Rift by Andrea Cremer

Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 448
Source: Copy provided by publisher for review

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

Wow! Rift was definitely an exciting read! Well paced, plenty of action, good writing and character development--Rift kept me hooked till the end!

I liked Ember's character; she may wield weapons most of us have never even seen, but she's still a character readers can relate to with her drive and determination. Overall, I thought most of the characters were good. There is quite a wide range of characters among the Guard, which makes them a very dynamic group.
The antagonist has more depth than I would have expected, which was a pleasant surprise! She isn't just your typical evil-and-out-to-accomplish-evil-things from the get-go, but was instead someone who had good intentions and wanted the best for the people she cared about, but ended straying from her goals after being misled and enticed onto a path that isn't entirely savory. It was a nice change from the 2D villains who roam around causing death and destruction and just seem bad from the start so the story can have an antagonist.

For a book that was well-written and had a plot that didn't follow the same loops that most paranormal YA fictions do these days, that tagline on the front cover was quite a let down! "She can battle darkness, but she can't fight love?!" To me, it made gave the impression that the book was much more cliche than it actually was! The book is much better than the tagline, believe me! I also like the cover itself, but it is a bit busy. There seems to be quite a bit of writing; if they were to ditch some of it, or shrink the font size (i.e. of the tagline or the part about it being the prequel to the bestselling Nightshade series), I think the cover would look even better, since the text wouldn't take away from the image (which I am a fan of).

I actually didn't read the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer before reading Rift. I actually really enjoyed reading Rift and had no trouble understanding everything--I think the Nightshade prequel series will be a stand-alone series, and from what I understand, is set centuries before the events that take place in the Nightshade series. I would recommend Andrea's newest series to her fans and would also recommend Rift to those who haven't read her other works before--I think fans of the paranormal genre will find Andrea's latest offering to be an enjoyable read that sets itself apart from some of the more run-of-the-mill paranormal books in the YA genre lately!

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this prequel series, Rise, but in the meantime, it looks like I should read Andrea's Nightshade series!


Overall: 4.5 out of 5
Plot: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars

Undead by Kirsty McKay

Release Date: September 1, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 272
Source: Copy provided by publisher for review

Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.

The day of the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

Although the premise of the story sounded like a lot of fun when I first got this book, I will admit I was a little hesitant. The paranormal genre has really taken off in YA and there's been everything from vampires and werewolves to witches, faeries, demons, and yes, zombies. But in that mix there's also been a lot of forbidden love and a generous helping of the mushy stuff with little focus on adventure and action. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good romance and I can be a sucker for happy endings, especially if the couple face the storm of forbidden love together! But lately, there have been plenty of books that have very similar story arcs, little to no plot and a heavy emphasis on just the budding romance and sadly, nothing else in the book. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more action (of the adventure kind, before you all get any ideas!) in those novels; what could possibly bring a couple closer together except for stopping world domination together??

I guess I needed a little break from all the paranormal books with forbidden romance, and thankfully, one of the publicists at Scholastic handed me a copy of Undead! Undead is absolutely jam packed with action! After a zombie Apocalypse breaks out, Bobby, Alice, Smitty and Pete have to fight for their lives and find a way out of this mess!

Popular girl Alice (a.k.a. Malice, as dubbed by Smitty), Pete the geek, Smitty the loner and rebel, and Bobby, the new girl, make up quite a motley crew for this adventure! They all have their own unique voices and there is plenty of comic relief, even during this crazy trip where they're trying to avoid getting chomped by zombies! Alice may be a mascara-obsessed beauty queen, but I found her hilarious in Undead! She somehow finds it possible to keep up at least part of her beauty routine despite this massive infestation of the undead and she is one snippy, crazy girl! Smitty was also hilarious with his snide comments and wit! I think I found this novel so enjoyable not only because of the non-stop action but also because of the polar opposite characters that are forced to work together!

To me there was more action than anything else in this novel, but it was still a fun adventure overall since the action was balanced with a decent plot and an amusing cast of characters!

Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.75 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars

Lies Beneath by Anna Greenwood Brown

Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 303
Source: Copy provided by publisher for review

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

"I hadn't killed anyone all winter, and I have to say I felt pretty good about that."
With a first line like that, how could I not want to find out what happens?! Just like the mermaids this book is about, the story is alluring and quickly drew me in! Lies Beneath paints a completely different picture of what mermaids are; dispel all the images you have from Little Mermaid of happy mermaids swimming along and singing! The mermaids in this novel are vengeful monsters who are more than willing to kill to get what they want! It was an interesting alternative to the happy mermaids I grew up with, but since it was pretty well developed in the novel, this dark alternative wasn't so hard to accept!

Lies Beneath was well written and had me hooked in. However, while it's a well-told story, it was not anything new or different than how many of the YA novels go these days. The storyline itself was not anything out of the ordinary and seemed to follow the basic formula most YA novels go by these days; boy meets girl, they fall for each other. But boy has secret and tries to keep it from girl. Of course girl finds out and they must make it through the storm together. While it was relatively ordinary, I still found the novel quite enjoyable to read. It might not be anything new, but it was still well-written.

Another point of the novel that was disappointing was the romance. It wasn't as strong as I had hoped it would be. Calder and Lily fall for each other relatively quickly and it was not as developed as I thought it would be. It felt almost like love-at-first-sight but then the author tried to also have them fall for each other in the more realistic (to me, at least) way: after talking, hanging out and getting to know each other. It wasn't quite developed enough either way, and consequently, just fell flat after being caught in the in-between the two.
Additionally, while I understand that Calder is a hot, delectable merman, his way of wooing his lady friend got rather creepy at some points! Spying on your love interest from the bushes? I'm sure Calder didn't mean it quite that way, but it sounds like amateur stalking to me!

I would have liked to learn more about Calder's sisters! They're such villains, but they were so interesting! Wish they had gotten the limelight a little more often and wish there were more snippets from their pasts! They were definitely dark creatures that I wish I had more insight to--how did they all develop such drastically different, yet essentially similar personalities? How was their interaction with their parents? I would have liked to learn more about their mermaid mother as well! We don't get to learn that much about her in this novel, but it sounds like she definitely had a story to tell as well if her children felt so strongly for her!

It sounds like Lies Beneath is the first book of a new series so I have high hopes for its sequel! Definitely hoping for more character development and another adventure!


Overall: 3.75 out of 5
Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 3.75 stars

Perception by Kim Harrington

Perception by Kim Harrington

Release Date: March 1, 2012
Publisher: Point
Pages: 288

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

Clare's back! I definitely enjoyed reading the second installment of the Clarity series! The writing was as good as the first book. Clare's voice was still pretty strong in this novel, and she's also matured from her experiences in Clarity. It did seem to me, however, that Clare's voice wasn't quite as strong, nor as spirited, as it was in the first novel. Maybe it's because she's matured a bit? But I don't know, it just seemed to lack some of the spunk and brightness she had in the first novel. It was almost as if she was a bit more subdued (her voice at least) in Perception, despite having a more personal mystery to solve.

Another similarity to the first novel was the mystery part of the novel. I don't mean the actual mystery itself--Clare's on a completely new adventure this time!--but like the first novel, the mystery at hand in Perception was a bit predicable. While it was slightly less predictable than the mystery in the first book, I guessed the perpetrator about half way through the novel. The writing is good, however, and doesn't drag, so despite being predicable still, it was an enjoyable read!

Thankfully, there's more character development for Gabriel so he's not just the cookie-cutter handsome, mysterious, good-looking hunk again! I enjoyed learning more about Gabriel, Justin and the other characters in Perception. The writing is well-balanced; it doesn't focus so much on back story that the plot drags but it doesn't constantly throw you into the fray without letting you glimpse at the characters' pasts. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to learn anything more about Clare's father but hopefully there will be more light shed on that subject if there's to be a third novel!

I don't want to give it away, but I for one think Clare made the right choice between the two love interests! The strong character she exhibited in the first book was obvious in Perception as well and I'm happy that this was on YA novel where the female lead truly knows and understands her leading men and chooses between them for their personalities and the way they treat her--not just because his eyes are sooo dreamy, and the kisses are simply world-shattering. Don't get me wrong, those are desirable qualities as well, but they shouldn't be the only factors when agreeing to be someone's girlfriend! I could really feel the chemistry between the two and the development of the romance between them was realistic and believable, which is a breath of fresh air amongst all the 'star-crossed lovers' that have been dominating YA fiction lately!

All in all, it was enjoyable and I certainly appreciated the more realistic romance! I hope to learn more about Clare's family, especially her father, and her past if there's to be another novel!


Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.75 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 4 stars

Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

Release Date: January 2nd 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 400

Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?

I like that Nastasya has matured since the last book and continued to do so in Darkness Falls--she slowly begins to face her fears and her problems instead of just running away as she's done in her past 400 years. Her voice has also matured and has mostly lost the childish-ness she exhibited in the first book, another sign of her growth. Of course she maintained a touch of snark and cynicism, plus plenty of sarcasm, but she's less whiny, which is good! I really liked how she not only began to face her problems but also tried to fix them, and also how she's learning to empathize with others!

There was more action in this novel than in Immortal Beloved, which was fun! Although it was great to get to know more about the characters and to watch Nasty grow, the action definitely upped the excitement for the novel! I would even say that if there had been more action, the novel would have been even more enjoyable! It was good to see Nasty putting the lessons she learned in a classroom into effect!

More about River's past is also revealed in Darkness Falls and that was quite a story! Nasty's definitely not the only one who's dealing with demons from her past, that's for sure! We also learn more about Incy, which reveals a lot about his motivations. He's definitely more of a complex character than he appears to be in the first novel, which was great. There is definitely more character development in this novel and I liked learning more about the characters' pasts; it explains a great deal about their personality and decisions.

Overall, I'd say Darkness Falls is a stronger read than Immortal Beloved mostly because the writing has improved a bit. I feel the writing also reflects Nasty's attitude and demeanor, and since she's matured considerably from the first novel, the voice in Darkness Falls is less whiny and much more enjoyable! The actual plot (described in the blurb) took a couple of chapters to actually start up, but I felt the pacing was pretty good once it did.

I enjoyed Darkness Falls, and I do believe this is a trilogy, so I am already looking forward to the third book!


Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.75 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Cover: 3.50 stars

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Release Date: April 16, 2011
Publisher: Point
Pages: 304

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

There's something definitely dramatic about Meg Cabot's writing! It's been a while since I've read anything by her, so it took a couple of chapters to accustomed to it again. I'm not the biggest fan of Meg Cabot's writing but I do prefer her style over those of some other authors. It may be dramatic, but it's relatively approachable and reads smoothly. I will say, however, that the vocabulary in this novel was really repetitive; the words "incident," "accident," "cemetery sexton," among others appeared over and over again.

The story is told predominantly in flashbacks, and I think this works for Abandon. As the story progresses, readers wonder what happened in Pierce's past and who is that John character? Readers are drawn in and kept interested by the flashbacks that present the readers with more insights to Pierce's past. Although I for one believe that the flashback style works for the novel, the actual story moved really rather slowly. It dragged at points, rehashing the past several times and nothing new happened for pages.

This book was marketed as a 'modern retelling of Persephone' of sorts but it hardly felt like that to me. I'm a big fan of mythology and spent plenty of time as a kid reading about them and I studied Latin (and to a lesser extent, Greek) in high school so I had an opportunity to re-visit and study the famous Greek and Roman mythology then. So when I heard about Abandon, I was excited! I love mythology from all cultures and I haven't read very many modern re-tellings of Persephone, but unfortunately, I was rather disappointed in this aspect. While Abandon has a few elements from the myth of Persephone (an underworld of sorts and a death deity) I would hardly call it a modern retelling of Persephone. Maybe it'll become more of a retelling in the later books in the trilogy, but book one, Abandon, definitely did not feel like a retelling.

The romance in the novel didn't seem very strong either; there was some mild chemistry between Pierce and John but John seemed really distant, a jerk at times, and inconsistent so it was hard to gauge the actual romantic interest between the two. But of course when the two finally kiss, the whole world is blocked out except for the kiss, everything else is forgotten, and he's so dark and mysterious but romantic, etc. etc. etc. which seemed cliche to me. I was hoping Meg Cabot was going to whip up a much stronger and steamy romance between the two leads, but alas, it was not so.

This last point might sound a bit nit-picky, but I for one was not very impressed by the name of Pierce's love interest, who also happens to be the aforementioned death deity: John. It sounds a bit, well, underwhelming and hardly impressive. With Meg Cabot's signature dramatic style of writing, I would have thought she would've picked a name that was a tad more impressive. Or at least one that matched the leading character (who's name was much more unique): Pierce.

I definitely have mixed feelings about this book; overall, I enjoyed it at points. However, none of the characters seemed very strong to me and not as memorable as those from Meg Cabot's other novels. Characters like Samantha from Meg Cabot's All-American Girl and Mia from The Princess Diaries definitely had a louder, more vibrant personality and Pierce seemed almost tame compared to Samantha and Mia. I'm not a fan of Pierce, though there are two more books left in this trilogy that could change my opinion! I found her a rather weak character who was careless, uncaring and not exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch. I'm hoping the trilogy gets better, though I'd have to say overall, I was disappointed with Abandon. I guess when you're already a best-selling author who is loved by so many fans, expectations are higher and unfortunately, I don't feel that Meg Cabot quite lived up to that expectation this time.


Overall: 3 out of 5
Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 2.75 stars
Writing: 3.5 stars
Cover: 5 stars

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Point
Pages: 242

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?
This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.
Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case - but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother - who has supernatural gifts of his own - becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

I definitely enjoyed reading Clarity and it's a great debut for author Kim Harrington! Clare's a great character; she's a bright, funny girl with the occasional sarcastic quip! Clarity was fast-paced, fun read! I found the mystery part a bit predictable by the middle, but the novel was well-written and by no means dragged out, so it was still an enjoyable read!

What I really liked was how Clare and her entire family had 'gifts' so their interactions were quite amusing at times but it also allowed them to support each other since they understood what it was like to have abilities that, as Clare put it, caused tourists to flock to them but also caused the locals to scorn them. The focus of the novel, therefore, wasn't about Clare trying to find acceptance within her family; they already knew who she was, she just had to find herself in the outside world.

One small issue I had with the novel was Gabriel, one of Clare's love interests. He seemed like your typical stock mysterious, handsome guy. I think he was supposed to thicken the mystery a bit but he felt a little bit like a cookie-cutter character to me. His character does get a bit better during the last bit of the novel though. That said, it's only a minor thing I was a bit disappointed in--nothing to stop anyone from reading the novel of course!

Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Writing: 4.75 stars
Cover: 5 stars (love the light colors! beautiful!)

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Release Date: January 17, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 416

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

What I really like about this book is Clara's voice; she's got a sense of humor and a great personality that draws you into the story. The fire from Unearthly was only the beginning; now that her purpose from the vision she had as an angel-blood has passed--her purpose that she did not fulfill--Clara's future seems much less certain. It's an exciting, and nerve-wracking, journey for Clara and readers as she discovers more about her angel-blood status and tries to unravel the secrets around her.

It's Clara's voice and the story that hooked me into the book! The fantasy genre of YA has been overrun with vampires, werewolves and forbidden love for quite some time now, but angels and a story arc other than one of forbidden love is quite refreshing! Hallowed is definitely well-written and at a few points Clara even gently teases the more melodramatic characteristics of the Twilight series and books of similar nature that are now prevalent in YA fiction.

I felt that the actual plot itself wasn't very long. It probably could have been summed up with about half the pages used and readers would have still gotten the general gist of what goes on. However, while some may potentially deem Hallowed a "slow" book compared to it's predecessor, it's often the journey and not just the end results that count. Clara had a lot to learn and figure out about herself--and her purpose--if it had all be presented to her on a silver platter, she hardly would have learned anything! Clara's journey has only just begun, and as readers will see in Hallowed, there is still much for Clara to learn--about her abilities, her future and her past! As they say our experiences make us who we are, and if everything's done for us, we wouldn't have much left to experience!

That said, I did feel that a certain dream sequence did repeat itself several times without Clara (or readers) learning anything more. What made it sound so repetitive, I think, was that in the middle of the novel the dream/vision was presented with only minor variations on wording and sequence of events. The dream was (this), then Clara thought and felt (this). Not much else was learned from the sequence and Clara did not even brainstorm a new interpretation of the dream/vision. This was repeated a few times--adding little but a few extra pages to the novel. It was only at those points that I felt the novel could have picked up the pace a little bit.

Lastly, I have to admit that I didn't really feel it for Clara and Tuck until the very end. Although Clara said she loved him, I didn't get that feeling from her, during her interactions with him. It was as if that spark and that chemistry wasn't entirely there anymore. There were many points in the novel that I felt there was much stronger chemistry between Clara and Christian and Tuck just didn't seem as strong of a character. This last point could be the reason why Clara spent a great deal of the book seemingly bouncing back and forth between the two--she couldn't really make up her mind about her feelings for the longest time. I can't say much more for fear that I might spoil something, but it'll be interesting to see what other readers think about the leading men in this novel!

Hallowed was not as strong as I thought it would be, but even with the reservations I had, I had a good time reading it! The writing is great and Clara's voice and humor is a breath of fresh air! Fans of Unearthly will no doubt enjoy Hallowed, which is still a relatively creative and very enjoyable novel, especially in the fantasy genre that is now dominated by vampires and werewolves!

Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.50 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Cover: 5 stars (love the embossed, silver (shiny) lettering and the feather woven in!)

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown
Pages: 416

After living for hundreds of years, would you begin to lose the ability to feel and to appreciate the little things? After all, what's one moment to you, than the merest blink of an eye? You'll have many more moments to come--an infinite amount of moments, in fact. So what would you do? Jet off to see the world? Donate some time to help worldly causes? Mindlessly drift from party to party, just trying to pass time and have fun?

The latter is what immortal Nastasya--Nasty to her friends--picks. Nasty indulges in fancy parties, excessive drinking, and her friends' carefree (and careless) attitudes. What's one more night spent with exciting company and good drink? It's not like she has to worry about her liver or a possible car accident afterwards--immortals are a pretty hardy bunch with plenty of time for their antics.

Boz, Incy, and a few other immortals from Nasty's close group of friends are living it large--expensive parties, trips to the other end of the world on a whim, and fast cars and designer clothes are the norm for them. Reckless behavior is second nature, since they hardly have to worry about the repercussions. Car crash? No problem; immortals will likely escape with just a few scrapes and bruises.
Incy and Nasty have floated from party to party together for years, leading to a close friendship between the two. Incy parties hard because he doesn't have anything better to do with his time, but Nasty parties to forget her past--and this party lifestyle definitely suits her needs. That is, until one night Incy goes too far and uses his magick to snap a man's back.

Shaken that her close friend could use his magick for bad and could just harm an innocent man without any remorse, Nasty flees her group of friends. And for the first time in decades, Nasty has feelings of guilt and cowardice. but after centuries of stamping out true emotions and feelings, Nasty does not know who to turn to, except for a woman named River whom she had only met once--and decades ago at that. Traveling from London to Massachusetts to find River and her place if she's still there, Nasty pins her last hope of possibly having something different than a life filled with nothing but debauchery on someone and some place she did not truly know, let alone understand. But Nasty may get more than what she's bargained for when she reaches River's End. The lifestyle of those there are very different from the one Nasty's gotten used to over the past few decades--and there's someone there who may have something to do with the past Nasty's buried deep for years.

Nasty definitely grew and matured a bit during the progression of the novel. Although she maintains some of the childishness and immaturity she displayed rather prominently during the beginning of the novel. She's also got a vulnerable side that surfaces as sarcasm and attitude, which puts her at odds with some of the others at River's End.
I would have thought that having lived over 400 years, and having seen what Nasty had, would have given her some perspective and made her mature at least a bit more than she had. I mean, she really didn't have it easy at points in her life--death, pain, famine, and loss--but she still sounded like a teenager most of the time. While I agree that some of those events could be traumatizing enough to make her repress them, the general hardships she had to go through before her wild party days should have still made her more mature than she sounded in Immortal Beloved.

The beginning of the book was okay. It was the second half that drew me in more and it was with greater reluctance that I set the book down when I had to as I got further along. The beginning had almost a Gossip Girl-esque feeling to it; parties! Rumors! Glamor! Flamboyant friends! But then things mellowed out and Nasty began her journey towards self-discovery.

I guess you could also say that certain times during Nasty's time at River's End (almost like a rehab for immortals) were slow as well. Things did not progress very quickly (I'm sure Nasty felt that way too!) but this could have also been to showcase Nasty's own journey at River's End. Her chores were described maybe once too often (there are only so many ways you can write about washing kale) but the flashbacks and other events kept it interesting enough that I wanted to keep going.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Immortal Beloved. However, I also felt that this novel was holding back, especially during the last third or so, to set up for a sequel. Although that part was not quite that enjoyable, I am looking forward to continuing Nasty's journey in the sequel, Darkness Falls which hits bookstores this month! I would like to add that I do hope that Nasty will grow and mature even more in book two as the immature voice that told the first part of this story was not exactly my cup of tea.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5
Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 3.75 stars
Cover: 3 stars

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Pages: 320

"I release you...
I release you, Lenah Beaudonte.
Believe...and be free."

For the first time in 592 years, Lenah could breathe, feel, and be human again. After centuries of being a vampire, Lenah had almost completely lost her humanity--she was constantly lusting for blood to ease the constant pain and inability to truly feel. But when her first love, Rhode, sacrifices himself so Lenah can be human again after her 100 year hibernation, Lenah must adjust to the 21st century and adjust to the fact that the coven she created to protect her is her enemy now. They have no idea that she is human again and with her betrayal, they will track her down for revenge.

For the time being, Lenah doesn't have to worry; it would seem that Rhode did a good job hiding her. She is tucked away at a boarding school, Wickham, and quickly befriends a fellow student, Tony. Weeks go by without incident and not a word from her coven.

As school starts, Lenah draws attention from plenty of the students with some of the glamor she still retains from her existence as a vampire, but one boy in particular catches her attention: Justin. Handsome and daring, Justin is the first human Lenah falls for, but Justin already has a girlfriend. But girlfriend or no, there is an undeniable attraction between Justin and Lenah. And soon one thing becomes clear to Lenah--she may be struggling to break the bonds of her vampire past, but there is only one thing she really wants: Justin.

Weeks pass and even as Lenah grows closer to Justin, she knows that time is running out before her past catches up to her. The question is, what will happen when it does?

Infinite Days was amazing!! I liked how Rebecca Maizel integrated stories of Lenah's past with the main plot! I enjoyed learning more about Lenah's vampire years through those short stories as well as watching how she tried to adjust to how society had changed during her 100 year slumber. Lenah definitely went through an interesting transformation! She was a powerful vampire that killed on a whim before she was changed back into human form. Once she was back in human form, she seemed so much more innocent since she was quite clueless to a lot of the cultural changes that had taken place! I'm glad Rebecca contrasted Lenah's new and old life throughout the book; made it very interesting in my opinion.

Infinite Days is a very enjoyable read that puts a bit of a different spin on vampires. I was afraid I was starting to burn out a bit with all these vampire novels that had been coming out lately, but the different perspectives on vampires in Infinite Days makes this novel stick out among all the others that feature fanged creatures! It's well written, interesting, and it hooked me in from page one! I am eagerly anticipating Rebecca's next novel!

Overall: 5 out of 5
Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars (the simple cover works nicely...and did I mention it's shiny?!)

Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Release Date: September 7th 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 480

The world has been all but taken over by vampires, which are known as the Cursed Ones. At the beginning when the Cursed Ones made their presence known, they seemed civilized and like ordinary humans with only one difference--they drank blood. But they promised they only drank blood from animals or from blood bags taken from local butcher shops. And with such a charismatic spokesperson, Solomon, for the Cursed Ones, they quickly became the a novelty in society. People clamored to meet them, interact with them, and young girls began to romanticize them, portraying them as harmless cute guys with fangs.

Then war broke out and people learned they had been deceived; the Cursed Ones had to drink fresh blood from humans or they would die. War broke out but soon it became clear the Cursed Ones were winning so human leaders began to forge uneasy truces with the vampires. Both sides claimed they wanted to keep the peace, but it soon becomes clear that despite the claims of human leaders, the Cursed Ones are really the ones in charge.

More and more nations signed treaties with the Cursed Ones and many began to live in fear of the Cursed Ones, who can drain a human dry in mere seconds and who possess strength, speed, and powerful charm which can lure humans to their demise.

Not everyone has succumbed to the Cursed Ones, however. Spain is one of the few countries who have not signed agreements with the Cursed Ones and are actually training hunters to destroy the Cursed Ones. Like the vampires of legend, they can be killed by a stake the the heart, they are irritated by garlic, crosses and holy water burn them and they cannot last in the sunlight. Students from all over the world are welcome at the school in Salamanca, Spain, and Jenn was once such student. She fled her home in America and came to Salamanca to train. After completing the grueling courses, she graduated along with several other hunters and now they are sent on missions as a group.

Despite completing her training and surviving, Jenn does not feel confident of her abilities. She often doubts herself yet her teacher, Father Juan, believes she is destined for something great, and does not allow her to leave. She feels a strong bond with her hunting partner, Antonio, who also believes that the only thing Jenn lacks is confidence in her own abilities.

Suddenly called back home because of a death in the family, Jenn returns to San Fransisco and must confront her family. How will her father, who had always supported vampires and humans existing together take it, now that Jenn is a hunter? What will her younger sister say, who Jenn had left behind when she went to study in Spain? Matters worsen by a tenfold when Jenn is betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect her. A crippling blow in her already low confidence, her insecurities grow hugely. Will she find the strength to continue, or is this the end of her run as a hunter?

There were definitely points in Crusade where I couldn't put it down! I was hooked and had to see what happened next! I really liked how the focus shifted between the different characters in the book so that not only does the story continue, but you get to learn about each character's personality, their past, and their thought patterns. The switching viewpoints were well done; it was never too confusing, but was really helpful in getting a peek into each character's brain.

Crusade takes its time setting the back story and setting up before the plot starts moving along. I didn't really mind that since the whole environment was set up well; you really get a sense of defeat and fear that many people feel, now that their countries have called a truce between humans and the Cursed Ones. I really liked how the authors set up the currents state of affairs (there was good attention to detail); it seems like an accurate prediction to how many would respond if Cursed Ones really did exist and chose to expose themselves. The whole society responding to the Cursed Ones--how society adjusts and views them--really reminded me of Shade by Jerri Smith-Ready. In Shade, Jerri also did an excellent job of showing how society had to deal with a huge change: the fact that people born before the Shift can see and interact with ghosts.

The only criticism I have for this book concerns the ending. I don't quite see it and I don't quite agree with it entirely. It sets up nicely for a sequel, but the character doesn't quite fit the role as the others envision her to, but there will probably be a sequel, so that remains to be seen. I don't want to spoil anything so that's all I'll say. Can't wait to read more in this series!

**Don't forget, I'm currently hosting a giveaway & giving away 5 copies of this novel, along with 4 other novels! Enter here if you're interested! Ends 9/1

Overall: 4.25 out of 5
Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 3.75 stars (It's rather simple, but it works.)

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway

Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway

Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: NAL Trade
Pages: 256

Anastasija Parker is not your typical teen--she's a witch. She's always known that, but on her 16th birthday--the day her True Witch initiation is supposed to take place--she's about to find out a whole lot more about her supernatural self.

But for now, Ana is more worried about her initiation. Unlike her best friend Bea, she doesn't think she possesses any powers as a witch. She can't conjure spells or summon her magic like Bea does, which is a problem, seeing that she needs to preform magic for her initiation. Ana is less than confident for her Initiation, despite Bea and her mother's beliefs that she has powers that just haven't shown themselves yet. Sadly, her day does not get any better; the school's resident dumb jock Thompson has to get in her daily taunting.

Heading home from school slightly dejected and extremely nervous, Ana is in for a surprise when her father that she has never known shows up on her doorstep, demanding her not to go to her initiation. Before Ana can react, her mother quite literally throws him out of the house. And why this unceremonious departure? Because, Ana learns, her father is a vampire. It also happens that vampires are the moral enemies, so what's Ana to do?

The only stroke of luck Ana seems to have at her initiation is her interaction with Nik, a hot guy and a fellow witch. Nik seems to reciprocate her affections, which is a boost for Ana's confidence, since she's always seen herself as a bit of a plain jane, and a failure as a witch. But just when things start to get warm between Nik and Ana, Elias shows up. He's vampire who's sworn to protect her and soon checks on her constantly. Despite his protectiveness, he is also a gentleman and Ana can't help but like him too. It seems that Ana will not only have to chose between her two bloodlines, but also between these two cute guys as well.

Before she knows it, the witches and vampires are fighting to claim her as their own. Is Ana a Witch or the princess of the vampires? Each side is intent on having her be solely vampire or solely witch, but what will Ana chose? Can she even chose, and turn her back on one of her parents and half her blood?

In the the description for Almost to Die For, the novel is described as "Twilight-meets-The Princess Diaries," however, I found the later is more true than the former; the girl-finds-out-she's-a-princess-and-her-life-changes idea does show up in this book, but while Ana has to adjust to the fact that she's royalty, the book does not focus solely on her trying to become a monarch. Almost to Die For does also share some similarities with Twilight; mostly the fact that two boys are vying for her attention, and both of those boys are part of two races that are sworn enemies, but not much more than that. I feel that the biggest issue Ana struggles with is her choice between her two heritages--which one should she follow?

At first, I found it rather hard to get into Almost to Die For--it sounded like another vampire and supernatural book and Ana complained too much for my liking in the beginning. Eventually, the plot picked up and it wasn't half bad. Although it seems a bit cliche at times and does not have the most original of plots (overall, it does sound like a mesh between Twilight and the Princess Diaries series) supernatural fans will find Almost to Die For enjoyable. The writing is not bad and the quirks and twists as the novel progresses will keep supernatural fans interested. I'm glad that Ana grew more as a character; it was nice to see her confidence increase and to see her take more control over her own life.

Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Release Date: May 25, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 480

Nick Gautier has not led an easy life; he has never known his father (seeing that his father is in prison) and lives alone with his mother, who was all but disowned by her family for keeping her son when she got pregnant while still in school. Nick and his mother live in near poverty with his mother working as a stripper at a local club to support them. Constantly bullied by his classmates because of his conditions (the secondhand Hawaiian t-shirts from Good Will his mother buys for him don't help), Nick has become an extremely cynical and sarcastic person. Since he is fiercely defensive of his mother and her honor, Nick is constantly getting into scuffles and trouble at school, earning him earfuls from his mother and the principle.

But soon it won't be just constant teasing that Nick will have to worry about; some of the kids at school have suddenly started eating other students. Nick's friend Bubba (who happens to run a store that sells various weapons for slaying dark creatures) is thoroughly convinced that there are zombies running around. But Nick doesn't believe in such nonsense, especially when the theory comes from a gun-toting, Oprah-watching, insane man.

But while trying to escape the odd events that are happening at school, Nick gets into a sticky spot with the people he thought were his friends. After a close brush with death, a mysterious man by the name of Acheron rescues him and offers him a job. Little does Nick know, this job may just open his eyes to a world he never knew existed--a world that includes gods, zombies, vampires and other beings he had once thought only existed in fantasies. Cynical and unbelieving as ever, Nick thinks the people around him are just going bonkers, but he better start believing soon, or he might just end up next on the menu for some of those creatures...

I have mixed opinions about Infinity. Overall, I'd say I enjoyed reading it, mostly thanks to Bubba and Nick's characters. Nick has a quick wit and can be extremely sarcastic at times (a trait which has unfortunately landed himself in trouble with bullies, parents and other persons of authority multiple times), but despite being street-smart, had a sense of honor and was highly protective of his mother. As for Bubba, what's not to like? He's got sarcastic comebacks that rival Nick's, has more modified weapons than is safe or legal, knows how to use a (modified, of course) cattle prod, and is obsessed with watching Oprah. (And you better not disturb him while he's watching Oprah, or you may just find yourself on the receiving end of said cattle prod.) The two of them, Nick and Bubba, really made the book for me and I had more than a few good laughs as I read Infinity.

I found Infinity confusing at times, though this could be because I have never read Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series (which is an adult series while Infinity is YA). Some of the characters' backgrounds were confusing (I had trouble keeping up with who was related to whom), as was the plot at times. Some parts of the books were also rather repetitive; for instance, Nick would get in trouble, get yelled at by his mother, say he's sorry, then the cycle would just start over.

Certain parts felt a little too far-fetched and almost forced --spoiler alert-- (skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read the spoiler) like the part where we learn that the live zombies were turned that way because of a computer game. I thought it was a little much and had been hoping for a better reason why the certain kids had been turned into zombies.

While I love Nick's sarcasm, I think other aspects of his character were a bit baffling. For instance, he eventually becomes more receptive to the idea that certain people he interacts with, Acheron and Caleb for instance, are not really human. Despite this acceptance that there might be some paranormal beings around, Nick adamantly refuses to believe in zombies and creatures of the night. He thinks Bubba and Mark are off their rockers since they believe in zombies, hunt them, and hold zombie survival classes. I wasn't sure how Nick could believe Acheron wasn't human, but kept refusing to believe in zombies, vampires and other things Bubba and his friends hunted.

From what I heard, there has been mixed reviews for Infinity. I thought it had it's flaws but also had some redeeming qualities. I rather enjoyed Nick's wit, so I'll be interested in seeing what happens next in his adventure, along with what Bubba and Mark will do next. Hopefully the next book will help sort out some of the confusion I have concerning the plot and relationships in the first book! I am looking forward to reading Chronicles of Nick: Invincible, but meanwhile, I think I'd like to check out Sherrilyn's Dark Hunter series!

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336

Jacinda isn't human. Well, not all the time at least; she's a Draki, which means she can manifest to her dragon form. Since she's the first fire-breathing Draki for many generations, she is closely guarded by her pride. Too closely, if you ask Jacinda--she hates how Cassian, an onyx Draki who will be the next alpha, thinks she is his property. Constantly hovering and watching Jacinda, Cassian wants her as his mate simply because she is the first fire-breather in decades. The rest of the pride is no better; they believe that they have control over her just because she's unique. But as much as she enjoys living with her kind, Jacinda will not submit to their control willingly.

Being Draki comes with risks, and with her father long dead, Jacinda knows that. Still, she cannot help but want to fly alone with her closest friend, Azure, away from the pride's watchful eyes. Sneaking out for a flight with Azure one night, the pair is met by a pack of hunters and soon Jacinda is flying for her life. Taking refuge in a cave where she is soon discovered, she is surprised when one of the hunters, a teenage boy, spares her life. Her relief is short-lived however, since Jacinda's mom decides it's too dangerous to stay with the pride anymore. With Cassian and the pride's angry reaction to Jacinda's newest bout of rebellion, Jacinda's mom fears the pride's intentions for Jacinda.

Now tucked away in a small town in the desert, Jacinda hates her life. She hates how her mom wants her Draki to wither away and die, just as her mother's did. While Jacinda is miserable, her sister, Tamra, is happier than she has ever been. Tamra's draki never manifested, making her feel out of place with the pride, but now at a normal school, she fits in seamlessly.

But just how normal is this town? When Jacinda meets the hunter that spared her life that night, she feels inexplicably drawn to him. She knows she should avoid him since he and his family hunts her kind, but something tells her he, Will, is different than his family. Playing with fire, Jacinda gets to know Will better and gets far more tangled in the small town than she had originally wanted. Even as she's fighting to keep her draki alive in the hot desert, Jacinda cannot stay away from Will. How long can she and her family hide from Will's family, though? What would be more dangerous, Will's family learning her true identity--or the pride tracking her and her family down?

Firelight is a great start to a new series! Sophie Jordan has begun to create an interesting world with Draki, their own culture and the world that surrounds them. I would have loved to learn more about the Draki in this book, but hopefully there will be more information on them in the next book! I am a fan of fantasy and paranormal books, but it refreshing to read about dragons since the paranormal market has been filled with books about vampires and werewolves lately! I haven't really read a series with dragons lately, so Firelight was a nice change!

Although romance is one of the main themes in Firelight, I'm glad it also included an adventure! It's nice to see the main character not just moping around, waiting for a guy to come by and fall in love with her, but also to see her own struggles and the challenges she has to face when that guy does come by! Jacinda has never felt more out of place surrounded by people who are normal while the only other Draki around her (her mother and sister) would do anything to forget their Draki roots and just fit in. I enjoyed reading Firelight and eagerly await the next novel in the series!

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 309

Aura can see and talk to ghosts. But that isn't really that special, since everyone born after the Shift can see and talk to ghosts too. It hasn't been easy for Aura; ghosts bother her all the time and she isn't too pleased with their attention--and neither is most of the US. Blackbox technology helps keeps ghosts away, so they're plastered on every corner of every place that can afford them. Ghosts are also repelled by the color red, so mothers dress their children in red to keep the ghosts at bay. Aura is sick of encountering troublesome ghosts and thoroughly wishes that she was a pre-shifter. That is, until her boyfriend Logan dies.

It was supposed to be the perfect birthday for Logan--scouts from record companies were attending one of the gigs his band had landed and Aura had planned an intimate party for him after the show. But when everything goes wrong after the gig and Logan dies, Aura no longer curses her ability to interact with ghosts.

Aura stays with Logan, staying up late into the night with him when he visits in his ghost form. Aura knows that Logan should move on to avoid the risk of him turning into a Shade (which happens when a ghost is overcome by bitterness or anger), but their relationship is still strong even without physical contact and Aura is having a hard time letting him go.

But seeing Logan in secret at night and not being able to touch him takes a strain on Aura. She eventually meets Zachary in school--a new friend who is very much alive. Zachary comforts Aura and is the friend she needs, but he seems to be harboring secrets of his own. Is Aura's friendship with Zachary more than a chance meeting? Why has trouble begun to lurk in the shadows ever since Logan died and Aura met Zachary? There may be more to the Shift than everyone had originally thought...

I definitely enjoyed reading Shade! It was really interesting to see not only how Aura's relationships with Logan and Zachary progress, but also how the world is responding to the notion that those born after the Shift can see ghosts. Jeri Smith-Ready not only develops the characters in her novel, but also paints a detailed image of what society has become now that interactions with ghosts are possible. It was well-balanced and a well-rounded story that kept me hooked! Although it has the "first book" feel to it (as in, first book of a series where everything is set up) I very much enjoyed Shade.