment more if I tried. Redemption of certain characters and the desperate nature of each person’s willingness to save one another resulted in an even deeper love for this story that was completely unexpected and caused my heart to expand to epic proportions. A race to the finish where no one is safe, even the Apollyons, we watch the story unfold as each character seals their fate, for both good and bad. Sentinel took my breath away more than once with it’s expressive storytelling and ability to make me feel, making for an emotional finish, where nothing can ever be the same, and no one is guaranteed to survive.

It was a beautiful day for war.

There is really no way to express how much I loved this series in one review, because we saw each character grow, mature, and become what they were always destined to be. I laughed, I cried, I bawled, and I frantically wished for the best in the worst of scenarios. I was both surprised and overjoyed with the finale of the Covenant series, and I could even read it again right now. It was just that good. Forever engrained into my soul, I will never forget the joy I felt when I read each installment. For those who haven’t read the series, you are truly missing out on characters that will captivate and compel you, influence you, make you fall in love with them and consume you, and I am so glad I took a chance to find out why each and every one of them is so special-I will always love this series with all my heart and can’t wait to see what Jennifer comes out with next, because I’ll be the first in line, no matter what the blurb entails.

And he would wait forever for me, just as I would wait forever and a day for him.

BOOK REVIEW – White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

BOOK REVIEW – White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. ArmentroutWhite Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

“People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils. No one is perfect, no matter what they are or what side they fight for.”

I’d only be lying to myself if I said I didn’t fall head over heels for yet another Armentrout novel. I don’t know what it is about this woman that makes all her YA series/novels 5 star reads for me, but almost everytime I start a new series by her, it immediately goes onto the favorites and elusive unforgettable male leads shelves.

“You’re running away.” The upper level demon sighed. “Even after I asked you not to, and I think I was really nice about it.” He glanced at the Seeker, frowning. “Wasn’t I nice?”

Set in a totally different world than I am used to, gargoyles are the paranormal feature that Armentrout chose to write about this time. I don’t know. I guess I have been discovering new things lately that have been reaching the ‘shock and awe’ factor with me despite my tendency to hold judgement over certain genres. I mean, some things, to me, are just too much. Some worlds take it too far and too out of the realm for me, and I just figured this would be one of them. I’m not going to lie-I didn’t think there was any possible way I could like this book. There. I SAID it. Gargoyles? How can a gargoyle be hot? How can she twist this so that I’m not picturing a character out of The Hunchback of Notre Dame the whole time? Well, unsurprisingly she has surprised me again. I don’t even know why I second guess her works. I don’t think there is one book I’ve rated less than four by her….and to think I almost skipped this one.

Trusting him would be like smacking the Wardens in the face. Demons lied. Even I lied. Well, my lying really didn’t have much to do with being a demon, but still.

What I love about Armentrout is her ability to make every series or story with a cast of completely likeable characters and a totally fun plot. Sure, some of the same thoughts may come across or similar areas may show up when you get to a certain point….but you just don’t notice. She makes the story so deliciously addictive that even when you have seven of her books on your mind, you can decipher the difference between every single story. You don’t simply mix up the Covenant or the Lux series, you just know because you have fallen completely in love with the worlds she has built and rooted in your mind. Simply put? There are similarities but not once is there a lack of individuality for each world or character she creates.

“I think you like me,” Roth said suddenly.
I stopped pacing and my heart did a funny little jump. “What? No.”
He tilted his head to the side, his lips spreading into a teasing grin. “The way you lie to yourself is sort of cute.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Hmm…” He sat up, eyes glimmering with mirth. “You wanted me to kiss you earlier.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “No. I did not.”
“You’re right. You wanted me to do much, much more.”

Zayne was boy one in Layla’s effed up little love triangle. She has grown up with him and has been in love with him for quite some time. He has always been her closest friend, the one she shares all her secrets with-but he seems to only think of her as a sisterly type-or maybe that’s just what she sees. He was the good guy-the one with the soul. The one she could never kiss (see below) and will forever long to be with. But what happens when Layla stops confiding in him and starts to become more independent and less like the puppy dog that follows him around…will he start to notice her then? Or had he always noticed her but couldn’t act on it?

The really, really bad and the really, really good were the most appealing, which made Eva very interesting to me, but eating the soul belonging to the most popular girl in school would be way uncool.

Layla was a fun character to follow. She is half warden and half demon, not altogether pure but was brought up in a house of wardens. Since she can never fully be a true warden, she tags the demons during the day so the wardens can hunt and destroy them at night. This is her effort to contribute to the greater good, but what if the greater good isn’t really what’s right? What if everything she has been told is fabricated by lies….and that there are some good demons in the world? Oh yeah, aaanndddd she can’t kiss anyone with a soul. Talk about a buzz kill.

But that was the catch. Sometimes the demonic blood won out. I knew it was wrong. Totally understood that, but it meant nothing in the end.

Enter Roth. Roth is a demon-plain and simple. Layla meets him one night when she is lured into a trap and he comes to her rescue. Right off the bat he has the sexy snarkiness that we have all grown to love and I knew he’d be a strong contender for my eerrrrr, Layla’s heart. I can’t even begin to express how much I fell for Roth. He was sweet, loyal, protective, and, frankly, not the good guy-not the clear cut good guy anyway….but I guess you’ll have to read to see how you feel about him. 😉

“It’s okay,” he whispered against the corner of my lip. “This is about you. Yeah, this is totally about you.” He sounded surprised by his own words, and when he spoke again, his voice was hoarse as he pressed his forehead against mine. “You undo me. You have no idea how you undo me.”

I loved this book. I really and truly did-the only thing I don’t like, and listen closely because this is my ONLY complaint as far as Armentrout YA novels go, you won’t hear anything negative from me again, is the repeat phrases I’ve seen in her other books. I do wish she had some new phrases or a less formulatic curse system. That’s all. Nothing big enough to make this anything less than a favorite, but it’s enough that I DO notice and wish there was some different material. Other than that? I adored this book and all the smexiness inbetween every single page.

Walking over to where I’d left my bag, I dug out my phone. At some point, Roth had gotten hold of my cell and replaced Zayne’s name with Stony and listed his own number under Sexy Beast. What a tool.
I grinned.

A fun and exciting ride with rarely a dull moment, I had so much fun reading every aspect of WHK. I even loved the characters at school-again, not a dull moment. A quirky cast with a lot of drama and humor, there was no lack of plot points or characters to focus on. And though I went back and forth throughout the entirety of the story, I finally chose a team. So important, right?? I love Zayne tons, and I adore Roth, but I’m proud to pledge my loyalty to Team Roth-the sexy demon with a heart of gold. Oh yeah, and I can’t forget Bambi, his lovable demon snake companion!!!! So I guess I’m on two teams. 😉

BOOK REVIEW – City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

BOOK REVIEW – City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra ClareCity of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

After finishing City of Bones last night, I didn’t really know what to say about it. Even this morning after sleeping on it, I am still at a loss for words. I suppose this might just be one of those novels where you know you have to keep reading the follow ups to truly appreciate the first in the series-or at least that’s how I feel. Did I enjoy it? Thoroughly. Was I able to put it down easily to connect with the real world? Not really. Did I connect with Clary as the main character? Not particularly. I think this is the largest problem.

I read Infernal Devices before this, not really knowing which one would be better, and I fell in love with Will, Jem, and Tessa. I can see so many similarities between the two series already, and no, not because it’s the same author and Infernal Devices was a prequel, but I see a lot of the same “problems” arising but in different forms. I think my hesitancy comes from the ending of the final TID novel, and how Clare chose to close out that particular series. While it appeased some, the epilogue left me unsettled. So I am slow to fall head over heels for one guy, because I am not sure how Clare will handle the end of TMI. Will she cop out again? I can’t be sure.

What I am sure of is that these are different characters (mostly) and they have separate problems thus far, so I assume they will be handled differently.

Clary wasn’t as likeable as I would have imagined based on what people say about her, but I didn’t dislike her either-I’m neutral. I have also heard Jace is a humongous jerk-shocker. I found I am the opposite of what I have heard. I found Jace to be somewhat sweet, actually, and Clary to be the jerk. I don’t know if I was just expecting this horrible guy or what, but I have read far too many romance novels where the main hero is a jerk, and I found Jace to be mild. Now as for Simon, he was also just okay. I didn’t truly care for his character and if he gets his heart broken, nor am I as heartless to wish Clary won’t look his way. Apparently I am all about fine lines on this review and, as I said before, don’t know what to think.

So all in all, it was a gripping novel with many unexpected (or expected if you are me and people warned me of *gasp* creepy plot twists) twists and turns. I liked the supporting cast, and I liked how it ended with them-it was sweet. I also found myself laughing out loud when something happens to Simon and also “aww” ing out loud. So many things to think about and so much to look forward to, I can’t wait to figure out where TMI is heading and what all we have in store for us.

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BOOK REVIEW – City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

BOOK REVIEW – City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra ClareCity of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

**In no way is it my intention to diss on the author’s integrity, just wanted to put forth the idea that there are some questionable ideas she has with this series-nothing more. Her writing is otherwise addicting**

There was so much going on in this novel it made my head spin. It’s hard to wrap my head around everything that happened, which makes this a particularly hard review to write.

Clary is adjusting to the fact that the world as she knows it does not exist and that things are much more complex than she ever could have imagined. She starts to realize that while she longs for the normal life she once had, she can never truly get it back-everything is different now. She is an important part to this alternate universe she was never aware of and is begining to embrace and further her knowledge.

Simon is pursuing her more heavily, pushing their relationship farther than it has ever gone.

He is also still recovering from the incident in the previous novel, making him a little bolder than he once was. I have to admit-he annoyed the living snot out of me for most of this story. I just wanted him OUT OF THE PICTURE-whatever that meant. Near the end, of course, my feelings changed-yes, I’m fickle apparently. People can mature, and more so, they can realize something and do with the knowlege what they want. In his case, it matured him and helped his character development along nicely.

Alec and Isabelle were great. I really liked their part in the story and always liked when they were around. I loved that we got to see Alec in some scenes WITHOUT a scowl this time around-it did wonders for his character in my eyes. And Isabelle…well, I always loved her character. Bitchy or not, she always has something witty or funny to say, much like Jace’s character. She’s fierce, loyal, and surprisingly, very loving.

And finally Jace. We got to see a lot more of Jace, and a lot more with just his perspective and what was going on with him. He is such a deep character, and I really do like him a lot. He is so loyal and has so much love in him, he just never got to use it as a child and that is the saddest part of this story (aside from the author using any indication that incest is acceptable in this series…I find that creeptastic..and excrutiatingly sad). I think it’s clear he has daddy issues and that’s why he is snippy most of the time. It’s justifiable. Whenever he enters a scene, I know 9 times out of 10 I am going to laugh, so I always enjoy the story more when he is involved.

I wish Clare would just drop this plot problem and move on with it already. Obviously something is amiss with it, and I’d rather not have to keep waiting for the inevitable to happen. Please let it go! I want some Jace/Clary action! And no…I don’t revel at the idea of incest, I just know enough about the series from others that this idea doesn’t fool me. I don’t think she’d have so many loyal fans if this series ultimately ended on an incestual (is that a word? Well, it is now) note. I just don’t buy it. That’s right-I’m not buyin’ what she’s sellin’. So let’s hope for some plot revelations in City of Glass, because I can’t wait for more action, romance and drama to unfold.

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BOOK REVIEW – City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

BOOK REVIEW – City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra ClareCity of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

What a fun, exciting read! I was utterly consumed with COG and was driven nearly mad when I had to put it down. The story takes place in Idris making for a refreshing setting and story line.

So much happens that it’s almost overwhelming to think of writing a review. Another problem? I most definitely started City of Fallen Angels immediately after finishing COG two days ago, so my recollection of the story is foggy, that mixed feeling when you read two books so close together. Whoops.

Things have finally come to a head for every party involved. Clary and Jace, Simon, Alec and Magnus, downworlders and shadowhunters, etc. I felt a sense of triumph on more than one occasion. Everything that we could possibly question about the past two installments is addressed, and more than we could imagine is thrown our way-not overwhelmingly so, though. What I loved most is the amount of peril laced through each page of the story.

Nothing was an easy fight. So many times we readers become engrossed into a story only for it to end up falling short and dissappointing us. It happens more often than not, sadly, and I didn’t feel let down with the end of COG. It was tied up happily enough that we could go on with our lives if we so choose to, but it also left enough wiggle room to continue the series. What did Clare decide to do? Obviously she decided to keep truckin’. While I have read that some people wish she would stop here, I have to say I disagree. Yes, there is such a thing as leaving a story alone while you’re ahead, but I can’t help but feel a little sad at the thought of never reading about Jace and Clary again. I don’t normally become so invested in a longer series-I generally lose interest quickly, but not with TMI. Clare writes the stories so you get a little of what you WANT, but not as much as you NEED.

Also, for those who have read the Infernal Devices trilogy, we start to see the mention of more and more of the names from it. Herondales (yyaaaayyyy!!), Lightwoods, Brother Zacariah, etc. I LOVE that. I LOVED TID and as I am reading the next installment, COFA, more and more is being said about them. It gets me so excited and I start smiling like a loon. Thank God Magnus was present back then, because we wouldn’t get these cute reminiscent thoughts throughout the novel without him.

I’m not sure what my review was even about or if it even made sense, but the point is, I loved this novel and it was the best in the series yet. It is on-the-edge-of-your-seat good, and the romance was sweet and exciting. So for those of you who haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?

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