Review: Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade

Shattered Secrets

by Krystal Wade

(Book of Red #1)
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication Date: March 2014
Page Count: 300
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart.

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive if she has?

GOODREADS . AMAZON

Review: This is a book that I requested on Netgalley quite some time ago, and I feel bad that it took me so long to get to it. I am trying to be much better about getting caught up on my Netgalley books though, so this is my first step! When I first requested this book, I was definitely drawn in by the cover first before anything else (I can be pretty bad about this, after all). However, then I read the synopsis and decided that it sounded great as well. I am not one to usually read things with a lot of paranormal elements, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped to. 

I had a lot of problems with the characters from the very beginning. Abigail was the exact kind of main character that I do not enjoy reading in my novels. The perfect, beautiful girl with the wonderful family and all of the friends and guys who just love and fawn over her. For the most part, that is not realistic at all (it certainly was not for me growing up, at least). Also, I did not like that Abby was such a Damsel in Distress. There was so much room for her to be an awesome independent and strong female lead, but she just never got there for me. She made a lot of naive choices, and she tended to go back and forth with her thoughts and views quite often.

Her love interest, Derick, was really no better either. All of his thoughts and actions seemed to revolve around Abigail and his feelings for her instead of allowing him to be his own character. Sure, he was likable and seemed like a nice guy, but I really hoped that things would become more than that. It was interesting to find out that he had some special abilities and had something very important in common with the main character, but it did not make me like him too much more.

I did think that there were some nice, unique elements that went along with the story. I certainly would not say that it was all bad at all. However, I do think that it could have been so much more amazing. The pacing seemed to be very hit or miss with this book. There were some moments when the plot was incredibly slow and things were boring, but then there were times when things picked up and were exciting, and I could not wait to read the next page. Unfortunately, it would have been much better if it could have stayed the latter the majority of the time.

Overall, this certainly was not the worst book I have read, but I was not blown away by it, either. I may continue the series in the future just to see if it improves at all, but I doubt that I will be rushing to the bookstore to pick it up or anything. I do think that it is likely that paranormal fans will enjoy this much more than I did. I think it would be worth a try if you do get your hands on it at some point. To each their own!

Rating: 2.0 / 5.0

Review: Dangerous Dream by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Dangerous Dream 

by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

(Dangerous Creatures 0.5)
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Publication Date: December 2013
Page Count: 46
Format: E-Book
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: Catch up with Ethan, Lena, and Link as they finally graduate from high school and get ready to leave the small Southern town of Gatlin. But when Dark Caster Ridley makes an appearance, the sometime bad girl can't resist picking a fight with her sometime boyfriend, Link. Angry and rebellious as ever, Ridley ends up alone in New York City and becomes entangled in the dangerous underground Caster club scene, where the stakes are high and losers pay the ultimate price.

Where's a Linkubus when you need him?

GOODREADS . AMAZON 




Review: I was pretty excited about reading this prequel novella to the Dangerous Creatures series. Whenever a series has a prequel, I try to read that before I read the actual series because I feel like it usually gives good information that might be helpful to know before you begin reading the series. Unfortunately, this novella did not work that way for him. I was expecting so much more, and I was left feeling mostly confused.

Now, I know that a lot of this is my fault because I have not read any of the Beautiful Creatures series, either. I do own the first book (I bought it when I saw it was going to become a movie), but have yet to read it or to see the movie. I understand that this novella would have made a lot more sense to me if I had read that series ahead of time since this new series seems to follow along with the same characters after the point of the first series ending.

With all of that being said, I do think that the writing was very good and I can understand why some people are very into these characters and the series. I do hope to read the Beautiful Creatures series in the somewhat neat future, and then I will probably pick up this one and re-read it once more. While I was confused and did not know who all of the characters were, the writing was still good and I was still intrigued by some of it. I look forward to knowing more about the series in the future.

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Review: The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

The Casquette Girls 

by Alys Arden 

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publication Date: October 2013
Page Count: 512
Source: e-book for review

Goodreads Synopsis: After the Storm of the Century rips apart New Orleans, Adele Le Moyne and her father are among the first to return to the city following the mandatory evacuation. Adele wants nothing more than for life to return to normal, but with the silent city resembling a mold-infested war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal will have to be redefined.

Events too unnatural – even for New Orleans – lead Adele to an attic that has been sealed for three hundred years, and the chaos she unleashes threatens not only her life but everyone she knows. Mother Nature couldn’t drain the joie de vivre from the Big Easy, but someone or something is draining life from its residents.

Caught suddenly in a hurricane of eighteenth-century myths and monsters, Adele must quickly untangle a web of magic that links the climbing murder rate back to her own ancestors. But who can you trust in a city where everyone has a secret, and where keeping them can be a matter of life and death – unless, that is, you’re immortal.

GOODREADS . AMAZON 

Review: When I opened up the email about the opportunity to read this book for review, I was initially struck by the cover. Let's just take a moment to appreciate just how beautifully done it is. I love this sort of cover; simple, but with a picture that has your intrigued about the story. Wonderful typography that is a color that pops off the background. Yeah, I would say that this is an A+ cover. For anyone who has been around my blog, you probably already know that I tend to decide what to read based on the cover. 

Now, I was a little concerned when I read the synopsis and realized that it was going to be a paranormal. Usually I do not choose paranormal books to read when it is a review opportunity offered to me. However, I was very much intrigued by the synopsis, so I decided that I would give it a chance. I am incredibly glad that I did so, as well. I did not expect to love this book as much as a did, but it was simply wonderful, and I was thrilled to be reading another debut author this year! 

The book is broken up into three separate parts. The first part was a bit slow for me, but it was still beautifully written. We are introduced to Adele, who is returning to her home of New Orleans after the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was amazing listening to the description of the town based on how Adele was seeing it, and it did make me feel like I was there with her. I love when an author describes the setting so well that you feel like you are there, and Arden did an amazing job of this. 

Part two was honestly my favorite part of the novel. I loved the flash backs that we received from the past back to the present, and then seeing how they were going to play a role in the rest of the plot and book. I am a big fan of getting flashbacks in novels as long as they are handled well, and I feel that Arden did a very good job of having things flow smoothly. We met so many other great characters through this part of the book as well, and they were all so developed. I love when an author spends as much time developing the minor characters as she does the protagonist. 

Now part three brought about a lot of the things that I was most worried about, and luckily I had worried for nothing. Of course, we are all used to the idea of vampires of Twilight where they sparkle and fall in love with the humans without worrying about the danger and what not. I am SO glad that none of that was the case, here. Sure, there were relationships and things happening, but these vampires were obviously dangerous in the way that you would expect them to be. I respect Arden for doing this so well. 

Lastly, another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that I could never guess what was going to happen next. Well, I tried to guess, but I always ended up being completely wrong. I love when a book surprises me, and this book seemed to keep me on my toes the whole time. I could have never guessed how this book was going to end, and I loved that. I really look forward to continuing this series, and reading anything else that Arden decides to publish.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

 

Gypsy by Trisha Leigh Blog Tour + Review

 
Gypsy (The Cavy Files, #1) by Trisha Leigh

Genre: YA Paranormal

Published: May 13th, 2014

Inconsequential: not important or significant.

Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, nonessential, irrelevant

 

Goodreads 

Amazon

B&N
 

Synopsis: In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy’s talent of knowing a person’s age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they’re taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage.

The only one who’s safe, if the world finds out what they can do.

When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control.

Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they’ve ever been told about how their “talents” came to be in the first place.

When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, but I wish I could have had more time to really focus on everything that was going on. As I was reading this book, it was the last week of school (so my students were crazy), and I was studying for me GRE. Needless to say, my mind was a bit elsewhere for the majority of the week. Despite that, I still enjoyed this book very, very much. I had not read anything by Trisha Leigh before, but everything that I read made me sure I was not going to regret choosing to read this book. I was right, too. I really enjoyed the writing. I felt that it was smooth and clean, and that is something that I appreciate with writing. Along with that, Leigh created a wonderful story, giving me a book I did not want to put down.

I really liked the idea of some of the characters having special abilities. I guess with X-Men releasing kind of recently, it made me think a bit of that as well. I thought that the Cavies made a wonderful family for one another, even if most of them did not believe that Gypsy had an ability that was worth anything; being able to know what age everyone would die. Still, I did struggle a bit to keep up with which ability which character had. Like I said, my focus was a bit off, though. It was upsetting when their home was intruded by the police and they were separated, leaving me fearing what was going to happen to all of the characters we were introduced to.

I do not want to give too much of this book away as I believe that it is something any fantasy reader would love. It was a wonderful read, and it always left me wondering what was going to happen next. Then the ending, the cliffhanger ending. I am a fan of cliffhangers, if I'm being honest, which I know probably makes me strange. I'm okay with that, though. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. I would highly recommend this book to others.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

 

Trisha Leigh is a product of the Midwest, which means it’s pop, not soda, garage sales, not tag sales, and you guys as opposed to y’all. Most of the time. She’s been writing seriously for five years now, and has published 4 young adult novels and 4 new adult novels (under her pen name Lyla Payne). Her favorite things, in no particular order, include: reading, Game of Thrones, Hershey’s kisses, reading, her dogs (Yoda and Jilly), summer, movies, reading, Jude Law, coffee, and rewatching WB series from the 90’s-00’s.

Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.

Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Website: http://trishaleigh.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2715400

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trisha.ziegenhorn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trishaleighKC

Tumblr: http://trishaleighkc.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/trishaleighkc/

The Giveaway:

a $20 bookstore gift card and a signed paperback of the book, plus some swag

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Review: The Gifted Realms Series by Jillian Neal

The Gifted Realm Series 

by Jillian Neal 

Book One: Within the Realm
Book Two: Lessons Learned
Book Three: Every Action
Category: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal        
Publisher: Realm Press     
Edition: Ebook
Source: I received ebook copies of the books in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Synopsis: The Gifted walk among us. They are unseen, but in plain sight. The Earth’s energies are as visible to them as the tangible world is to us and they can harness and bend these forces to their will. Atop the Pentagon resides the government of the Gifted Realm.

Rainer Lawson is set to join the ranks of Elite Officers in the Gifted Police force. With his fellow officers, they will work together, using their abilities, to try and end the most sinister criminal organization in existence. His parents fought and died to re-establish the Realm, and he won’t allow them to have sacrificed in vain.

The will to protect those he loves has always driven Rainer, but his desperation to protect Emily, the love of his life, consumes him. While passions ignite and vengeance is sought, Rainer may discover that all of his money, fame, and power, could cost him the only thing that has ever truly mattered.

Goodreads Synopsis: One breathtakingly hot, passion-filled, night ignites a fire in his soul. Everything in his world should be nothing short of perfection…but he is Rainer Lawson.

His wild evening with Emily is the Realm’s front-page story. Could he have lost the respect of the man that has been like a father to him? Could his family’s hard-earned fortune really dissolve before his very eyes?

Evil rapidly cinches its chokehold, and everything his father fought and died for threatens to implode. Rainer attempts to protect those that he loves and satisfy the fiery passions between he and Emily, but everything in his world is spinning wildly out of control. His desire to prove himself could very well be his undoing.

Sometimes the best of intentions are not enough, but perhaps it is the trials by fire that make the man. Steel sharpens steel, and passion burns white hot in “Lessons Learned.”

Goodreads Synopsis:
“Mr. Lawson…” the man drawled. His French accent did nothing to cover his sinister tone. “Saw the little show your fiancée put on for you last night at the Tower. She's quite a handful isn't she?”
“I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you get anywhere near her, I'll kill you.”
“Well then, Mr. Lawson, you better hope you find her before I do.”
~~~

If Emily’s father doesn’t win the vicious race for Crown Governor, the Realm falls to the savage clutches of Wretchkinsides. Evil chokes ice cold, but the hot, kindled burn between Rainer and Emily keeps them ablaze.

A whirlwind trip culminates from DC, to Paris, Boston, to Seattle. The race is on and the stakes are far too high. Ultimately the entire Gifted world awaits their fate.

Everything that tries to rip them apart, everything that keeps them tightly bound, and everything involved in the ultimate betrayal, teaches Rainer that not Every Action is an option.

Review: What do you know? Another paranormal, and a series at that. While I really did enjoy this series very much, I think that after reading an awesome one like this, I'll give paranormal a break for a bit, and end on this good note. I have definitely been shown that it is something that I can enjoy, but I don't want to beat myself down with it. So, thanks to Jillian Neal I will be ending my paranormal binge on a very good note. 

From the very beginning I was drawn into the story of these characters. It was fun to see such a large, loving family in the midst of a paranormal story. That is not something I have seen much in the books I have read lately. The Haydenshires are a wonderful family with many, many children, though. Mr. Haydenshire is involved in politics, and throughout the series is trying to rise through the ranks, something that does make things for the family a little more complicated. When you had a ton of teenagers and young adults around, it does make it difficult to keep your name completely clean in the media. I loved how close they all were, and that the relationship between Rainer and Emily built from Rainer being taken in by their family once his own parents were killed. 

Another thing I really enjoyed in this series was the world building. I liked how the gifted realm was right along side all of the other humans, and most of them were not aware of it. They even have their own university clothes to a regular one, but no the ungifted are not accepted into the university. I love how Neal blends it all together, and it seemed incredibly realistic to me. 

The thing I believe I enjoyed the most about this series was that the series was not ALL about the paranormal aspect and gifted abilities. Sure, they were there, but it was not the only focus. I have read some paranormal where it seems like that is all that is being written about, and I do  not like that at all. This book focuses much more on the relationships (romantic and family) and the other complications and lessons that can happen to anyone in life. That made the series and characters much more relate able for me, which was something that I enjoyed very much. I would certainly suggest this series to other paranormal fans.

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 

Black Abaddon by Sasha Hibbs Blog Tour + Review

Black Abaddon (The Vulcan Legacies)

by Sasha Hibbs

Release Date: 02/20/14

Evernight Teen

 Ally Watson struggles to live with the choices she made, the worst of which resulted in her soul mate's death. Michael’s sacrifice to save the girl he loved may have reversed the Apocalypse, but not the permanent damage inflicted by living with his loss.

Ally begins a journey where she soon discovers that death is not always the end, but sometimes the very beginning. With old friends, she journeys to the Nosferatu Nation where she meets with new alliances willing to help her in her quest to defeat the Devourer. At every turn, Ally unearths secrets that threaten to destroy those she loves.

The second installment of The Vulcan Legacies series will put Ally to the ultimate test, forcing her to face her fears and the true destiny she will fulfill as Azrael, the Seraph of Death.

GOODREADS . AMAZON . PUBLISHER . PAPERBACK

 
Review:  What do you know, another paranormal! Honestly, I never saw myself reading this many of them as it has never been a genre I have particularly enjoyed. Still, I have been thrilled with most of the one I have read so far, and the Vulcan Legacies series is no different. I had not read anything by Hibbs, including the first book in this series, so I had to pick that one up first. I got through it quickly, and then was eager to move onto Black Abaddon, which was even better, in my opinion. I have something with series, I usually prefer the second book over the first. I guess I just like already knowing the characters and just getting to continue with their story instead of all of the character background. 

I thought that there were plenty of twists and turns in the first book, but it was nothing compared to this second one. Every time I thought I had something figured out, it all changed on me once again. While the beginning was a little slow for me, it did pick up quickly and then I did not want to put it down. Each chapter left me with more questions than answers, and while sometimes it was a little frustrating, I still enjoyed it very much. 

The characters are just as wonderful as they were in the first book. Of course, Ally begins the novel by dealing with the loss and guilt of Michael at the end of the first book. As the Angel of Death and having failed her test, she believes that she has failed everyone and that Michael died for nothing. It is something that she has to deal with and work through as there is still a lot of danger for her to face no matter how much guilt and sadness she feels. 

This was a series that stayed very consistent to me, and that is something that I look for in a series. I always fear that an author will suddenly bring in new things in order to fill the pages, but Hibbs did not do anything like that. Her writing was just as wonderful as it was in the first book, if not more so. The ending of the book was such an amazing cliffhanger, leaving me eagerly waiting for the next book. I certainly recommend this book to any paranormal fan.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

By age 5, Sasha Hibbs' favorite movie was Gone With the Wind. By age 12, she completed her 7th grade book report on the sequel, Scarlett. By 18, she met and married her very own Mr. Rhett Butler and as it turns out, she never had to worry about going back to Tara to win the love of her life back. Fortunately, he stuck with her.  

With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband’s rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn’t long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.

When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.  

Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters, Aeliza and Ava. She is currently hard at work on book two in The Vulcan Legacies series.

Author Links:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sasha-Hibbs/658779730814634?ref=hl

http://sashahibbs.blogspot.com/

http://www.sashahibbs.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomsashahibbs

https://twitter.com/SashaHibbs

http://www.evernightteen.com/sasha-hibbs/

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