Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was such an unexpected gem. To describe the basic plot wouldn't do it justice. This author takes risks and I for one appreciated that fact. This is not your typical YA and I mean that in the best of ways. Penryn, our heroine, is everything you'd want in an upside down dystopian: brave, practical, courageous along with a bunch of other little flaws that make her realistic. Raffe, our angel in need of assistance doesn't change his characterization when it would be convenient to make this a softer story. It's unflinching in some of it's depictions of a world where humans fight for their very lives on a daily basis. I am impressed and eagerly await the sequel slated for next summer.

Author's Website: http://www.susanee.com
Copy source: Ebook Purchased

The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book that you'd be hard pressed to describe to another person, but makes perfect sense within it's own pages? That'd be this book. Temple is only fifteen years-old and all she's ever known is a life filled with fighting, death and zombies. We join her in her travels and get intimate glances at what has happened to the world and the changes to what is left of humanity.
Temple fights a lot of her memories because nothing can be taken for granted. She hides herself and what she could have been because if she didn't she'd be zombie fodder. As people gather in clusters of form some semblance of a city or town she knows she'll never find a place among them. It was tough to read about her life and the snatches of memory she chooses to share. I wasn't a fan of the ending, but the interactions between her and another character had me shaking my head and hurriedly reading the next paragraph to see these two and their Old West-style showdown would unfold.
This was more than scary zombies and things that go bump in the night, but then again that's what all the good ones really accomplish.

Copy Source: Library

Venom (Elemental Assassin, #3) by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

***SLIGHTLY SPOILERISH FOR THE PREVIOUS 3 BOOKS***

Venom is the third installment in Estep's elemental series. I was very happy overall with the story for the most part, but others felt a little phoned in. Estep often uses the same phrases in each of her books to describe the same thing. A few things like eyes meeting gray on violet, or gray on green, or whatever colors. She always talks with the same phrasing Bria as her baby sister, not little sister or even just sister, even the other characters do this, maybe she's going for the dialect but stop repeating the same tired phrases again and again. She even rehashes the plot from the previous books in the same way and I've been reading the same similes and metaphors for three books now.
I like that Gin is becoming the reluctant crusader because it suits her. However it was really annoying when she blames someone else's stalker problems on herself. The blame is with the psycho-stalker, not with the person that inadvertently introduced them! Owen Grayson is also a welcome addition and a better replacement for the boring Donovan Cain. I'm looking forward to seeing her final confrontation with Mab Monroe, but I don't know how convinced I am that Estep can continue to make this a fresh, exciting story. I'll definitely continue with the series, but I hope some things get polished up a bit.

Copy Source: Ebook Own

Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1) by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gin Blanco is an assassin. She's a good assassin and takes after her trade-name, the Spider. Before retiring she decides to take the 'one last gig' and ends up in a heap of trouble.
I'm really glad I started this series. Gin is the kind of UF-ballsy heroine that I like to read. She does her job and tries to stay one step ahead of her ugly past, which doesn't seem to want to let her go. I admired that for the most part she keeps things real and honest, even if it's uncomfortable. She keeps her own assassin's code: no children or people who are innocent of wrongdoing. I enjoyed following her on her high stakes investigation. Plus the worldbuilding is superb and I fell right into her world of dwarfs, giants, vampires and elementals- people with magical control over one element (air, ice, fire and stone). The fact that Gin doesn't rely on her own magic is a welcome respite from others in this genre who seem to have unbelievable feats of strength and power from the beginning. I'll definitely be continuing with this series.

Copy Source: Purchased e-book

Hard Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel (Chicagoland Vampires, #4) by Chloe Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've noticed that a lot of readers seem to fall on either side of the spectrum of love or hate for this one. Myself, I'm definitely leaning toward love, but there were some major bumps along the way. Hard Bitten is the fourth in the series and Merit is settling in as much as she can into her role as vampire and Sentinel of the Cadogan House. Unfortunately there are some nefarious characters that aren't about to let her rest on her laurels. Add in a dose of extra awkwardness whenever Ethan enters the equation and you have….well, you have something somewhat interesting.

It's been established by the author that vampires as a group are very political and love intrigue, alliances and the sort. We definitely see that side here. Sure Merit spends some time "investigating" the raves we learned about in the previous book, but most of the plot is about maneuvering correctly between the people of Chicago, its mayor, and the GP which governs the vampire houses. We see the relationship is very tenuous at times, but I'm not a PR person and it wasn't interesting for me to listen to Merit wax philosophical about the various repercussions of different plans of action.

To be honest it was the very end that got me or more specifically, the last couple of chapters. Normally this wouldn't be enough to redeem a book in my eyes, but DAMN this was an awesome ending. I can see two totally different camps of readers forming based on this one event. If you like safe status quo and familiar plots then you won't like it, but if you like a little shock and awe every now and again I think it may work. Don't worry it's not the end of the world, dear readers, it's just an author not taking the easy way out. I will definitely be reading the next.

Copy Soure: Ebook Purchased

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

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

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 Voss by Colleen Gleason

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


***Review copy provided for free from NetGalley***
Anticipated Release Date: April 1st



Voss is part of the Draculia, men and women passed over judgement of Death by God because of a bargain with Lucifer. Forced to bare Lucifer's mark as a testament of their agreement, they 'live', but there is also a war brewing amongst their factions. Voss has returned to England with the purpose of retrieving some very valuable information: which of the Woodmore sisters possess the Sight. If he can glean the right information he's set.

I liked Voss, against my better judgement, almost immediately. He lives a life full of gluttony, but when you're going to live forever he feels there's really nothing else to fill the void of time. Angelica, our trusty heroine, was also refreshing. Lately, I've been very unimpressed with PNR heroines, because they swing to either side of the pendulum, sugary-sweet and innocent, or ass-kicking woman that doesn't take any prisoners. Angelica on the other hand has common sense along with not taking herself too seriously. It was a nice change of pace! Plus her reaction to the truth about Voss is what I've been looking to read, and that's all I'll say about that! ;)

Yet even with all of the things I did like about this story I was a bit disappointed with convenient resolutions to some of the problems. I thought it could have been fleshed out a bit more than black and white.

Definitely recommended for fans of PNR looking for something a cut above the rest. It was great historical romance, but with vampires! I know I'll be continuing with this series.