The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Source: Free Ebook from NetGalley
Release Date: April 19, 2011

I've always liked Greek mythology, but especially the story of Persephone. It's probably why I also like Wuthering Heights and those doomed misery-laden relationships. The synopsis admittedly seemed interesting. Katie is new to the town of Eden since her mother has decided to move home to finish her last days before she succumbs to cancer. Suddenly a mysterious stranger appears before Katie and makes a bargain to save her mother that rings very similar to Persephone's story, or not so mysteriously as Henry straight-up tells her to research the myth (very subtle storytelling here). This one encounter will change her life forever.
One of the biggest problems I had with this story was the character development, because it just didn't ring true. Her friendships were sudden and not very genuine. Katie was reliable to a fault and never made the wrong decision because she weighed everything so carefully to the point we revisited events/thoughts/feelings/reasonings ad nauseam. Her interactions with Henry seemed too childish for her age and she couldn't even say the word sex out loud, but liked to refer to it as that thing. It got old and by the time the end rolled around I didn't care what happened anymore because I wasn't connecting with any of these characters. I can't really say I'd recommend this one and I know I won't be continuing.

Defiance (Strange Angels, #4) by Lilith Saintcrow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Somewhat Spoilery for the Previous Books---Beware---

If the last in the series could be considered Graves's turn in 'wooing', this one is really Christophe's. Dru is still dealing with the ramifications of the last book, Jealously. She is impatient to find and save Graves and is tired of being 'dealt' with, instead of actively involved with his search. Christophe is there once again to provide the angst, which I'll be the first to say I love. Yet even with the lovely detours Christophe-ness I have to admit that I was a tad bit disappointed with the direction this installment, because while I saw Dru take some steps in the maturity dept. there wasn't enough happening with the plot. Sure Dru needs a time-out and escape from the pressures of her life, but I don't need three-quarters of the book to follow that. I wish there had been more demanding and less acquiescing.
The title is Defiance, which Dru lives up to, but not in the sense I had hoped. It looks like she will continue to go through the school of hard-knocks, but it makes me wonder just where St. Crow will take her in the last book, because Dru's been dragging her feet for awhile now. I always enjoy taking the time to visit with these characters and I still would recommend this series, I just don't feel like this is the strongest of the bunch.

Copy Source: Purchased Kindle version

Read 'ems

When I find a series or book I really like and want to share words may not suffice. Instead I will resort to enthusiastic pointing and simple instructions, hence the title of this post: Read 'ems. Simple enough, right?

I finally have my copy of Defiance, which I can't wait to start reading.

This is one of my favorite YA-series. I would totally, enthusiastically recommend it!

Start with Strange Angels, which takes a little bit to find it's pace, but once you move onto the second book you'll be hooked. There's a lot of inner-monologue, but it gets better and Dru is ahead of most girls in paranormal YA fiction. Plus there's Graves, who helps Dru navigate her new life and he pretty much makes this series for me.

The second in the series is Betrayals where Dru has to deal with many of the truths that were kept from her. I like that the author doesn't solve things in a matter of chapters and Dru is allowed to show some depth, be stubborn and mulish in a way that's realistic.

Jealousy is full of fun Graves scenes, oh and some other stuff I'm sure...

The last in the series, Reckoning is sure to be the cat's meow and we only have to wait until November. However I would have to mention...just say no to the Count Chocula jacket and bad highlights, plus the unintentionally hilarious dude in the corner!

Now I'm off to spend time with Defiance!

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bea has just moved to a new town after being uprooted from school every few years because of her professor father. While she has to adjust to a new school in a small town (never good for the newcomer) she also has to deal with her mother's increasing depression.
On the first day Bea decides to try to find the average looking girl, make nice, and promptly start fitting-in. She meets Jonah, who also goes by the moniker Ghost Boy, which his classmates mockingly bequeathed him. Through their shared sense of odd humor and love of late night radio they forge a friendship. Then Jonah discovers a secret that causes him to re-evaluate things. For me it's just the start to a mostly one-sided friendship, because even though Bea is accused of having the emotional depth of a robot, it's Jonah that can't seem to make his feelings compute. It was realistic for him to act the way he did, considering the years of bullying he endured, but it didn't make me like him anymore, especially in his relationship with Bea.
The ending was wistful, but felt hollow because of all the unresolved issues. I guess you could argue that that's life, but I wanted more darn it! So while the writing was spot-on, the result was less satisfying.

Copy Source: Library

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can see why this author's other series has been made into a movie, because that's exactly how this story reads. It was like watching an enjoyable rom-com where the heroine's ditsy, but endearing and the problems are serious, but they don't make you feel too uncomfortable.

You see, Lexie's had a minor accident and she's fine except for the fact that she cannot seem to remember the last three years of her life. Apparently it was an important three years, because she's married to a handsome millionaire and has a powerful executive spot at her company where she was only a pion before. Not just that but she's become the boss from hell and has earned the nickname Cobra (which she is absolutely aghast to find out about). Somehow overnight she's done a 180 and has to figure out how to reclaim an entire life where she feels out of place.

It was a very sweet story and the characters were exactly as you would expect them to be without any deviations. I think this would be the kind of story you would read curled up on the couch with some hot cocoa. It's a feel-gooder, which isn't bad in it's own way, but exactly what you need sometimes.

Copy source: Hardcover purchased

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hannah and her father move from town to town in search of a job for her father that he can actually be happy about and keep. Their latest move takes them to Maplecrest, where some things are not as they seem and the cheerleaders have an eerie perfectness and an odd blue fire in their eyes. Plus there's the social outcast Lukas who is absolutely convinced that they're zombies and Hannah is about to fall under the allure of their beauty and popularity.
This was an odd one. At times Hannah and her desire to fit in were very easy to empathize with because who hasn't been the new person in school or some other setting? Who doesn't want to, as Hannah puts it, be adored (or at least not the butt of jokes)? The Stepford feeling is easy for Hannah to brush-off, but she has to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to be in the popular clique. To me that's the real heart of this story, forget about the title and the creepy vibe. Hannah's inner struggles to fit in and process her ever-changing life come together and form a crossroads. The ending was a bit disappointing and too rushed, although it does end with a humdinger. I guess I'd recommend this one, but it's not for everyone. Don't go into it looking for too much zombie action, but instead much more teen angst and you'll be set.

Copy Source: Library

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clara is part angel, or as they like to be called angel-blood. Her mother decides to move Clara and her brother to Wyoming after Clara receives a vision that leads them to believe she has to be there to save someone's life.
Clara was an interesting character and I appreciated her level-headedness, especially with all of the curveballs thrown her way. I didn't expect to like a story based on angels as much as I did and the author found ways to tap more into spirituality than preachiness, which is a fine line to walk. The other characters were also believable and the relationships that develop in Clara's new life are interesting to watch. Yet I could definitely tell this was the first book in a series. I thought that there could have been a bit more in the way of resolutions and the ending wasn't all it could have been because there were so many things left hanging, which I'm sure she'll address later but left me feeling like my book was missing a few pages.
I would definitely recommend this one as YA a cut above the rest, especially in the paranormal genre. You won't find a Bella or an Edward, but a girl that can see beyond the guy in front of her and a guy that is mature and awesome enough to be around her.

Copy Source: Library

Dreamfever (Fever, #4) by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once again Moning has me in a love-hate relationship with her story. I like the new Mac, the kick-ass Mac. Yet I can't stand any of the males she writes. Luckily the amped drama with the LM is intriguing and his revelations have me scratching my head in a good way. This one also has Mac recovering from the effects of the previous installment, of which the cure is almost as bad as the disease (or that's what Moning would have Mac deluding herself in thinking). Mac has many stages of grieving she needs to tackle, not to mention the enormous amount of craziness that has become her life. Again we only take a few baby-steps forward revelationwise and the ending is a doozy of a cliffhanger, but not unbearable. I'll be reading the next to finish the series (although when I last read on her website she's now contracted for 2 more in this world).

Copy Source: Library

Faefever (Fever, #3) by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Okay, I'm going to say just how much I liked this book, but first I've got to go into what keeps this book (and series) from being 100% for me. It's the skeevy feeling that always seems to accompany any of Moning's male characters. Whether it be the blatantly obvious death-by-sex fae V'lane (ugh, I don't like that name either) to the massively testosterone-laden Barrons who goes from faintly intimidating to absolutely freaking ridiculous in the span of a few moments. Moning has the ability to ramp up the emotions and I've loved following Mac's changes, but it gets dashed to the side after it follows with some kind of pent-up lustful scene where Barrons acts like an ass and on some level it turns Mac on, no thanks.
The plot picked up the pace significantly in this one which I was very happy to see. We get the answers to some questions which in turn leave us asking even more, just the way I like it! I also like the doom and gloom because I am so tired, TIRED of the damsel in distress. I like to see Mac working angles and realizing that's she's got to look out for numero uno if she wants to live through this.
All in all, I'm stoked to get my hands on the next one. I'm happy to have started this series later, because she has some hellacious cliffhangers for endings. However I'm still not happy with her relationship with Barrons and I have a feeling that this will be something I'll have to get used to not liking, as alpha asshole guys seem to be her forte.

Copy Source: Library

The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Source: Free Ebook from NetGalley
Release Date: April 26, 2011


This is the second in the Regency Draculia series from Colleen Gleason who is also author of the Gardella Vampire series, which is still on my TBR-pile. In this series, Gleason's vampires have made a pact with Lucifer for eternal life, but they must feed on blood and sin. Restraining their baser urges causes a the mark they bear to become an agony, which is another trial for Dimitri as he's decided to lead a rather chaste life as penance. When Maia's brother disappears, it's up to Dimitri to chaperon her and her sisters until Maia's fiance, Alexander, returns from traveling.
It was a very disappointing start to what I thought would have been a unique story. Instead we spend the first quarter recounting the events that happened in the first book from the POV of Dimitri and Maia. Part of what can make a good romance is subtlety, which is what we saw in the burgeoning romance between them in the first book. Even though these books can be picked up out of order, I think it does a disservice to this couple to repeat the exact same story of the first book, just with a different POV. Once we moved to new ground it wasn't exactly thrilling anymore. I liked the give and take between the characters and I liked the influence of Beauty and the Beast, but in the end Dimitri and Maia felt like charted waters and I was already ready to move on. I can't say I recommend this installment of the series, but it's still better than some others out there. I won't be continuing with Narcise's story, which is released next.

Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was hesitant to continue with this series, but when it was offered on sale I couldn't pass it up. MacKayla, or Mac as she likes to be called, has encountered quite a bit of craziness after traveling to Ireland to find answers in her sister's murder. What she finds is a humongous war between the Unseelie and Seelie fae, with mankind sandwiched in the middle for good measure. It's up to Mac to try and fight for the good side, whichever that side is because we spend much of this book trying to figure that out.

I was happy to see Mac thinking a lot more clearly about her situation. Her bursts of inner monologue were welcome this time instead or being verbal diarrhea. Yet there were many times I didn't like the adjective overload and felt it suffered from too muchness. For instance, at one point Mac is meeting with V'lane and she describes his robe: "It made me think of butterfly wings against an iridescent sky, lit by a thousand suns." Ummm, really?

I also got a little tired of her mysteriouso relationship with Barrons. I'm not a fan of a**hole neanderthals which is what he tends to bring to mind. Yet Moning did bring it on with the ending which left me scratching my head and wanting to read more. Nothing too important happened in this one, mainly just setting up the players, but I'm game for the next I guess.

Copy Source: Ebook purchased