Wolfsbane and Mistletoe Review

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe

Edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelnor

Publisher: Gollancz

The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone. They are particularly hard for lycanthropes. Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner have harvested the scariest, funniest and saddest werewolf tales by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of a full moon with a silver bullet close at hand. Whether wolfing down a holiday feast (use your imagination) or craving some hair of the dog on New Year's morning, the werewolves in these frighteningly original stories will surprise, delight, amuse, and scare the pants off readers who love a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe.

This is an anthology which combines Urban Fantasy and Christmas specifically werewolves and features many of my favourite authors including Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance and Carrie Vaughn. This is one of the strongest anthologies I’ve read - for some reason werewolves and Christmas seem a strong match creating many iconic images. One story that will stay with you is the idea of a werewolf leading Santa’s sleigh in Kat Richardson’s The Werewolf Before Christmas- it just brought a smile to my face!

Another idea that will stay with is a self-help group for Shifters – SA by J.A. Konrath. This story is packed full of ideas that will linger with you – transforming into a coral, the idea of the Salvation Army as a real army, what a shifter has to live with after changing back to human. It’s imaginative and fun. I’m not going to go through every short story but the only one that really disappointed me is Gift Wrap by Charlaine Harris. It’s a quick catch up with Sookie during the holiday season, and while I completely believe that authors know their characters best, Sookie disappointed me with her actions.

Overall, this was fun read – mixing up classic urban fantasy and werewolf tropes with festive greetings. There are even a couple of new authors who’s other work I will be checking out – I certainly hope Dana Cameron has written more books about her Fangborn world!

Recommended for fans of Rob Thurman and Kelley Armstrong. 8 out of 10

A Game of Thrones Review

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1)

- George R.R. Martin

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men. All will play the Game of Thrones.
Summers span decades.Winter can last a lifetime.And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.It will stretch from the south where heat breeds plot,lusts and intrigues to the vast frozen north,where a 700-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. The Game of Thrones. You win,or you die.

This book has had A LOT of hype over the years – even more so in the last couple of years with the HBO TV Series wowing viewers and existing fans. However, I have to admit the sheer size of it (over 900 pages!) is intimidating and meant it sat on my TBR pile for a long time. Then at the start of the month you guys evilly choose it for me to read this month. I thought it would take me ages – but actually I found myself so absorbed with events in the Seven Kingdoms that it only took six days in the end. And I can now say that the hype is true this once!

Fantasy books are often described as epic but this one truly is – with each chapter focusing on a character of importance to the realm and major events. In fact each chapter can be read as a short story in itself, but building up to a much wider picture. This story really is a tapestry woven out of characters and events vastly different from each other. I loved how events in one part of kingdom would affect what happened elsewhere – even if they didn’t know about it yet. As always some characters are more interesting than others – the dwarf Tyrion Lannister is fascinating and Jon Snow is a true hero in the making. There are slight hints of magic and otherworldly events, but a large proportion of the story is based on political events leading to forays and battles as the Stark family unwittingly get involved in the ‘Game of Thrones’.

I have seen the first season of the TV show and only now I’ve read the book do I truly appreciate how faithfully the series is. Pretty much every scene in the book is in the show – the only major change is the age of some of the main characters – adding a few years to them in order to make the violence and sex involving them more palatable for TV I guess.

The book is truly absorbing and involving – I wanted to move on to the second book straight away when I finished (always a good sign!). However, I will have to wait a while as I have several review books to read by the end of the year – but I plan to regular visits back to this world in 2013. One of the most adult of fantasy books that is rightly deserving of much praise. Highly recommended

Recommended for fans of Robin Hobb and Jacqueline Carey. 10 out of 10

Hunting Lila Review

Hunting Lila

Sarah Alderson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she’s prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she’s been in love with her brother’s best friend, Alex, since forever. After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust—her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they’ve found them. In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone—there are others out there just like her—people with special powers—and her mother’s killer is one of them...

Lila has the ability to move things with her mind. After a mugging in South London, she borrows her Dad’s credit card and runs to California to see her brother, Josh and his best friend Alex who she has hardly seen much since their Mum died five years ago. There Lila is intrigued by her brother’s job and secrecy surrounding it, but her main concern is when realises she is still in love with Alex, her brother’s best friend.

I was really looking forward to reading this book – so many bloggers adore the series and have been really excited over the release of the second book in the series. I think I had very high expectations, but in the end I didn’t really enjoy this book. The writing is good – it’s clear, fast-paced and easy to fall into – Sarah Alderson has written a book I think most teens would adore. Alex, the love the interest is thoughtful, kind, smouldering and a great character. I also enjoyed the overall plot and brisk pace – there is no padding at all, just story. So I like the writing, the pace, the ploy and the romantic hero… with all that to love, why didn't I enjoy this book…? One word answer – Lila. I couldn't stand her. This is a problem when the book is told in first person from her point of view! She seemed very brattish to me – and completely ‘in love’ with Alex despite hardly seeing since she was 12! There was no rediscovering of her feeling for Alex – she had always been in love with him. Now I admit I am a complete cynic when it comes to romance – I need my characters to connect and be realistic with each other – and their feelings. From my point of view there is no way a girl can be ‘in love’ with a guy at age twelve. Girlhood crush – yes, and it will even leave you with a soft spot when you’re older but love – nah.

On top of this there is the age gap between them – Alex is 21 while Lila is just 17. A lot of times this would be a problem but Lila acts a lot younger. She becomes irrationally jealous of any woman Alex talks too or mentions and has a tendency to run off in tears. Lila will also believe anything she is told – a strange guy in the girls loos tells you your brother is looking for people with powers like you to capture them and you believe him straight away…? And then to go home in tears…? Come on! I want someone who asks questions and demand proof! Sorry if this sounds a little ranty but Lila really annoyed me! I want a heroine who will stand up for herself and not just accept what she is told. I want her to take action rather than run away all the time. I think what annoyed me was that there was so much to love about the story and other characters, but Lila herself was just a wimp with a cool power.

Sadly I do feel like I want to know what happened to Alex and Josh next so I hope Lila has grown up a little by the time I read the next book – or that I have calmed down a bit!

Recommended for fans of Lauren Oliver and Katie McGarry. 7 out of 10 for the plot & writing…3 out of 10 for Lila! (The 3 is for her cool powers and that Alex obviously sees something in her!)

Jinx (Bigtime Superheroes #3) Review

Jinx (Bigtime Superheroes #3)

-          Jennifer Estep

Kindle Book

Thanks to her unwanted superpower, fashion designer Bella Bulluci may be the luckiest woman in Bigtime, N.Y. But luck can be good or bad, and it seems like just as many embarrassing things happens to Bella as do positive ones. Like when a charity event that Bella plans get crashed by Hangman, a deadly ubervillain who's after a prize sapphire that's on display. Hangman almost succeeds in stealing the jewel for his evil ubervillain boss, Prism, but Bella's luck helps her escape with the sapphire – along with some help from the suave and charming Debonair. Debonair's not an ubervillain, but he's not really a superhero either. Still, Bella can't help but fall for him, despite her personal vow to have as little to do with heroes and villains as possible. But with Hangman and Prism still after the sapphire, Bella's going to need every bit of her luck power just to survive...

This is my third visit to Bigtime town and while I still had lots of fun, it didn’t sparkle as much as the first two visits. Partly is due to the nature of our heroine this time, Bella. Bella is prone to massive luck – both good and bad. This means massive amounts of physical disasters (from chandeliers breaking to spilling coffee and sandwiches everywhere) and some lucky escapes – these disasters never hurt her. She doesn’t control this luck – it just happens. And this means we have a heroine who for the most part is happier to just remove herself from tense situations, worries a lot and avoids making any pro-active choices. However, she does have a big learning curve and by the end I liked her a lot more.

Bigtime is still populated with numerous superheroes and uber-villians. However, it seems much easier to guess their secret identities now – maybe I just know what to look out for! It was great to catch up with Karma Girl aka Carmen this time around and to see how she is using her own superpowers now. There are some great visual set-pieces which scream comic book movie to me with some interesting twists and turns in the plot that keep you guessing. It was as exciting and joyful as the other adventures, but one element stuck in my throat a little. Bella is kidnapped at one point and ends up falling for her captor – despite the fact he won’t let her tell her family she is alright. Even if she is kidnapped for all the right reasons – she is still there against her will and the seduction stuck in my throat a little. However, this happens early on and is redeemed by some of his action later on. In fact by the end he comes across as quite sweet and insecurity – so much so that the kidnapping almost seems out of character!

However, this is still a light hearted romp through the superhero world with a nice romance and great world building. It’s always a fun visit – especially on a dull, wet November. For bring some sunshine and fun into your life, it’s difficult to go wrong with this series!

Recommended for fans of Carrie Vaughn and Lynsey Sands. 7 out of 10

Black Dust Mambo Review

Black Dust Mambo (Hoodoo #1)

-       Adrian Phoenix

Publisher: Pocket Books

Kallie Riviere, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching -- the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju -- a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her. Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer -- even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated -- back home to Bayou Cypres Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead...

I think I need to bow to your better wisdom! This was the winner of my What Shall I Read Poll for October and once again you picked a cracker and a book I have been undeservedly been overlooking on my shelves. You obviously have better taste than I do!

Set in New Orleans during a magical carnival (for those with actual magic naturally!), this books leaps out of the blocks from the first page and throws a fantastic variety of interesting characters, absorbing mysteries, fascinating magic systems and intriguing culture clashes at you. Somehow it never feels overwhelming – helped by some amusing banter between characters – but rarely lets you catch your breath as you are whisked away on a fun adventure ride.

Kallie has just returned from the bathroom after her excesses of the night have caught up with her when she finds the man she brought home dead in her bed. Kallie is one feisty lady – more than happy to punch people and with some interesting voodoo powers. One element I loved was the mix of characters both male and female. I get a little frustrated with strong women in my UF who never met another woman (unless it’s the token bad girl/rival for her man). There are enough men and women – all with different characters and personality traits that creates plenty of conflict and interesting relationship dynamics – I loved them all. I loved Belladonna, Kallie’s best friend who always has her back, I love McKenna, the spirited Irish nomad, I loved Felicity Fields the Miss Money-Penny assistant to the head of the Hecatean Alliance. They are all strong women but with different personalities and aspects. Throw in a few hunky men including one handsome biker Vessel and there is loads of fun to be having.

The plot follows a few different characters across the investigation which does lead to some great cliff-hangers and tense moments. The writing is so smooth – it feels like a warming hot rich hot chocolate that warms you up on a cold autumn night – tasty and more-ish. I honest can’t wait to read the next book in this series! I urge all UF fans to read this book as soon as you can!

Recommended for fans of Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brooks. 10 out of 10

Phoenix Rising Review

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1)

-       Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.
These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray. For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!

It’s been a little while since I read any steampunk, but after finishing Phoenix Rising I wondered why I left it so long! This book has bags of energy, invention and sophistication. New Zealander and Ministry Field Agent, Eliza Braun loves action – she’s happy chasing down suspects in horse drawn carriages, gun in hand and saving the British Empire. Books is the ministries Archivist, inventor of useful gadgets and happy keeping the other agents files in order. When they are thrown together an unusual partnership is born which could just save the Empire – if Braun and Books can survive each other.

Eliza Braun is a modern woman, capable and independent, but a little reckless and brash. Books always thinks before he acts and is reserved, but he has hidden depths that not even Eliza is aware of... yet. I loved the way they were getting to know each other and testing their expectations. It felt like they were really figuring each other out – Books being able to out drink Eliza, while Eliza’s well appointed apartment surprises Books. The banter between them is sparkling and amusing. They start investigating what really happened to Eliza’s former partner, now an inmate in an institute and how this relates to an age old secret society within London’s upperclass.

The plot is fast-paced with discovery and revelations quickly made as they move from one scene stealing event to the next. Eliza is quick on the draw and has a wonderful collection of gadget and weapons, while Book’s gizmos are fantastic and useful. Together I felt like Eliza was a female Bond and Books her Q! In fact the whole story does read like some sort of Victorian Bond story, but without the dour straight face.

There are still some outstanding mysteries particularly with regard to Books past, Dr Sounds activities in the Archives and Bruce Campbell role. These mysteries plus the chance to see how Eliza and Books are coping with each other now means I will be picking up the second book, The Janus Affair very soon! This was frantic fun in Victorian London which will leave a massive smile on your face.

Recommended for fans of Meljean Brooks and Gail Carriger. 9 out of 10

Drink Deep Review

Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires #5)

-          Chloe Neill

Publisher: Gollancz

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and Merit the vampire can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn, or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times have never been more precarious for the vampires. If only they could lay low for a bit...
Then magic rears its ugly head when Lake Michigan turns black. The mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows a panic is coming. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for both the vampires and humans.

After a long wait between books three and four, I didn’t leave it very long before picking up book five in this series (See, I can learn from my mistakes!). After the shocking ending of book four, I thought this would be the start of a very different journey for Merit, the new vampire and Sentinel of Cadogan House and while there are some changes, this is essentially more of the same as we’ve had before. Something has turned the Great Lake black and while humans are blaming the vampires, Merit is tasked with trying to figure out what it is and how to resolve it. This means she gets to visit various supernatural groups around town and asks them if they had anything to do with it. It’s not the most original investigative route but for some reason it seems to work for Merit!

There are a lot characters in this book – I really liked getting to know Joshua and watching how he and Merit interact now  - it seemed like a step in the right direction. Mallory, Merit’s best friend is stressed about her sorcesser’s exam, while the vampires within Cadogan House continue to seem some of the most human vampires in Urban Fantasy complete with movie marathon and favourite bars. There is one character that is conspicuous by his absence but is never-the-less mentioned frequently and really casts a tall shadow over the whole plot. However, I really wanted Merit accept the current situation more – which made me a little disappointed that there was some balance returned by the end (Really difficult to talk about without spoilers!). The ending seemed a little simple and there are a few long running plot elements that are mentioned and still not resolved  - I hope they aren’t dragged on too long. However, it would be a big emotional punch for Merit and I hope this vibrates around the next book!

Despite these few reservations, Chloe Neill does have a knack for creating a world that feels real – there is colour behind the descriptions and personality behind the characters (even if you don’t always like them!). I always seem to get through these books far too quickly, leaving me wanting to know how the events of one book will impact Merit and her friends going forward. These books are like sushi – tasty and filling – something you get the occasional craving for but could use a little soya sauce to be extra delicious!

Recommended for fans of Jennifer Estep and Patricia Briggs. 7.5 out of 10

Hot Mama Review

Hot Mama (Bigtime Superheroes #2) 

-          Jennifer Estep

Kindle Books

She can melt steel – and men's hearts ... 
By day, Fiona Fine is a successful couture designer, catering to the high society players of Bigtime, New York. By night, she's Fiera, a superstrong superhero who can create and manipulate fire with her bare hands. Fiera, along with the other members of the heroic Fearless Five, make life miserable for the ubervillains who want to take over the city. 
But Fiona's personal life isn't so fine. She still misses her fiancé, who was killed by ubervillains a year ago. But men admire Fiona's smoking assets, and she decides to get back in the dating game – especially after she meets Johnny Bulluci. But this notorious playboy has plenty of secrets to go along with his sexy smile. And, with two new ubervillains in town who are intent on raising hell, Fiona's love life might just crash and burn...

Fiona Fine is the leading fashion designer in Bigtime with a hugely successful business, beautiful apartment and a short temper. She also moonlights as Fiera one of the Fearless Five, a team of superheroes helping to keep the city safe from Uber-villains with schemes of conquest and destruction. Still recovering from the death of her fiancée the year previously she decides it’s time to move on with a fling with the newly returned to the city and devilishly handsome Johnny Bulluci. However, Johnny has secrets of his own…

Hot Mama is one of those rare books which is plain fun without taking itself too seriously. The world of Bigtime has superheroes with superpowers and secret identities, massive battles that destroy buildings across the city and uber-villains who fail to kill the good guys quickly despite the heroes perchance for escaping regularly. This means you recognise the world pretty quickly and even make some simple deductions regarding heroes and villains alter-ego a long time ahead of Fiona...something which can be a little annoying but is in keeping with the world. I liked Fiona – she’s not an easy person to get to know and is pretty opinionated, but she doesn’t have any shades of grey – she works for the good guys, she misses her fiancée and she can eat whatever she wants as she literally does burn calories off with her superpower over fire. A lot of the book is description of the amount and frequency with which Fiona has to eat so this is not a book to read if you are on a diet! J

The romance between Fiona and Johnny is steamy and fun. They are physical attracted to each other from the start, and manage to build upon that foundation as they get to know each other and work together. I felt there was some slight repetition with Fiona or one of her friends saying that her fiancée Travis would have wanted her to move on and be happy. Ok, we get it – she’s been in love before! But I liked the differences between their characters and the idea that Johnny’s secret although easy for us to guess, does create some friction in their relationship they have to resolve. While the relationship was nice, I have to confess I most enjoyed the action and superhero high-jinks. Jennifer Estep has a real flair for excitement and the fight scenes are never less than entertaining – especially with the heroes and villains falling into typical roles and catchphrases. This adds an extra layer of fun for the reader although it can mean that there are no surprises or twists to the plots  either. Overall, this is exactly what you think it is from the blurb and it delivers an entertaining few hours that will leave a smile on your face.

Recommended for fans of Darynda Jones and Jaye Wells. 8 out of 10.

Enclave Review

Enclave (Razorland #1)

-       Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

For a page count less than 300, Ann Aguirre manages to fit a lot of ideas, action and even heartbreak into those few pages. From the harsh introduction to Deuces’s world with her initiation into the Hunters, you know that this isn’t an easy world. The Enclave is huddled underground, protected and hidden from the Freaks – zombie like creatures that just live to eat and ravish all they can. It’s all Deuce and her enclave can do to survive on rats and other creatures caught in the tunnels and it’s not long before the home they have created for themselves no longer seems as secure as Deuce has always believed – with enemies without and within.

Ann Aguirre has managed to paint a vivid world that is dark, tense and short-lived. Yet it all makes sense, you can understand why elders barely make it to twenty-four years of age when their life is as harsh as it is. When Deuce starts to question the way her world works, there are some interesting questions asked about freedom verses safety. What is more important and when you have to share everything to survive is there a point when the individual means more than the community? Maybe I was just reading too much into it! J However, there are also plenty of action scenes with Deuce and her partner, Fade fighting the Freaks and on the run. These scenes are fast, frantic and exciting and I held my breath on multiply occasions. Watching them learn to trust each other and later on to trust others is really the core of this story. There are plenty of other characters who are vividly portrayed despite limited time – Tegan, Stone and others all make an impact on Deuce and as such on us as well.

There are some missed opportunities – as there are in real life. At one point I thought the story was going to focus on a conspiracy within the enclave and then suddenly the plot took a complete left-turn and changed. Overall though, this is a great read with a mix of emotional growth, scary moments and discovery of a new world. I really can’t wait to get my hands on Outpost now!

Recommended for fans of Veronica Roth and Jonathan Maberry. 9 out of 10

Hard Bitten Review

Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #4)

- Chloe Neill

 

Publisher: Gollancz

 

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals-and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are...tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.
Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society-a world full of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

 

I seem to have a bit of blind spot when it comes to this series – I have really grown to love Merit (especially now she’s no longer moaning about being a vampire) and the rest of the characters (Ethan, Christina and the rest!) and the last book I gave a high rating. Yet, I have let this book and the next one sit on my TBR shelf for months depriving myself of a thoroughly entertaining and exciting read! Bad Mel!

 

The vampire raves mentioned in Friday Night Bites reappear here (as they weren’t really solved in that book) and look to be a big political problem for Ethan and the rest of his house. Merit in her role as Sentinel is asked to investigate and ends up entangled in vampire politics, blood raves and the possibly reappearance of her biggest enemy… There is a lot going on here which makes for an exciting read – especially if you like politics as well as action. Merit is still struggling to walk the fine line between her duties to the house and her feelings for Ethan. For the first time I really felt Ethan was trying to make an effort with Merit and open up more than he has before.

 

Merit spends a lot of time investigating by herself in the story leaving her free to visit friends when she needs help, but also showing she can handle herself now. There is a lovely under current of snark and humour. And while Merit is a vampire, she has never really lost her humanity managing to indulge in greasy food and bad reality TV as well. I loved that Merit still found time to be there for Mallory, her best friend who is going through some major life changing events as well. Overall, I felt Merrit has really grown up now and is spending less time bemoaning her situation – I hope this attitude continues!

 

I really felt like this was the beginning of many storylines with some elements wrapped up, while introducing us to possible new complications. I’m not going to spoil the ending but there is a big emotional punch at the end that I didn’t see coming and will have big influence on where the series goes from here. Hopefully I won’t leave it so long to read the next book, Drink Deep, which is already sat on my TBR pile…

 

Recommended for fans of Mercy Thompson and Jennifer Estep. 8.5 out of 10.

 

Unholy Ghosts Review

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1)

-       Stacia Kane

Publisher: Harper Voyager

 THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

I admit that I avoided this series for a long time as I knew Chess, the main character was a drug addict and that meant that I didn’t want to connect with her. I was wrong! While she may be an addict, she is one because she wants to be and it is far from the defining element to her character. As well as drugs, Chess is a debunker for the Church, making her money by disproving ghost sightings and banishing the odd real one she comes across. The Church is not religious in a way that we understand – they don’t preach God or gospel – but they do protect humanity from the ghosts of the dead.

This is a fascinating world that Stacia Kane has created – like Bladerunner crossed with Poltegeist with so many interesting characters – even if none of them are ‘good’. Terrible, the drug lord’s enforcer is good at violence, but is still smart, brave – and developing a soft spot for Chess. Chess’s fellow Church workers pretend to be good on the surface but beneath them seem to be just as broken and messed up as everyone else.

Chess isn’t a kick-ass heroine – she get kidnapped and slapped around a lot. She forgets innocents and sometimes all she wants to do is loose herself in the pipes. But despite all this, there is something appealing and honest about Chess. She doesn’t try to be anyone she isn’t – she doesn’t lie to herself at all and that is refreshing. There is enough action and creepy ghosts to keep most Urban Fantasy fans happy and despite no overt romance, there are some great foundations for possible relationships in the future. This series has bags of potential and I have to admit I’m not sorry I didn’t start this sooner! Another series for me to catch up on!

Recommended for fans of Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews. 9 out of 10. 

Bright Young Things Review

Bright Young Things

-       Anna Godbersen

Publisher: Harper

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: Flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.
Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star....
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined — and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for...and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall — together and apart.

Set in the summer of 1929 in the last hedonistic months of the 1920’s Bright Young Things is a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day: sharp, tangy with a hint of sweetness and refreshing after too many overly sweet drinks. Following the career, loves and family dramas of three eighteen year olds in New York, the most glamorous of cities, Bright Young Things is deliciously easy to read and a real treat. I’m just sorry it took me so long to pick it up!

Letty, the small town girl who wants to be a star is terribly naive and innocent but you can’t help feeling for her. Cordelia is more street smart, and lands on her feet when she finds her long-last father, a bootlegger who immediately welcomes her into his life. And finally, Astrid, a high society girl who has never had any roots or security, but she helps Cordelia in her new life. The story of each girl is fairly independent, but intertwines through their experiences. Each of them discover that despite the facade, New York life is not always the party it appears and there is dark underbelly which each of them touches in one way.

I haven’t read a lot of books set in the roaring twenties America, but I do remember studying that time period in history at school – especially the lead up to that day in October when the Wall Street Crash occurred. For me this meant that the whole summer and the events feel like a last hurrah before reality returns in the autumn. My one disappointment is what a short space of time this book follows – only a week or two and yet so much happens, it feels like it should have taken place over a couple of months at least! This is fun and fabulous. I will definitely be looking out for the sequel, Beautiful Days – when I’m allowed to buy books again! J

A perfect summer’s day reading. Recommended for fans of Mary Hooper and Melissa De La Cruz. 8 out of 10

Join Me Review

Join Me

- Danny Wallace

Publisher: Ebury Press

How could you refuse the polite invitation of begoggled Danny Wallace in Join Me? You don't know what you could be missing out on. It's all about living for the moment in this quirky, seemingly pointless yet addictive narrative. Finding himself with too much time on his hands after quitting his BBC job, Danny revels in "sitting around in his pants" and generally taking a break from the responsibilities of working life. Danny attends the funeral of his great uncle Gallus and finds out that he had set up a commune of like-minded people to escape Swiss small town small-mindedness in the 1940s. Intrigued by this idea, on his return to London Danny places a cryptic advert in the classified ads paper Loot and gets some surprising results.

Join Me is not a fictional story, but a real life story of a bored man who in tribute to an distant relative decides to ask people to join him. He doesn’t tell people why. Just asks them on faith to join him. And the surprising thing is, that people do. They agree to join him and send him a passport photo to join his collective (it’s not a cult!).

Danny Wallace is a very funny man and he tells his story with a lot of wit, self-deprecating humour and a very amusing turn of phrase. There were times when I was spluttering with laughter on the train (and drawing some very odd looks) with just a quick insight or phrase. I don’t as a habit read much non-fiction, but Danny Wallace is an exception and this was one book that made me grin. It’s not all highs though as Danny struggles to understand what to do with these people once they’ve joined him. However, his solution is great – he uses his powers for good! – and an act of random kindness every Friday is born. It certainly makes you think about doing good. And doing good without any reason.

Danny feels like a real person – not a big celebrity. He manages to travel the country and grow his collective in the most bizarre and unusual ways and meets some of the strangest, nicest and downright odd people you can imagine. While there isn’t a larger purpose as such for Danny’s quest, there is a nice journey of discovery as Danny tries to figure out how to use his new-found power and how to lead so many different and disparate people. I laughed and I felt for Danny. Honestly if you want a proper break from all the love triangles, world ending sagas this is a great British diversion for a couple of days.

Recommended for fans of Douglas Adams and Stephen Fry. 8 out of 10

Deceived By The Others Reviews

Deceived By The Others (H+W Investigations #3)

- Jess Haines

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Group

They're here, and they're real. . .werewolves, vampires, mages, and other creatures of the night. For New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest, taking care of Others business started out as a way to stay solvent. But now business is getting very, very complicated. . .
Shiarra's relationship with sexy werewolf Chaz may be somewhat unconventional. Still, after a few bumps, Shia is finally ready to get serious. That means meeting family—or in this case, bringing Chaz's entire werewolf pack along for a rollicking full-moon weekend in the Catskills. Soon after they arrive, threatening notes appear, warning Chaz to go home. Then their cabin is ransacked. Shia starts digging to find out whether it's the work of upstart teenaged werewolves or something more sinister. Yet as rumors about her vampire connections arouse the pack's hostility, Shia has to contend with other dangers. Not just from an adversary about to make his fatal intentions known, but from a threat that's even closer than she knows...

Shia has come a long way since her initial days of prejudice and revulsion at the Others. She’s still a long way from completely embracing them but has learnt to accept that not all of them are evil. Her boyfriend, Chaz for example, as he is also an alpha werewolf. In order to better understand him, she has agreed to go away for the weekend of the full moon with him and his pack in the woods. She is even thinking about signing a contract with him…however, the weekend doesn’t work out to be quite the romantic, lazy weekend they were both hoping for. There is dissent in the pack ranks and someone else seems to stalking the pack and Shia in particular…

After a couple of books dancing around the subject, Shia and Chaz’s relationship is put front and foremost in this story. This is perhaps the most emotional story so far as Shia finally allows herself to commit to Chaz. I have to confess I wasn’t that keen on Chaz in the first book, Hunted By The Others but I got to understand a bit more why Shia liked him in Taken By The Others. Here I felt like I was put through a full roller-coaster of emotions and I now have no idea how I feel! I really don’t want to discuss any spoilers, but let me say that a lot of different elements build up this plot – and some will have far reaching consequences for the series. The story starts slow before moving to the woods and introducing Chaz’s pack, the Sunstrikers. It was interesting to see Shia away from the city, away from Royce and her friends and standing up for herself with the pack.

There’s not a lot of action as such – this is very much about decisions and taking responsibility for them, but there are a couple of exciting moments that will get your heart beating. I liked a lot of the new characters introduced and Shia’s return to the city. However, the behaviour of some of the characters will have wanting to through the book out the window! (But don’t do that as you’ll miss the next bit!) I really hope this means that Shia can start to truly grow up and evolve – as I can’t help thinking she needs to face her problems more and stop hiding away from anything that involves the Others. She is witty and when backed into a corner, strong and defiant. I just wish she could be like that more often.

Overall, this is a good read and I would definitely be keen on reading Stalking The Others pretty soon (one advantage to being so late to read this book is that there is no long wait for the next in the series!). This is a fun series and one that I am glad I’ve continued with!

Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs and Allison Pang. 8 out of 10

Bloodlines Review

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

-       Richelle Mead

Publisher: RazorBill

Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.
Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires. But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one...

From the first page I was reminded how much I enjoyed Richelle Mead’s writing and the Moroi world she created with the Vampire Academy series. Sydney isn’t a vampire – she’s an alchemist, raised to believe all vampires and magic are unnatural and evil and that her duty is to protect the human world from both Moroi and Strigoi alike. When she is awakened in the middle of the night for a new duty to help protect the Moroi Princess Jill as she hides among humans, Sydney is torn between her upbringing and her growing respect for the Moroi and dhampir she now has to live with.

Most of the main characters here are ones we have run into before in the Vampire Academy series – Sydney, Adrian, Jill, Eddie and it is great to see such supporting characters getting more the spotlight. Adrian in particular is given much more time and development. I loved the relationship he and Sydney share considering their polar opposite viewpoints. Sydney is all about duty and responsibilities while Adrian is about instant gratification. They both rub off slightly on each other and I’m excited to see how this develops over the series. I really liked that even Adrian’s friends don’t hold a lot of expectation from him, while Sydney wants him to accept some responsibility.

I loved the characters and the different viewpoint – Sydney is a great heroine who has a similar need to protect as Rose had, but her focus is all on humans rather than Lissa. I liked her dislike of magic and how she sees the vampire world from the outside. However, I did feel there were a couple of issues with the story – the tattoo storyline was very obvious from early on and I can’t believe it took Sydney so long to figure it out. The whole books also had a large element of setting the scene and background rather than a fully coherent story on its own. Not necessarily a bad thing – the first Vampire Academy book was the same! I am excited about this series though and what Adrian, Sydney, Jill and the others will face in coming volumes! This was a great introduction to the world – readable even if you haven’t read the Vampire Academy series, but I would recommend reading them as well – just because they are well worth a read!

Recommended for fans Jeri Smith-Ready and Kelley Armstrong. 8 out of 10.

Divergent Review

Divergent
-       Veronica Roth

Publisher: HarperCollins

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger.

This book has had a lot of hype in the blogosphere – first when it was originally released last year and more recently with the release of the second book in the series, Insurgent. And...I think I got pulled into the hype. While I liked it, I didn’t love it.

Tris has to make the choice of which of the five factions she wants to live in. After growing up in Abnegation, the selfless one, she finally chooses Dauntless the brave and starts her initiation training. The training was interesting and liked the hints at the differences between learning to face fear and bullying – it’s a subtle but important difference. The emotional journey as Tris comes to terms with who she is and what she wants from life was intriguing and I loved the way she bonded and competed with her fellow initiates. There is a romance which I confess I didn’t really buy into as it happened a little too quickly – the initiation was only a month long!

Then about 70 pages from the end the tale of self-discovery suddenly changes entirely into a full revolution action adventure. I don’t want to give too much away but the final part of the book is a full on adrenaline rush which rushes about at break-neck speed. While I liked the pace and could tell that something big was building, it still felt like a very sudden change from the book style up to then – I nearly got whiplash!

Overall, this was a nice, diverting read but I didn’t really fall for Tris, Four and the others as much some people have. I will read Insurgent but I think I will try to borrow it off Sarah rather owning a copy! I might have liked it more if I didn’t know much about it before hand though...

Recommended for fans of Veronica Rossi and Suzanne Collins. 7 out of 10.