Of
course I have to give this book 5 stars because Jessie is awesomesauce,
but seriously, you don't have to believe me. I highly suggest you read
it for yourself, because I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
DESTINED is a book that has something for everyone packaged into a
delightfully sweet historical romance/mythology retelling that will have
you turning pages until the end and leave you wanting more.
At first I was concerned about Psyche's modern voice in an ancient
Greecian setting (as it was difficult to tell when the story was taking
place) and some of the freedoms and liberties she had that a girl
(especially a princess) would not have had during that time period.
However, I think it might really help teens who wouldn't normally pick
up this type of book really get interested in a historical setting. One
of my own personal favorite time periods, BTW.
Psyche is an awesome strong, female character who was well-developed
and had a great character arc through out the novel. I love how Jessie
used the deepness of the 1st person POV to really show us what and how
Psyche was feeling, which was a great foil for Eros' limited 3rd POV.
Eros was the typical alpha male romance hero with a twist. He was a
god. And not just any god, but Cupid, the god of love, whose Mother
happens to be Aphrodite. Which, of course, left many interesting
dilemas for poor Psyche.
All in all I really enjoyed reading this book (I read it in less than 24 hours) and I highly recommend it.
Also, stay tuned for tomorrow when Jessie will be here and giving away a DESTINED prize pack and an e-copy of the book.
Before I get on with the review, I wanted to let you know I'm actually in two other places this morning as well. The first place is at the Brave New Words blog, which is the blog for the 2012 science fiction YA debuts. I'm blogging about what other media inspires me to write.
Melaia, a young priestess, witnesses the gruesome murder of an emaciated stranger in the temple courtyard. Just after she discovers wings on the stranger, the murderer enters the temple, and what Melaia has known only through song and story suddenly takes on flesh. Angels and shape-shifters were myths and stories . . . until now.
Melaia finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When the feud turns violent and Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of wandering angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without the repayment of an ancient debt, the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.
*Disclaimer: This book was not something I would have picked for myself.It’s high fantasy and no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can never get into these types of books.Therefore, this review is based on the quality of book and whether or not I thought someone who DOES read this genre would enjoy it.
REVIEW: This is another angel story in the deluge that’s hitting the market ( : P ), but it’s different as it’s not set in modern times.It takes place in a high fantasy medieval-type world. And while it’s the typical good vs evil storyline that’s common with angel books, it’s different in the fact that it’s not demons Melaia is “fighting” against.It’s two brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, which caused all the earthbound angels and the souls of people who’ve died to be trapped on Earth.
It starts with a stranger stumbling into a temple where the MC, Melaia, is a priestess training to be high priestess, but is a chantress now.She’s also a death-prophet, meaning she can see the spirit of someone dying trying to escape.She has a harp that she uses to help those who are dying to either pass on calmly or to stop them from dying.
Anyway, the man stumbles into the temple only to be attacked by a giant hawk and killed.
The hawk turns into a man and demands that Melaia tell the story of the two brothers and the stairway to heaven.
I don’t want to go to far into the story, and give too much away, but this was an enjoyable read, even for me, someone who doesn’t like high fantasy.
I did feel it dragged a bit and I found it hard to get into (this was not due to the story itself, but more to the point that I’ve found all high-fantasy dragging and hard to get into), but, once in the story, I wanted to know what was going to happen next and was driven to keep reading.
Characters: Melaia is a very enjoyable and strong heroine.I loved finding out who she really was and going on her adventures with her.There were times, however, that I felt she was too naïve for her own good.Granted, considering she’d been stuck inside a temple the whole of her life, this isn’t very surprising. And while I would have liked to have seen more of her obvious intelligence play a role with who she trusted and/or didn’t trust, I don’t suppose the story would have been the same.; )
The other characters are just as well rounded and fascinating as Melaia.Especially Trevin, who I could never quite figure out.
I think my favorite part of the entire story was actually learning about the angelology. It was utterly fascinating and I couldn't get enough.
Cover: I really liked the cover, but I honestly feel a bit deceived by it.It isn’t the typical cover I’ve come to expect from high fantasy.However, knowing that, I have to give the marketing department kudos for coming up with a package that made me want to read it, where I probably would have passed.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this story and I’m glad I was able to put my prejudices against high fantasy away long enough to read it.It makes an excellent addition to my angel book collection.
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel (October 19, 2010)
Paperback: 528 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 feathers
Source: Purchased
While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.
REVIEW: This is another book I bought simply because of the cover. Honestly, I was over werewolves at this point, and I was pretty sure the only werewolf stories I wanted to read were the sequels to books I’d already read. However, I couldn’t resist having such a beautiful cover on my bookshelf (yes, I know. I’m shallow. J ) Anyway, since I bought it, I decided to give it a go. And I couldn’t put it down. I actually read it in one sitting, pretty much. Minus the obligatory self-care times. ; )
It started off with a bang and didn’t let up until it was over and had me begging for the next book! Every one knows, I love me a good love triangle and Andrea did a great job with this one. I’d compare it to the one in Personal Demons, except I know their crit. Partners so that’s probably why. LOL. While I do know I prefer Shay over Ren, it was a close call. They were just so hard to choose between. Especially toward the end when Ren started showing his true feelings and not that of what was expected of him.
It starts off with the suspense of Calla (the MC) running into a hiker in the woods who is badly injured. She’s in wolf form, so we aren’t sure what she’s going to do. Kill the hiker boy? Or save him. Since it’s already stated in the blurb what happens, I’ll say she saves him, and, in turn, shows him what she really is. She thinks it’ll end there, until he shows up at her school the next school day and is determined to get to know her better.
There was a great romantical element of the book and the characters couldn’t keep their hands off each other. While I do like those kinds of things, they have to be done well to be enjoyable. Most YA books steer clear of this, but not here and Andrea does an excellent job of showing it without overkilling it.
The only negative I saw was that Calla was supposed to be the alpha female, completely in control of her pack, but she didn’t seem that alpha until the end. She doesn’t know certain things about her brother and her best friend that I was sure she should have, being their alpha and all. And while she does stand up to Ren a few times, it felt like it was only for show. I understand that she was filled with indecision about certain things, but I felt I should see the alpha in other parts of her life and I didn’t really see it as much as I wanted (this is just a personal pref. BTW, others probably feel differently).
Otherwise, this is def. a must read for anyone, even those who don’t normally read the paranormal genre, but love a good romance. Though I will say, that if you don’t normally like romances, this probably isn’t the read for you. There is a LOT of it in here. And while I don’t think it took away from the book, I love me a good romance.
Characters: All of the characters were strongly developed and I enjoyed them very much. We’ll start with Calla, since she’s the MC. She had a lot of great qualities. She was strong, sweet, relatable and had a heart of gold. Shay was just awesome. Honestly I couldn’t find a single fault in him, though if I re-read it a few time, I probably could if I looked hard enough. LOL. And Ren? He was the perfect flawed alpha male. Loved every bit of him, too, even if I wanted to strangle him a few times. Like in the dance club. WTH was that Ren? :D
Cover: As I mentioned before this was the reason I purchased this book. It’s perfect and beautiful. Stunning really. With the frosted purple look and the girl that fits Calla perfectly. Plus the obviousness of the Calla lilies (my favorite flower, in case you were interested.), and the blood drops in them. Absolutely perfect!
Honestly, this was probably in my top ten books I read in 2010. I cannot rave about this book enough. So just go out and buy it, will ya? LOL. You won’t be disappointed.
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Publisher: Harper Teen (October 6, 2009 rev edition)
Paperback: 336 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 feathers
Source: Purchased
I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
REVIEW: A beautiful, intriguing, and interesting rendition of Beauty and the Beast. Most people know I love fairy tales. And Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorites, so when my friend forced her copy of Beastly on me, I was surprised I hadn’t seen this book before. I started reading it immediately. At first I hated the MC Kyle. He was exactly the kind of boy I hated in H.S. I honestly had to force myself to keep reading because I disliked him that much. But, as we all do, I knew where the story was going and I knew he’d change and I’d like him. Or at least I hoped I would. And I did. By the end of the story, I was absolutely in love with him.
This is one of the reasons for the five-feather rating. To make me hate a character so much and then do a complete turn around to say that I felt sorry for him and loved him, means Alex did a spectacular job of characterization.
It was really great, also, how Alex used an IM support group to bring in other fairy tales and tell their story.
I also like how she explained why Beast was left all alone to molder away in some abandoned “castle.” While it made me angry that was the reason, it also made complete sense.
She also incorporated several of my favorite things from the Disney version. The enchanted rose, magic mirror, and, of course, the heroine’s love of books.
Honestly, I have nothing but gushings for this particular book. I couldn’t think of something I didn’t like if I tried, and I have. It was the perfect combination of fairy tale meets modern world.
Characters: Kyle is perfectly abominable in the beginning. Like I already said, I hated him. He really thought he was God’s gift to the world, and I was sickly happy that I knew what was coming. LOL. I can’t describe any of the others w/o giving away spoilers, so I’ll just say that they were all as well drawn as Kyle was.
Cover: I like it. I’m not absolutely in love with it, but it’s simple and shows an important part of the story, so I know why they used it.
This is a great book for both lovers of fairy tales and those sick of the overly sweet Disney versions. It even has great boy appeal, and not just because a boy is the narrator, but because of Kyle himself. I think a lot of boys would be able to see themselves as Kyle. In fact, I’m thinking of handing this over to my son to read, when I can force myself to give it up. : ) It really is a perfect blend of classic fairy tale and the modern world, and is a great addition to any one’s library.
The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House (October 1, 2010)
Paperback: 379 pages
Reading Level: Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 feathers
Source: Publisher
In 1650s England, a young Puritan maiden is on a mission to save the baby of her newly widowed preacher—whether her assistance is wanted or not.
Always ready to help those in need, Elizabeth ignores John’s protests of her aid. She’s even willing to risk her lone marriage prospect to help the little family.
Yet Elizabeth’s new role as housekeeper takes a dangerous turn when John’s boldness from the pulpit makes him a target of political and religious leaders. As the preacher’s enemies become desperate to silence him, they draw Elizabeth into a deadly web of deception. Finding herself in more danger than she ever bargained for, she’s more determined than ever to save the child—and man—she’s come to love.
REVIEW: I’m a little late on getting this review out. Unfortunately. I originally read it when it first came out, but never got around to reviewing it.
I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again. This was another book that I loved. I read it for 4 hours straight today. I'm not generally a reader of Christian fiction, but this blew away every thought I had about the genre and I really can't wait to own my next Jody Hedlund. And to find out that the story was based on a true one, made it even better.
It starts with the main character, Elizabeth, hearing a baby cry as the town, including the child’s father, tried to help the mother of the babe as she died. It bothers Elizabeth and she tries repeadetly to care for it, but an elder woman (an important figure head of the town) refuses to let her. Elizabeth decides to take things into her own hands and goes to the poor section to go get a nursemaid for him, even though she knows she’ll get in trouble for it, which of course makes the other woman incredibly angry and will come back to haunt Elizabeth later.
Because of this she ends up becoming the housekeeper for the now widowed, John—a radical but highly regarded preacher in this town--and cares for his house and his three other children, including the eldest, a blind child named Mary.
Almost right away we’re tossed into a political and religious war when an enemy of John’s threatens to spread lies about John and Elizabeth, which quickly escalates into brutal beatings and vicious murders.
CHARACTERS: Ms. Hedlund's characterizations were superb and I truly felt I was apart of the story and felt for the characters, especially for poor Elizabeth and everything she endures during the course of this story. Elizabeth is an extremely likeable character with her quiet strength, confidence, and ability to adapt to any situation. Even when she made choices I wouldn’t have, I couldn’t help but see why she chose that path. John, was another good character. Even if there were times he wasn’t very likeable, it was always very obvious why he made those choices.
COVER: I think it’s perfect for this book. It gives the perfect hint that it’s historical and shows that quiet strength that Elizabeth embodies for the entire story.
This is truly a book you can't put down once you start reading it and I will be suggesting this book to every one I know.
Since this is Christmas Week, I'm giving away a copy of The Preacher's Bride. What do you have to do? Just fill out the form below and then comment (not necessarily required, but helpful. :) )and tell me your Christmas Wish (well, your wish for what you want to see more of on my blog in the next year. :) ) Open Internationally.
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours. But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.
REVIEW: This is another book that I picked up mainly because of the cover (it’s so PRETTY!), but also because of a the hoopla surrounding it. I first learned of it during my own agent hunt last year when I was researching her agent, Michelle Wolfson. And Kiersten did a blog post on how her first book didn’t sell. After that I started stalking following her. ☺
The story is a little slower than I would have liked, but I did enjoy it. And I have to admit the romance wasn’t at all what I had expected (from other reviews I’d read), but there is some there. Other than those things I didn’t really have any expectations for it. I was hoping it would keep me entertained and it did.
It starts off with Evie, who carries a pink tazer she calls tazie (isn’t that cute?!), being “attacked” by a vampire. Pretty typical of the recent paranormal stories, but then Evie completely kicks butt and turns the tables on him so she can put some kind of ankle bracelet that acts like those police trackers, but instead of tracking them, it monitors their “vital signs” and if they break the law they are “neutered,” which, has a more literal meaning later in the book, but in the beginning it just means depending on the creature, they are killed.
We then follow Evie as she’s transported back to IPCA, where she works because of her ability to see through glamours and see the paranormal creatures for what they are, by a faerie, Rath, who Evie has a strange romantic history with and plays a fairly large part in the story as he puts Evie in an unwilling love triangle. We also meet her best friend, who happens to be a mermaid who lives in a tank in IPCA and talks to Evie through a computer and eye movements.
Then we meet the hero, a shapeshifter named Lend, who borrows the “skin” of several of IPCA’s staff to break in. Evie puts a stop to it and attaches the ankle tracker. She develops a friendship, then later a romantic involvement with him and learns a prophecy about herself. Throughout the rest of the book Evie’s internal conflict is between her duties and the want and need to be a normal teenage girl where she goes to high school and has a locker—which she’s apparently quite fond of. ☺ ( Having once been a normal teenage girl, I don’t see why, but I guess if I remember wanting to ride the bus to school when I was younger and I suppose it’s about the same feeling. :D)
I have to admit, that the major appeal of this book for me was its uniqueness. It wasn’t just like every other paranormal out there and kept me reading because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. I highly suggest it if you’re looking for a good read that’s different than what you’re expecting.
CHARACTERS: Evie is a strong character, but is made stronger by her weaknesses. Her longing to be normal is something that every person who remembers high school can relate to. Lend is sweet and while he pretends to be strong around the adults, through Evie you can glimpse some of that naïveté that makes him the perfect hero and perfect for Evie. Reth on the other hand, even though I’m seeing him through Evie is not a character I liked. Although, I’m pretty sure this was Ms. White’s intention. He was selfish, uncaring, and cruel. While I could see sparks of why people may like him, I just couldn’t get past all his negatives to like him.
COVER: I think it’s perfect for this book. With the beautiful pink dress on the kick-butt beautiful girl and, the storm brewing in the background, sets the mood of the story wonderfully.
If you’re looking for a unique story, that’ll keep you reading and has a hint of romance that’s perfect for almost all ages, then this is the perfect book for you.
Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender
Publisher: Hyperion (June 22, 2010)
Paperback: 346 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?
REVIEW: I have to admit I bought this book simply because I’m shallow. ☺ A friend of mine picked up this book and showed it to me. It was completely creepy—which apparently I’m into lately—and so I flipped to the back cover to see what it was all about it. And I didn’t read any further than the first sentence. It was about DOLLS! Probably a creepy doll. So, I bought it, set it in my TBR pile and promised myself it would be the first book I read when I finished first round edits on my dystopian.
Which I did!
I started the book the day after Thanksgiving, while I drove around waiting for my husband to do some of his shopping and, to be completely honest, I wasn’t really all that impressed. To me it started off slow, but it quickly picked up pace –within that first chapter—and I couldn’t put it down.
I had really only one expectation going into it and that was it needed to be creepy. I was not disappointed. Almost from the beginning we’re treated to a scene where the heroine—Alexis, or Lexi as she’s sometimes called--is outside her house in the middle of the night and taking pictures of her house, when a strange light appears out of nowhere. She takes a few photographs of it, then walks into her house, so as not to spook her kid sister. The light follows and ends up finding her room by “sitting” outside her window in a tree.
Then is a bit of a boring part, but it really couldn’t be helped and really helped develop Alexis to the reader. We’re shown that she’s a loner and that she hates the cheerleaders, especially a girl named Pepper (but really who wouldn’t hate a girl named Pepper. LOL. Except Pepper Pots from Iron Man, that is. Can’t hate her. :D) who was instrumental in forcing her best friend to leave the state because she was teased so much because of her weight.
We’re also introduced to the “hero,” Carter when he smacks Lexi in the head with a door—accidentally, of course.
After all the introductions to the secondary characters (Pepper, Kasey, Carter, and another cheerleader named Megan) and some whining about her parents, the story really takes off and it was almost impossible to put down.
From creepy dreams, to doors that open for themselves, and even a possession or two it was perfectly hair-raising and sinister. And for the most part kept me on the edge of my seat asking, “What the heck is going on here?!”
Even the ending—which I will NOT spoil for you here—was superb. I usually find myself slightly disappointed with how an author chooses to end a book, but this time I was only disappointed it was over!
Characters: Alexis is the perfect teenage girl. Riddled with angst, but not in a way that makes you groan because it’s clichéd. She has a love/hate relationship with her parents and sister, as is normal for girls that age, and something any teenager—or young in heart—can relate to. She’s tough and doesn’t let anyone boss her around, and while she’s a rule breaker, she does so on her own terms. Not to fit in. In fact, she could care less about fitting in. She just wants to be left alone by everybody. Carter on the other hand, is practically perfect in every way, and completely the opposite of Alexis. It makes for some great conflict. And while this book wasn’t a romance, the romantic elements were awesome because of the chemistry between these two characters. Kasey is also really well developed. I found myself vacillating between feeling sorry and worried for her and angry at her. Not a comfortable spot to be in, considering, but one of the elements that really drove this story forward.
Cover: As I mentioned before this was the main reason I purchased this book. It was exceptionally creepy, yet beautiful at the same time. Honestly I’d love to have the picture blown up and framed, so I can place this in my home, I love it that much.
If you’re looking for a creepy thriller that will make you sleep with the lights on and the covers over your head, this is the book for you. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next two books.
Frannie Cavanaugh has always been a bit of a loner. She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance, even her closest friends. That is, until Luc Cain enrolls in her school. He's hot, sarcastic, and dangerous—and Frannie can't seem to stay away.
What she doesn't know is that Luc is on a mission. Because Frannie isn't exactly ordinary. She possesses a skill so unique that the king of Hell himself has taken notice, and he's sent Luc to claim Frannie's soul. It should be easy: All he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come.
Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and he's just started making progress when the angel Gabriel shows up. Gabe will do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for, and his angelic charm might just be enough to keep Frannie on the right path.
It isn't long before Luc and Gabe find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie's soul. But if Luc fails to win her over, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.
REVIEW: Okay, I’ve read a LOT of angel/demon stories lately. For obvious reasons. So when the publicist contacted me, I was excited to read this, but worried, as well. None of the other stories ever lived up to my expectations. Which are—to say the least—someone’s soul hanging in the balance, a fight to the death (it is a book about Heaven and Hell after all), and a clearly defined romance, maybe a triangle.
This one, however, lived up to them ALL. It has the soul hanging, the fight to the death, the romance, and even a triangle. I couldn’t have asked for more, but Ms. Desrochers delivered all that and more.
It starts in Luc’s view, which, I think, was genius, especially when Gabriel comes in and you don’t know who you want to root for. I’ve never been so conflicted with who I wanted Frannie to be with. *NOTE: I’m still confused. *
Anyway, it starts in Luc’s view and he works for Hell’s Acquisitions department. His job description is usually starting people on the path to Hell, but something is different with his latest mission. He needs to “tag” someone for Hell. Someone who’s been hard to find. So hard, in fact, that the last two demons sent to find this person have failed. Now he’s the new student at a school nicknamed Hades—i.e. Hell—High and he meets Frannie. Who just happens to be his essay partner.
This is where we go into Frannie’s POV—which let me just say, I’m usually not a fan of the alternating 1st person POV, but Ms. Desrochers makes it work. I wasn’t at all pulled out any time the author switched views.
Anyway, when they meet, Frannie is immediately interested. There’s just some about him. He’s tall, dark, dangerous and… completely not her type, according to one of Frannie’s friends who wants to stake her own claim on Luc—which let me tell you was a twist I was NOT expecting, but was perfect for this book.
This book was simply amazing. I seriously couldn’t put it down. The characterization was excellent; I completely felt all the emotions from both Frannie and Luc. And even when I wanted to strangle Frannie several times for being stupid, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and root for good things to happen to her. And let’s not forget Luc. I was constantly switching my thoughts on him. I liked him. I didn’t like him. I was all over the emotional scale.
And the conflict arcs in this are unbelievable, just when you don’t think it can get more complicated, it did. But in a good way. The characters reactions were believable, as were their interactions. Though, I think I would have liked to see more of Gabriel. Just because of who he is.
Characters: Frannie is a tough, kick-ass girl with plenty of emotional baggage to make her lovable. Not to mention you immediately feel for her when she’s worried about going after the boy she has a crush on, because she knows her friend is going to want him for herself. Luc is exactly what you’d expect from a demon. Tall, dark, dramatic and hot as Hell. Literally. Gabriel is cool, calm, collected, light where Luc was dark and it was easy to tell why Frannie would have a hard time choosing between them.
Cover: While the layout of the cover was great and expresses the gist of the story well, I was actually disappointed with it. The models, in my opinion, don’t really look teenaged. Maybe the model portraying Gabriel does, but definitely not Frannie. And that’s exactly why I hadn’t picked the book up myself, though I’d seen it around on different pages. I thought it was an adult book. Not a teen read.
If you’re looking for a great paranormal read and an angel/demon book that is unique, you’ll love this book.
It’s going on my favorite shelf immediately and I already can’t wait to read it again, or the other two books in the series.
Original Sin (Book #2) will be coming July 2011
CONTEST:
And as promised, because I've reached 200 followers, I'm also giving away a copy of PERSONAL DEMONS. However, this contest is going to be a bit different than my usual. All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what your own personal demon is. I'll pick a random winner next Wednesday. This contest is open internationally.
It’s that time again! Book Review Sunday. And this week I have a special treat. For a few days now I’ve been commenting on Facebook and Twitter about a wonderful new author friend of mine who has her debut book coming out in January called, THE CRESCENT.
Well, I’ve actually had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of the book and let me tell you, I was blown away. As a lot of you know, paranormal is my thing. I love a good paranormal fantasy. Vampires, werewolves, banshees, anything that goes bump in the night. So when I heard what her book was about, I read an excerpt and knew I had to read more. And, of course, I asked if I could read an advanced copy so I could review it, since I knew my fans might be interested, too.
She agreed and sent me a copy. I quickly finished the chapter I was working on and then dived into hers and I’m glad I did. I was hooked immediately and finished it within four hours.
It is a story of war between two clans. Both of which are trying to steer a prophecy in their own direction. Where one girl has to choose between what is in front of her and something she never knew existed. And what she thought was the truth and what isn’t.
If she follows her heart, one will die. If she follows her destiny, everything she knows will be destroyed.
It starts off innocently enough with the heroine, Lacey, trying to escape from the drama her parents are causing her—they fight all the time--by pacing outside her family home, but she feels like someone is watching her and panics. Only to realize that she jumped the gun and no one was there. Or so she thinks.
When two new gorgeous boys show up at her school, she finds herself attracted to the both of them and not quite sure what to do about it. The first, Alex, is constantly by her side and it doesn’t take her long to realize she’s falling in love with him, but when the other, Brandon, shows up and touches her, there is an almost instant feeling of knowing.
She wants to get to know him more, but he’s almost never around, except her dreams are filled with visions of him and something else only found in nightmares.
I won’t go into anymore, you’ll need to read it for yourself, but I know you can see already this is an interesting take on an old legend and another must read.
There were several times I just had to turn the page and keep reading and not once did I want to stop. Apart from a few minor grammatical errors and technical glitches, this book was well-written and well thought out.
The tension is a good mix of external, internal, and sexual, and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
The characters are well drawn and relatable and the author did a good job of drawing me in and making me feel as if I were Lacey.
I can’t wait for the book to come out, so I can make it a part of my collection. I give this book an 8 out of 10 rating and two thumbs up.
To read an excerpt, see the book trailer, or order your own copy, please visit her website at www.jordandeen.com.
