The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead - Review and Giveaway Winner Announcement!
Synopsis: In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .
But the struggle isn’t over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there’s still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.
Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.
Review: I didn’t start reading these novels until this year, but I’m certainly as enthusiastic as any long time fan when it comes to this series. The Fiery Heart will evoke pretty much every emotion you can think of. This book is probably my new favorite, though book 3 nips at its heels. Fans who have been waiting to finally see Sydrian (that’s an amalgamation of Sydney and Adrian’s names for those of you who don’t understand shipper speak) in its full glory should not be disappointed but you have to remember that you’re reading a Richelle Mead novel and it’s the middle of the series, so expect some angst and some growing pains and a cliffhanger that reaches Holy-Smokes-Batman levels. It at least makes it somewhat realistic.
I loved this novel to bits but I would have liked a little more development in the magic department. That’s not to say it was lacking; her abilities are extremely relevant to this storyline, but it didn’t feel quite as involved as with the previous books. I can understand that because this time the novel alternates between Adrian and Sydney’s POVs. The read was still surprisingly cohesive. Sometimes that becomes a challenge for an author but I think Mead still captured both of their personalities very well.
I didn’t really sense as much page time being given to the supporting characters either. There are some significant developments with them and their stories, but don’t expect much. This is clearly a Sydrian novel, made for Sydrian by Sydrian. Have I made it pretty clear that this novel is about Sydrian?
And since this is a Sydrian novel, let’s get back to that topic, shall we? This book makes you realize how good they really are for one another, though quite often their situation feels so hopeless. It’s a case of star-crossed lovers if I’ve ever read one. Though she tries to keep up her alchemist front, internally Sydney becomes more of a free spirit; this leads to behavior more reckless than you’d come to expect from her and it’s very refreshing. Adrian also really steps up to the plate to be responsible when it comes to his own vices. They balance each other extremely well, their chemistry is through the roof, and I loved every minute of it.
This book really made me realize I will have to revise my Goodreads shelves. For a “Young Adult” it was racier than some adult novels I’ve read. But I was also recently told that series like this where the characters are 18 and over are considered “New Adult.” Of course the Goodreads Awards don’t make that distinction… and honestly when I see “new adult” I think of a new novel in the adult category, like new Hollows, Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, etc. I’m also considering calling this “Mature YA” but I’m still deciding. I’m open to suggestions.
There are two novels left so I could understand why Mead didn’t want to prolong the honeymoon period. She is an author that really makes her characters earn their HEAs and clearly this won’t be an exception. I’m just hoping she can provide a satisfying ending to this series. It’s no secret that her endings of series tend to polarize her readers so it does concern me a little bit. This is the first series where she has me by the balls and I’m totally at her mercy. But on the plus side, it’s only 8 months until we get book 5! I’m ready for whatever, Ms. Mead! In the meantime, I’m gonna go re-read some of my fave passages from this one as they are MORE than enough to hold me over until next time!
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Giveaway Winner Selected
While I wish I could pimp out as many of these books as possible for everyone, for now I can only choose one. If you posted in the comment section of the announcement thread and followed the other rafflecopter directions, you were entered for a chance (or multiple chances for those following the blog multiple ways) to win. And the winner is:
@angel_reads
I’ll be sending an email your way soon! Hope you enjoy! Thank you everyone for the continued support. I loved reading your comments and I look forward to the next giveaway! When you guys read the novel feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you felt about it. You certainly know where to find me. I really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!
HAPPY SYDRIAN DAY!!! New Release Tuesday
YA Urban Fantasy fans are really in for a treat this week as the highly anticipated The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) and World After (Penryn and The End of Days #2) hit the shelves TODAY! I just started The Fiery Heart myself and so far so good! I’m all kinds of prepared for epicness.
There’s still time to enter on my giveaway for a chance to win your own copy here:
https://www.gorilla-safari.com/2013/11/12/giveaway-the-fiery-heart-bloodlines-4-by-richelle-mead/
I read World After some time ago and it was fantastic. You can read my review here:
https://www.gorilla-safari.com/2013/10/24/world-after-penryn-the-end-of-days-2-by-susan-ee/
Loading ...VOTE!! Ever After (Hollows #11) and Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) have made the finals!
It’s down to the wire!! We’re left with the top 10 finalists. I’ve read 3 of the 10 finalists in the paranormal category and while I enjoyed them all…I’m a Hollows girl ’til the end. Sorry, Kenya :P. And with The Fiery Heart coming out TOMORROW, I am in full on Bloodlines mode (though I’ve only read 2 of those 10 finalists)! I’ll campaign for The Hollows but of course you guys should vote for what you love. Feel free to share what you voted for and why!
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-paranormal-fantasy-books-2013 - to vote best Paranormal Fantasy
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-young-adult-fantasy-books-2013 - to vote best YA Fantasy & SyFy
Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Team Luxen or Team Arum?
Synopsis: Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.
Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something… unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.
Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?
Review: Do the cover models remind anyone else of Eliza Dushku and an older more muscly Tyler Posey (from Teen Wolf)? I can’t be the only one to think so. This is apparently a stock photo for another book I saw recently so make sure you grab the right one! I held off on reading this one until I was caught up with the Lux novels. I prefer adult novels to YA, so while I do manage to enjoy the Lux series quite a bit, I was definitely curious about the series potential at an adult level. Some things felt the same but it also felt very different in a good way. I would definitely read more Arum novels in the future. Take out a couple of sex scenes and tone down the content and it probably isn’t much different from what you’d find in the Lux novels even with the darker tone.
Hunter was pretty entertaining and funny making it an enjoyable ride to learn more about the Arum. I was glad to get a lead male with a distinct personality from Daemon. There’s always two sides to every story and I appreciated this exploration of their world. The chemistry and build up with Serena is about as good as it gets for a standalone.
We see a cameo of Daemon here and then it turns out Hunter makes a cameo in the 4th Lux novel (chapter 6 to be exact). While you don’t have to read one to enjoy the other it does make things more fun and there are some relevant plot lines that tie into the main series! I liked the series overlap and appearance of Luc, my favorite side character of the series.
After I was finished I was left wanting more, so I think that means Armentrout did her job! This book does make me wonder if any readers are more Team Arum or Team Luxen. Anti-heroes are as popular as ever and the Arum have genuine substance now. I can’t quite decide which team I’m on. Perhaps that means a few more books are in order, you know, so I that can properly decide ~_^.
Shadows (Lux 0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.
Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence…and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.
Review: I probably should have read this one in the order of the books’ publications as opposed to catching up with the main books first. Maybe that would have helped me to be remotely interested in the story. Unfortunately this was the weakest installment I’ve read of the series and I ultimately didn’t really like it. The relationship between Beth and Dawson was too rushed and sappy. It was so bland compared to Daemon and Katy. I wouldn’t have minded this prequel if they were already together for some time and this was just a side story that leads up to the current events of series. I like them and their relationship better as a supporting aspect of this series. As front and center they don’t do the series proper justice. But hey, at least it was free!
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh - A Satisfying Return to Raphael and Elena
Synopsis: Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force. Vampires are dying impossibly of disease. Guild hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels. Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York…and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same…
Review: I believe this is my favorite angel series and I would say Archangel’s Legion is was probably my favorite book since the series debut! It’s definitely the perfect example of absence making the heart grow fonder. I genuinely missed Elena and Raphael’s perspective so the story felt very fresh. They also have a whole slew of new problems and new…powers?
The story was really tight and the pacing was great. I wasn’t bored for a second and Singh did great job of building a sense of foreboding and tension. I loved the appearances and development of a few side characters, particularly Illium, Aodhan, and Naasir. I definitely missed Venom though. He is my favorite side character (followed somewhat closely by Illium) . This book pretty much had everything I’d want in an urban fantasy/PNR read except for more Venom, but that’s still a job well done.
I must say that I like Elena’s progress as an angel. While we see improvements, it hasn’t been an overnight process and she still has a lot of work to do. Raphael also appears to be evolving in a way that could only make sense for an archangel, though it does threaten to drive a wedge between him and Elena. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of sexy times if that’s what you come here for. I’m honestly impressed at how Singh packs so much story in these while giving a satisfying dose of romance too. Their relationships with their family also receive adequate development.
At first I was super concerned that because she was contracted for two more books we’d be seeing the end of the series soon. It didn’t feel quite right to me because even though this is the 6th book, there’s still a lot of story to tell and potential to expand the world. And quite frankly, I will not feel like this series is complete until Venom and Illium get their own books and in that order ~_^. The other day Ms. Singh herself calmed my fears and tweeted me that there will indeed be more books so I’m keeping hope alive for solo books of my boys and more Elena and Raphael too.
GIVEAWAY! The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead
IT’S SO CLOSE!!
I’m super excited for this book! It’s probably my most anticipated book of the fall/winter of 2013! I’m so excited that I’m in the mood to share the wealth with fellow Bloodlines enthusiasts, so there’s no better way than a giveaway! I’ve decided to get with the times and make my life easier by going the rafflecopter route! You’ll find it’s not much different from before.
How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): My giveaways are only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy who are 18 years of age or older. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT POST AND INDICATE YOU HAVE DONE SO ON THE RAFFLECOPTER WIDGET! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email and/or Twitter. (Make sure you check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post. The next three opportunities are for bonus entries. Overall, there are up to 4 chances to enter:
- Follow this blog via email (THIS IS REQUIRED)
- Follow me on Twitter (bonus entry)
- Tweet about the giveaway (bonus entry - you can do this daily for more entries)
- “Like” Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook (bonus entry)
The more entries the better your chance to win! Good luck!
The giveaway will run from 11/12/13 - 11/24/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway Winner Selected! Signed Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6) by Seanan McGuire
Hi everyone! I always wish to have enough for each and every one of you, but unfortunately there can only be one. If you posted in the comment section of the announcement thread, you were entered for a chance (or multiple chances for those following the blog multiple ways) to win. And the winner is:
Meghan Stith
I’ll be sending an email your way soon! Hope you enjoy! Thank you everyone for the continued support and I already have the next giveaway ready!
POLL: Hollows Stuff! Ever After Advances in the Goodreads Awards! New Trent Fanart! Casting Thoughts and More!
Hey guys! So it looks like Ever After has advanced to the semifinals for the 2013 Goodreads awards! If you haven’t voted yet, make sure you do in order to get it to the finals! Let’s try to make this the first win of the series! My fingers are crossed. It was absolutely my favorite read this year (shocker!), but there’s definitely got some stiff competition which I genuinely enjoyed as well so we’ll see! Bloodlines has also advanced. Don’t read any further until you’ve voted. Priorities :P.
After you’ve voted, read on!
Not too long ago I stumbled upon this awesome render art of Trent on Deviantart. Pretty good, huh? It’s one of the ways I envision him.
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Trenton-Aloysius-Kalamack-409850072
What do you guys think about it?
Loading ...Oh yeah and while live action casting’s been on the brain and I recently saw Thor 2 this weekend (it was PHENOMENAL!!) and over on goodreads we are discussing Hollows casting. Some mentioned Chris Hemsworth as a good Trent, but I feel like he’s a little too burly (not that I don’t love him). And then someone mentioned Tom Hiddleston as a good Al! I can say I’ve thought of Johnny Depp, Robert Downey, Jr., and Michael Fassbender as good picks, but I think Hiddleston can certainly join that pool! I’m also loving Jo Newman as a potential Rachel and perhaps Olivia Munn for Ivy. Olivia’s a little on the shorter side (I should know since she took a selfie with me and my bestie this summer as San Diego Comic Con, but in terms of features I could buy it!
Kim will be starting a Fistful of Charms this week. Tomorrow it will be on sale for $1.99 at most ebook retail outlets so keep an eye out! This one wasn’t really a favorite of mine (though I loved Big Jenks, who doesn’t?) and I’m really close to catching up to my goodreads reading challenge goal, so I might skip this one with the except of a few key chapters and pick up again with Book 5, one of my favorites.
Finished Book Syndrome
Nalini Singh shared this today on Facebook and it got me thinking that there are quite a few to have done this to me this year. Have any of you guys read good books lately that make you feel this way? The Hollows is pretty much a given for me, but it wasn’t the only one. Here’s my list in reverse order of how I read them
The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison (it kinda counts because I keep re-reading it :P)
Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh
Unchained by J. Lynn (Jennifer Armentrout)
The Immortal Circus by A. R. Kahler
Indigo Spell by Richelle Meade
Finished Every Which Way But Dead! Some thoughts…
I did include some quotes for my re-read and you can check them out with my original review here (just scroll to the status updates):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/144606364
Thar be spoilers ahead! I finished my re-read of book 3 yesterday! As I mentioned before, this book was an early favorite that held all the way up until Pale Demon. The excellent doses of Kisten and Trent certainly worked in its favor, but knowing what we know now about Rachel and the course of the series has been making the little clues all the more fun to read. It looks like Al realized what she is here. I would have loved to have known what he was thinking at that time. His character definitely still gave me the willies at this point, but he never ceased to be interesting. We also meet Newt and I’m amazed at how consistent she’s been though of course she’s grown a little as well. With Takata’s introduction I found myself reading every scene from him as her father and it adds a whole new layer to the mix. It all makes so much sense now, like the lyrics of red ribbons.
One thing I never realized was that after the boat explosion, Rachel and Kisten never had an on-screen discussion about it which I found very odd. People did die because of what he did and she was almost among them. Considering her attitude about that kind of thing back then I would have thought it’d be more of a sore spot for her but she just kind of lets it roll off. And yet at this point she’s still rationalizing to herself that Trent’s a “drug lord, murder, bad man” after he saves her life and they’re eating waffles. Which by the way was one of my favorite scenes of the entire series (does anybody miss Maggie as much as I do?) including the events that led up to it when she first arrived at the compound all the way up until when she does a little manipulating of her own to get more information out of him about her father.
Lots of awesome things come out of this book, especially that waffle recipe that I now use to make my own waffles.
Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: Daemon will do anything to get Katy back. After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.
All Katy can do is survive. Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?
The most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?
Review: After the cliffhanger of book 3 there was no way I couldn’t read this one right away. I whizzed through it too. This was easily the best book of the series. I was genuinely put through the emotional wringer and there were some truly surprising developments.
Origin, the title, denotes a new race we learn about in this book. Apparently Luxen and hybrids can procreate and they are the result, something great than its two parents. Good thing Katy and Daemon use protection, eh?
This novel was different from the others in that we get alternating POVs of Daemon and Katy. That was a nice workaround considering how long Katy’s held captive. As the book explores the heart of Daedalus I really found myself wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt. It really was as the synopsis said. Even the Arum’s existence and purpose isn’t quite as black and white anymore. But that was clearly a mistake as one particular scene was so horrific and left me so angry and appalled I just wanted them all to die horrible painful deaths. It was absolutely infuriating and I’m upset all over again simply writing about it now.
There were other surprising twists, particularly on Katy’s part with her abilities and how far she’ll let her anger carry her. Though I was completely fine with those developments. I’ll just say that he had it coming, though the actual timing of it was unexpected.
Daemon and Katy….let’s just say that the angst factor is amped up to a 9/10 for these two. The devotion was nice, but I could have done without one decidedly annoying decision on their part. It didn’t really add anything to the relationship and felt overly dramatic and somewhat out of character if anything. There’s a development with Dawson and Beth too, but I saw that one coming a mile away and it didn’t annoy me at all.
While new characters are introduced the lives of others are put into jeopardy, further proving this threat is very real. There’s yet another cliffhanger as well, but this time it’s one I actually could get behind.
If my understanding is correct, the next book is the last book of the series. I’ve grown attached to the characters and will miss this world, but Armentrout has definitely proven herself to be a very capable author and if this book was this good, I think she has the goods to let this series go out with a bang.
I read Shadows (Lux #0.5) and Obsession this week, so now I’m all caught up and the reviews shall soon follow. This is the first series in a while where I’ve been motivated to catch up with all the books. Normally I might read a book or two of something and then move on to another series and come back to read more at a later time, but this has been good enough for me that I just can’t wait. I am definitely a fan of Jennifer Armentrout’s writing.
Opal (Lux, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Synopsis: No one is like Daemon Black. When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on. But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever. Together we’re stronger… and they know it.
Review: It didn’t take long for me to get to this one after finishing the second book. While I enjoyed it about as much as book two, it does come across as feeling like more of the same a few times with some notable exceptions. I enjoyed the heist angle, but that meant less awesome quotes about Katy’s book blogging.
We’re introduced to a few new characters and re-acquainted with old ones and once again, we’re left wondering if their motivations will work in Team Daemon’s favor or not. I’ve not read the prequel novella with Dawson (though I will very soon; it’s free), but he is in full emo mode with a side of douche as well. I don’t hate the character or anything like that because it’s quite clear that he’s been through a lot, but for his sake you really want this heist to work out so that he can pep up. Dee is also not the same bubbly character. She really lets Katy have it, though I understand her point of view as well. It’s still hard and at times annoying to read.
My favorite side character at this point is Luc, a prodigy and mysterious night club owner with all the deets on how to bust into Daedalus. Something has to be special about him to have so much power and information under his thumb.
Daemon and Katy become even closer. Even with his usual arrogance and wit, he still balances it with being a good partner for Katy. I could have done without a couple of scenes here and there and more plot, but I do like the pair so I won’t complain about it too much.
The funniest part of the book to me was the intentional irony in this quote:
“I couldn’t run down the hall, letting people free. We didn’t plan for that and we only had a set amount of time. It sucked—sucked worse than people who pirated books, sucked more than waiting a year for the next book in a beloved series, and sucked more than a brutal cliffhanger ending. Leaving here, knowing we could possibly be leaving innocent people behind, would haunt me forever.”
And then what happens? Armentrout leaves this book on a cliffhanger! Lucky for me, I could jump right into Book 4.
Vote for EVER AFTER! Goodreads Choice Awards is up and going!
Vote here!
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2013
I could only really vote in the paranormal fantasy and ya paranormal fantasy categories :P. No shocker, I voted for Ever After (though I enjoyed a number of books in that category) and then The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3). I am chomping at the bit for The Fiery Heart! We’re down to days!!
So what did you guys vote for in general?
Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor - Jaw Dropping Developments
Synopsis: From the makers of Mortal Kombat comes the critically acclaimed prequel comic to the smash hit fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us!
Things in the DC Universe have changed after Superman is tricked into destroying the one thing he loves the most. Now unwilling to let crime go unpunished, the heroes of our world must choose if they are with Superman or against him. But not every country will submit to his new world order and neither will Superman’s greatest threat—Batman!
Review: I’m a casual gamer, but I tend to prefer the ones with adventure as opposed to fighting (give me Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed any day). I actually just wrapped up playing the new Tomb Raider yesterday. So needless to say the Injustice game escaped me. I went into this story complete blind as to what t
o expect. I thought I’d just open it up and read a few pages just to get my feet wet. But no, I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. It took about an hour. I don’t follow comic books very closely, only the story lines that make it to Hollywood. So you can imagine my mind was blown to see this particular universe KILL Lois Lane!! And she was PREGNANT!! That was total drama I wasn’t prepared for.
There are definitely themes that could cause some controversy. Politics and war are all touch upon. And the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Some character behaviors surprised me, namely Wonder Woman. She’s got the hotts for the Supes (can you blame her?) and she uses it to drive her decisions. I’m not really sure how I feel about that development with her character, but if you’re a fan of that ship you might want to give this series a go to see what develops.
I don’t know if comic book purists would get on board with this, especially Superman fans, because it seems out of character. But I think certain changes are necessary to keep a franchise interesting. It certainly got my attention. I know there’s a movie coming up soon involving Superman vs. Batman, and the two are at odds in this universe as well, but I can’t imagine it being based on the same plot. Either way I will definitely be watching that film (it’s got Henry Cavill, what else do you need?) and I’ll be on the lookout for the next volume of the Injustice series.
Midnight Secretary, Vol. 03 (Midnight Secretary #3) by Tomu Ohmi
Synopsis: Kaya thought she had found the perfect job when she became the private secretary of Kyouhei Touma - the director of a tableware company of the same name. Kyouhei is a capable director, but his arrogance and sluttish behavior are almost legendary. Kaya is doing her best to prove that she is capable in her work, but one night, by accident, she discovers his secret… of him being a vampire!
Review: I read this manga series once upon a time when it was still in Japanese. I was surprised to see it show up as an ARC some years later. It’s definitely an easy read and the plot is pretty straightforward. It’s a really nice option if you’re in between reads. I like the artwork and if you’re into comics, manga and romance, I imagine this series would be right up your alley to check out. There’s nudity and sexual situations, but it doesn’t overtake the story or qualify as hentai in my opinion.
*ARC provided by the publisher.
GIVEAWAY GAME!! Immortal Eclipse by Guest Author Sherry Soule!
“Which Immortal Character Would YOU Most Likely Be?”
Today’s fun post is provided by bestselling author Sherry Soule. Please take this quiz to see which character you’d most likely be similar to, and score an eBook copy of her paranormal romance novel, IMMORTAL ECLIPSE!
Answer this quiz, post your results in the comments, and be sure to check the bottom of the post for the details regarding this random giveaway.
This giveaway is open internationally! So let’s tell the book blogging world!
1. What’s your favorite season?
a) Winter - Cloudy, Chilly, Rainy, Stormy
b) Fall - Windy, Misty, Foggy, Mild
c) Summer - Hot, Dry, No Wind, Sunny
d) Spring – Warm, Breezy, Greenery, Brisk
2. I detest using labels, but what would others call you at school?
a) Normal or Jock/ Cheerleader
b) Preppy/ Student Counsel
c) Amateur Fashionista
d) Girlish tomboy
3. Which of the following best describes your personality?
a) Snobbish, Eccentric, Perky
b) Haughty, Moody, Smart
c) Tough, Snarky, Weird
d) Playful, Vivacious, Straightforward
4. Which genre do you read most often?
a) Urban Fantasy
b) Horror / Dark YA
c) Paranormal Romance
d) Dystopia
5. You are at school and witness a student bullying someone. What do you do?
a) Run in the opposite direction before they pick on you
b) Laugh and join in on the fun
c) Stop and tell the bully to knock it off or else!
d) Go tell a teacher what’s going on
6. What’s yourhairstyle?
a) Short and sassy
b) Long and straight
c) Medium with highlights
d) Curly or wavy
7. What’s your typical breakfast?
a) Eggs and bacon
b) Oatmeal and orange juice
c) Coffee and a Pop tart
d) Heaping bowl of my fav cereal
8. What type of pet would you like to have or do you own?
a) Hamster
b) Small Dog
c) Shade
d) Cat
9. Howoften do you shop or hit the mall?
a) Only on sale days
b) Once or twice a month
c) Every week—duh
d) Hardly ever
If you answered…
Mostly a’s: You are adventurous, clever, and outgoing. Let’s party!
Mostly b’s: You are smart and humorous. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with a fashionata like you.
Mostly c’s: You are not only stylish—you have great taste in movies and literature.
Mostly d’s: You are a true romantic, and devoted to your family and friends.
Mandatory giveaway details:
1.) You must comment with your quiz results
2.) Be a follower of the Spellbound Series Universe Blog
3.) Be a follower of this blog
4.) Follow us both on Twitter - @WriterSherry & INSERT TWITTER ID
5.) Tweet about this giveaway and include link in the comment
Good luck!
Those who enter must have an eReader to redeem this prize. All prizes will be electronically delivered. Please review all terms & conditions before entering.
Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:
Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com
Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry
FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/tdro6f
goodreads: http://bit.ly/uzohif
Mystery, Murder, Manolo Blahnik
As a devoted fashionata and practical New Yorker, Skylar Blackwell doesn’t believe in the supernatural—until she inherits Summerwind Mansion. . . .
When her uncle is brutally murdered, and the cops seem uninterested in following up the case, Skylar journeys to California to seek answers. Her search for clues is soon overshadowed by haunting nightmares of a young woman also murdered in the house.
Now the inhabitants of Summerwind are mysteriously dying, leaving no evidence as to how or why, and Skylar finds herself in a deadly race against time to expose the killer—before they strike again.
Armed with only wit and Pradas, Skylar begins questioning the servants, but the growing list of suspects includes the sexy and brooding caretaker, Dorian, a man desperately trying to forget his tragic past. And a major distraction for Skylar.
Determined to play detective—instead of the fashion police—and unravel the dark history of the mansion, Skylar is plunged into an otherworldly mystery that not even she can explain away. As the boundaries between reality and dreams blur, Skylar’s greatest challenge is to stay alive long enough to learn the truth.
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Onyx (Lux, #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
“Don’t forget. There are cooler things out there than fallen angels and dead guys. Just saying.” He winked.”
This quote is even funnier since she has a fallen angel series too now.
Synopsis: Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.
Something worse than the Arum has come to town . The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there’s this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that’s possible.
But then everything changes . I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me? No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies .
Review: Onyx, the follow-up to Obsidian, is pretty awesome! I thought it was much better than the first book, amping up the story was well as amping up Katy’s powers. I’m glad she gets an upgrade in the power category because she can be truly proactive instead of constantly playing damsel in distress. Granted, that still happens a lot but she is in over her head too much to have no defenses at all.
But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. The stakes are higher for Katy’s safety as well as her mom’s and she needs to harness her new abilities. We meet a couple of new characters whose motives were pretty easy to guess early on, but their purpose completely changes the game. There were a few unexpected developments that prove no one is truly safe.
This is where the series went from okay to a true page turner, drawing me into the story and making me begin to really invest in the characters. Katy is so very amusing, especially when it comes to her blogging. She’s so relatable and I find myself often highlighting quotes about her blogging experiences.
“I wrote a quick review for Monday and then a longer one for Tuesday. The longer one was because I couldn’t stop gushing. I think I had a new book boyfriend and his name was Tod.”
and another fave:
“It had insta-love, the bane of my existence Girl sees boy and falls in love. Immediately. Soul make, breath stealing, toes curling, love after one conversation. Boy pushes girl away for some paranormal reason or another. Girl still loves boy. Boy finally admits love.”
Deamon’s great too with his constant one liners and perpetual nicknames for a new guy in town who is clearly not his favorite person.
Of course their relationship is reaches a new level, though it’s still executed in typical YA fashion with the constant back and forth, the interruptions to keep things from the point of no return, the high school level jealousy and drama, etc. I would definitely prefer if these novels weren’t YA, but it offers enough for me to still want to continue with it.
These books are good enough to want to read them back to back without breaking to read something else. I unfortunately wasn’t able to get to book 3 immediately after this one, but I had good excuses. After getting The Undead Pool (Hollows #12) ARC and World After (Penryn #2) ARC in my paws, they just couldn’t be ignored. But I definitely read read Book 3 as soon as I was able and I’ll have that review ready soon!
A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire, #2) by Bella Forrest
Synopsis: When Sofia Claremont was kidnapped to a sunless island, uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet, she believed she’d forever be a captive of its dark ruler, Derek Novak. Now, after months of surviving an endless night, the morning sun may soon rise again for Sofia. Something has possessed Derek’s heart and he offers her a gift no human slave has ever been given in the history of his cursed island: escape.
High school, prom and a chance to move on with her life now await her. But will she be able to forget the horrors that steal her sleep away at night? … and the feelings that haunt her for that tormented prince of darkness?
Review: I really like this cover! I read the first novel, Shade of Vampire, not very long ago and I found it pretty entertaining if a bit on the short side. A Shade of Blood however is a big improvement. A larger page count probably helped, but the world and characters have become more interesting and the story more complicated. I’m not completely sure where things can go from here.
Sometimes multiple POVs annoys me in certain books, but I think the story and characters greatly benefit from it here. I’m a fan of when we can really get into the heads out our villains so I was glad they were included as well. Sofia’s destiny becomes clearer and she embraces it which helps move the plot along instead of dragging out the inevitable.
She and Derek definitely have something special and it was nice to see the bond solidified. The wild card now is Blake. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy his character as he seemed like more of a tie to her past and a reason to introduce the ever so popular love triangle. But there appears to be more in store for him than that could significantly affect the remaining books.
So far all books in this series are available to borrow for free on Amazon Prime, so I’ve been enjoying them that way. I already borrowed book 3 for October and am pretty sure books 4 and 5 will round out the year for me.
Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer, #6) by Karen Chance
Review: Being a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and you only found out about it recently, and you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you’ve just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss. Yeah, that part sucks.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Cassandra Palmer, aka the Pythia, the freshly minted chief seer of the supernatural world. After all, Cassie still has to save a friend from a fate worse than death, deal with an increasingly possessive master vampire, and prevent a party of her own acolytes from unleashing a storm of fury upon the world. Totally just your average day at the office, right?
Review: I have an idea of where this series is going to go. But after reading this book, I have no idea how long Karen Chance plans to take to get us there. For a two year wait I felt like it should have had more impact for me than it did. But the two year wait could have also been to its detriment. Considering my super long to-be-read list, I’m not really one to go back and re-read books unless I find it exceptional. So because of that I found myself occasionally confused this time around. This one didn’t quite draw me in as easily compared to the others either.
It definitely keeps to Karen Chance’s usual style of non-stop action to the point of where your head spins and occasional humor, but something felt missing for me this time around. I know what else (or rather who else) was missing as well, Mircea. In the earlier books I wasn’t necessarily Team Pritkin or Team Mircea because I’m just not that much of a Cassie fan, but I feel like she’ll ultimately end up with Pritkin. And books like this where Mircea is literally nowhere to be seen only reinforce that idea and further raise my heckles when it comes to my annoyance with this supposed love-triangle. It’s a pathetic one at best. After reading the Dorina Basarab books, Mircea has easily become one of my favorite characters of the series and I feel like while we see fantastic development for him there, he really gets the shaft here and I find that frustrating.
And you know what else is frustrating? Cliffhangers. We’re left with another one. Apparently this was originally 800 pages and Chance practically had to cut the book in half to get it published. After reading it that didn’t surprise me at all. I’m at a place now where I much prefer the Dory books because I find it has all of the plusses and none of the drawbacks that irk me with the Cassie books. I just wish Chance was able to produce both series in one year instead of alternating them every year.
I’m at the point where I’m contemplating dropping the Cassie books and focusing solely on the Dory ones. Since this book was really only half the story, I may read the next one but if I don’t connect with that one either, I’ll be hanging it up…unless the 8th book is the last one.
Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) Cover Reveal! Ilona Andrews is Breaking into Hardcover Territory!
I was a bit shocked to see the hardcover ready and raring to go this early (it’s not due out until August 5th of 2014), but you’ll hear no complaints from me! I’m super excited to see a cover, but I’m even MORE excited that the series is now in hardcover! What a wonderful achievement for the Ilona Andrews team! I’m getting much more used to this new model now.
The Krinar Chronicles by Anna Zaires Series Overview - From Fire to Fizzle
Synopsis: In the near future, the Krinar rule the Earth. An advanced race from another galaxy, they are still a mystery to us – and we are completely at their mercy.
Shy and innocent, Mia Stalis is a college student in New York City who has led a very normal life. Like most people, she’s never had any interactions with the invaders – until one fateful day in the park changes everything. Having caught Korum’s eye, she must now contend with a powerful, dangerously seductive Krinar who wants to possess her and will stop at nothing to make her his own.
How far would you go to regain your freedom? How much would you sacrifice to help your people? What choice will you make when you begin to fall for your enemy?
Review: From the looks of things I guess I’ve been kind of on an alien kick thanks to Jennifer Armentrout. While organizing my lovely kindle I felt the urge to tackle one of my freebies since that list only seems to grow much faster than I seem to be able to read them. eBook hoarder? Moi? Never! It just so happens that this story was on that list. I really enjoyed the sci-fi aspects in the first book and they are pretty solid all throughout. I found Mia and Korum’s tumultuous relationship intriguing since she had to essentially sleep with the enemy all for the sake of helping mankind. But the sequels pretty much removed all intrigue for me so the story fell very flat. Oh, things happened, but I was really ticked at the third book where Mia suffers memory loss and the plot ended up repeating the same developments as the second book. That conveniently allows the author to rehash what we already read and it’s not like these books have the largest page count. We remember, I promise! And don’t even get me started on the gag-worthy ending. Talk about a prime example of wrapping everything up in a neat little bow to the point of it feeling unfulfilling and completely forced. You can believe there were eye-rolls galore. I like my HEA’s, but I like for them to feel earned.
I was also slightly annoyed that the aliens possessed sharp canines and drank blood, but they supposedly aren’t vampires. I just feel like the creative well ran dry there.
As I read more about these novels, I learned that they are a collaboration of Anna Zairnes and her husband, who also happens to write. At first I was ready to be super impressed by a romance author who was able to provide such a rich alien culture and world. But now it’s clear to me that she probably handled the romance and he probably handled the sci-fi stuff (there’s a preview of his own sci-fi book at the end of these novels). Nothing wrong with that of course (Ilona Andrews is a prime example), but one emerged as stronger than the other to me.
So all in all I wanted to like it, but…meh. It had standout potential that became forgettable as the books went on. Perhaps it would have been better as a duology.
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