Guest Review: Reckoning (Strange Angels #5)

Reckoning (Strange Angels #5)
- Lili Saint-Crow

Publisher: Razor Bill 

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She's battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha - rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires - the worst is yet to come.
Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she's ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?
DRU ANDERSON'S NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK.
BUT SHE SHOULD BE...

Any of Mel’s regular readers will know that I love Lili St Crow’s Strange Angel books, and I was devastated to learn that Reckoning is the last in the series, Ok, so we’re not talking Booker Prize winners here, but they are just so damn readable! Look up ‘unputdownable’ in the dictionary and there’ll be a picture of these books. Honestly, I not only walked whilst reading Reckoning, I even DROVE whilst reading it (ok, ok, I was in a very slow moving queue, but still!) I didn’t want the series to end, but end it has, and in style.

Strange Angels stars Dru, an uber-vampire slaying svetocha, and her protectors/friends/lovers(?) dangerously beautiful djamphir Christophe, and Asian geek loup-garou Graves. They, and a host of side characters so likeable that I want them to be my friends (sorry Mel!) <Mel: Humph!>  must battle not only the vampires and their ancient, evil and ruthless leader Sergej, but also the hex-flinging Maharaj who can’t decide where their loyalties lie.

Dru may now have fully come into her powers, but she is most definitely still mortal, and most definitely still a teenager in a love triangle. Throughout this series you have not known which way she will turn, and when she does decide I can guarantee that at least half of all readers will go ‘Noooooooo!!!’. St Crow made her choice truly difficult, and you feel for Dru at every turn.

The action is fast-paced, descriptive and very real, and to my delight, unlike the previous couple of books politics takes a definite back seat. Give me swords, blood and rolling heads over governmental double-deals any day!

All in all a superb series ending in a superb way. If you love YA/fantasy/action/romance then read these books, you won’t be disappointed. One for fans of Richelle Mead, 9 out of 10.

Guest Review: Strange Angels - Jealousy

Today I have Sarah dropping by to review one of her favourite series... 

Jealousy (Strange Angels 3)
- Lili St Crow

Publisher: UK - Quercus Publishing

It’s a good thing Dru Anderson is fast. Because the sucker chasing her isn’t slowing down—and he won’t rest until he has tasted her blood and silenced her heart . . .
Dru’s best friend, Graves, and her strange and handsome savior, Christophe, are ready to help her take on the ultimate evil. But will their battle for Dru’s heart get in the way of her survival?

Oh I do love this YA series.  It’s one of those where part of you wants to read every book back to back, because they’re just so damn readable; whilst the rest of you is all disciplined and makes you wait between books, because you just don’t want the series to end.  For those of you who haven’t read my previous Strange Angels reviews they star Dru Anderson, who may be an about-to-bloom svetocha (an uber-vampire-butt-kicker), but who is also very much a teenage girl.

That’s what I love about these books, they’re just so damn real.  Yes, I know, the book concerns vamps and weres, but St.Crow triumphs in making the story one we can all relate to.  Dru may be very well-trained in hand to hand combat, aided by her rapidly evolving powers, but fights still involve sweat and tears and bruises and blood.  She still gets hurt (and actually feels it), still gets ridiculously riled, and still quite often questions what the hell she is actually doing.  And when the dust has settled, and the adrenaline goes, boy does she crash and burn!

Jealousy is the third installment in this series, and now we’ve reached the stage of a very interesting love triangle.  Who would you chose?  The loup-garou boy her own age, who may be known as ‘goth boy’, but who is the only person since her parents died to ever make her feel safe?  Or the much older, gorgeous, slightly bad-boy djamphir who is passionately devoted to her, and especially her safety?  St.Crow doesn’t make the choice easy!

Jealousy is a pacey read, even when politics are thrown into the mix, and the fight scenes are almost visceral in their descriptions.  The fact that the story features mainly teenagers is never played down, and I dare you not to spot your teenage self in it!  Ok, so it’s not going to win a Booker Prize, but that doesn’t stop it being my favourite YA series out there, 8.5 out of 10.

 

Guest Review: Strange Angels: Betrayals

At the start of year I promised you all more reviews. The trouble is I'm only human and can only read for a few hours of the day...the rest of time gets taken up with non-book related activities such as work, family and friends. I'm currently averaging about 3 reviews a week but there are some doorstopper novels in my TBR pile and reading them would slow down the number of reviews I can post. So in order to help me provide more reviews I've dragged in a helper! My friend Sarah. I've known her for years (she knows where all the skeletons are buried...mostly because half of them are hers!). We have similar reading tastes and I hope she'll help me out with the occasional review. Please make her feel welcome for her first ever review...

Betrayals (Strange Angels 2)

-  Lili St. Crow

Publisher: UK -

Dru Anderson's not afraid of the dark. But she should be. Poor Dru. Her parents are long gone. Her best friend Graves has been bitten by a werewolf. And she just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn't entirely human. Now Dru's strange and handsome savior, Christophe, has her hidden away at a secret Schola for djamphir and wulfen teens. Trouble is, she's the only girl in the place. The really bad news? Dru's killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. With all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide...

Hello there, blog-newbie here!  As Mel’s mentioned, I’m Sarah (aka Cinema Bud) and like Mel, I love reading and will give pretty much any genre a go.  My favourite is Fantasy, though, especially Epic and YA Fantasy, and my first ever review will be for a book that epitomizes the latter – Betrayals by Lili St. Crow.  This is the second of the Strange Angels series and is a thoroughly entertaining read.

It stars Dru, an American teen with non-classic American looks, and a non-usual-teen problem – she’s a svetocha, basically a highly prized uber-nosferatu killer.   Yes, this book follows some standard YA principles – troubled lead with family issues, love interest(s) (in this case an intriguing triangle with a loup-garou and a djamphir) and an obvious evil that must be fought.  However, it’s set in an interesting supernatural world (for example, werewolves and loup-garou are different things) and - for me the most enjoyable thing - real things actually happen to people!  When you’re injured you’re actually hurt and don’t function as well as when you’re not, when you go running through a forest chased by evil you get wet, cold, tired and afraid, and when you’re having a moment with the guy you fancy, guaranteed you’ve got a wedgie and are worrying about the state of your hair.

It’s a pacey book, easily readable in a day, keeping your attention without asking too much from the old grey matter.  It won’t break new ground, but neither will you be regretting you bought it. 

Recommended for people who want P.C. Cast’s House of Night series with less annoying teenage perfection, or a YA version of Kelley Armstrong’s amazing novels.  7 out of 10.