A Wonderful Surprise

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by R.L. LaFevers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been thinking about how I wanted to approach this review for the past couple days. The thing was I fully expected to not like this book, I mean teenage assassin nuns? There were hundreds of ways the author could bungle a story with a synopsis like that. I had it on my TBR-pile thinking I'd forget about it, but then NetGalley decided that for two days they would have this book auto-approved to requesters, so I flippantly decided to get it because I can't resist a free read. Let me just say I was wrong in just as many hundreds of ways I thought it would be a lousy story, it was in fact one of the best YA books I've read in a long, long time.

The first unique thing you notice about this story is the time period. I'm no historical buff, but you don't' normally find books set in Europe in the 1400s, YA or not. We breeze through Ismae's humble beginnings, zoom through her training at the convent, and at this point I still remained skeptical. Then someone shows up and the real meat of the story begins. I could not put it down, but it was so good I was also kicking myself for reading it too fast because I wanted to savor this story. Ismae is true to her characterization throughout. She wants to serve her god and the best way she happens to know how to do that is fighting and killing. Other aspects of her life are of next to no interest to her next to succeeding in every assignment for Mortain (the god of death).

When her duty leaves her floundering at some points, she has to fight with what she must do, but also what she knows in her heart. Her heart leads me to Duval, such a wonderful character and the perfect balance to Ismae. The romance is touching and sincere in a way I can't seem to find in a lot of the paranormal YA out there now. This book was just exceptional and I would recommend it to fans of Juliet Marillier and Cinda Williams Chima, two of my favorite authors. Grave Mercy read more as a historical YA, but it had touches of the mystical that kept the story exciting. Definitely recommended and I even pre-ordered my own copy on Amazon (damn you Netgalley!! lol). Author's Website: http://www.robinlafevers.com/ Copy Source: Free copy from NetGalley

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

Fury (The Fury Trilogy #1) by Elizabeth Miles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you've seen the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, the overall theme and feel of this book is the same. Em and Chase have done some things they're not proud of but are still teenager-type mistakes. We know from the very beginning that they'll be punished by mythical Furies, but I thought the execution was somewhat lacking. Where things could have been scary or creepy they were just vaguely uncomfortable. If fact, the book didn't even pick up for me until the last 70 pages or so. The ending left a lot of questions open for a sequel, but at this point I don't know if I'd read it. The writing itself was fine and the dynamics between the characters were realistic, but I can't get past the sheer prosaicness of the first half of this book.

Copy Source: Library

Ruthless (The House of Rohan #1) by Anne Stuart

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I've read Black Ice by this author and if you're in the mood for a heroine that has next to no backbone and a hero that could just as easily be the bad guy, then I'd recommend it. I thought I give this a try to see if a change in category from suspense to historical would help her romance evolve a bit more. Unfortunately that just wasn't the case.

I should say first that there were quite a few good things about this story, especially the nice little side romance between Lydia and Charles. They had many sweet, lovable qualities that were plainly absent for Elinor and Rohan, our main couple. If they had had a bit more of the spotlight I would have been happy.

Elinor has some poor self-esteem (and not without reason the way her mother treated her) and Francis is a connoisseur of all that is sinful (but not truly you guys, because he draws the line at children, duh!). Elinor is in dire straights because her mother has slowly run their family into the ground as a fallen women going crazy from syphilis, ewww. When her mother escapes one night, she has to rescue her from one of Rohan's crazy parties. They meet and the rest is history, unfortunate and predictable history.

Some of my favorite snippets for everyone's enjoyment:

After we've learned about Elinor's tragic past, we get this gem,
"My sister will be safe and well cared for if I get in your bed?"
He laughed,. "Acquit me of be quite so gauche, child. I have innumerable women to satisfy my carnal urges."
The ice vanished and she was hot, hot in shame. Of course he didn't want her. How foolish could she be?
APPARENTLY VERY FOOLISH!! Why shouldn't a guy basically holding you captive not want your body, what's wrong with you (read: what's wrong with this author).

Next up this gem comes straight from Rohan whilst trying to woo Elinor to sleep with him, but then again who would be able to resist him after this Jersey Shore-like argument:
"Indeed Madame is waiting for me and she tends to be quite insatiable. I can only hope that I have not stayed away so long that three men have taken my place."
"Why three?"
"Darling, it takes that many to replace my skills."
Be still my beating heart, I think he means business, rawwwr!

Then we have to have the tough (but really kind) love of a hero to make our heroine see the light of her mistaken ways:
"Someone restrain her," Rohan said in an unconcerned voice. "Without hurting her," he added, and the footmen took her arms and forced her back in the chair, careful not to be too rough. She sat back, knowing when a battle could not be won.
WTF, Rohan even has to get footmen to do his dirty-work. Clearly the heroine should sit back and relax because she's at the mercy of a crazy man.

Then to top if all off, our hero is such a romantic that just in case Elinor is diseased he's still willing to try those newfangled condoms for the first time, just to be with her. Isn't that romantic!

Ugh, I don't expect these books to be perfect, but I am SO tired of seeing the same plot constructs. Yet when I do find the ones that rise above this it makes it all worth it.

Copy Source: Ebook Purchased

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had the same issues with this last book as I did with the two before it. Sam and Grace remain mostly uninteresting (for my tastes). I mean, don't get me wrong, I get that it's a quiet and gentle love that should make some girls sigh, but not me. Give me Cole and Isabel with all of their sarcasm, pain, and hang-ups any day over Sam and Grace. This, of course is a personal preference and some readers may feel exactly the opposite. Yet for me the most interesting story to follow was Isabel and Cole and counting the pages until their POV does not a perfect story make.
Once again the resolution presented itself too quickly and the truth about what causes the werewolf disease wasn't terribly exciting. I can say that I found Stiefvater's writing in Forever to be the best I've seen in this series. The time she takes to describe the different relationships is poignant at some moments, even if exasperatingly boring at other times. What can I say? I'm as conflicted as Grace's own emotions with this one and the jury's still out. I for one didn't mind the open-ended nature of the ending, because in a way the author let's you take a piece of the story as your own. Of course this is a must for those already invested in the series as well as for fans of this genre of YA, but as to a glowing endorsement for the entire trilogy, it's just not there.

Favorite Quote (and there were a lot of great ones):
"The thing I was beginning to figure out about Sam and Grace, the thing about Sam not being able to function without her, was that that sort of love only worked when you were sure both people would always be around for each other. If one half of the equation left, or died, or was slightly less perfect in their love, it became the most tragic, pathetic story invented, laughable in its absurdity. Without Grace, Sam was a joke without a punch line."

Copy Source: Library

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talk about drama! Even though the author's hints throughout about what happened to Jenna are about as subtle as a bomb exploding, I found my enjoyment for this one was less because of something else altogether. That reason is the cause for a lot of debate here in the US. It's our relationship with science. I don't feel that it's very spoilerish to say that science in the time and place of this story is looked at with extreme suspicion mixed with an a little bit of hope. Most of the arguments about nature vs science examined were moot points for me, so even though I could understand both sides, it wasn't really new territory.

My own sentiments aside, for some readers the author could raise somewhat valid (even if it's not very realistic) questions for a future where bioengineering has exceeded medicine's wildest expectations. Where do we have to draw the line? Who gets to draw it? Can there ever be exceptions? The author attempts to answer these questions in a very heavy-handed manner much to my disappointment. The last chapter was my favorite and I'd recommend just for that, but there were many things I thought could have been better developed.

Copy Source: Purchased Paperback

Die for Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

"If Vincent wouldn't tell me anything, maybe I could figure it out for myself." That's the one line that I wish Katie would actually listen to herself and follow. From the beginning she has to be spoon-fed the facts and doesn't seem to understand how to connect point a to point b. I would understand her utter disbelief in the beginning, that's only normal, but to continue the same way under the pretense that she wants to know everything, but then hide her head under a rock once she does is exasperating! She literally had to be held by the hand the entire way through this book. At one point she knows her sister is in danger and instead of calmly trying to explain herself, she goes to visit her 'lover' (ha!) and leaves her sister to her own devices.

On another note, I'm sure there might be some women or men that convince their significant other to leave the military or police force because of the dangers. It's understandable that the risks their partner takes may be too stressful for the other half. Yet there are men and women that bravely put their lives on the line for others every single day they step into uniform. The main difference between them and a character in this book is that this character will COME BACK, not just once by EVERY TIME. This character feels an immense urge to sacrifice their life so that others may live but Katie decides she would be too upset to see that happen because after her parents sudden demise it's too traumatic. It's true she doesn't suggest the character willingly not save lives, but she doesn't mind when they suggest something along those lines. Then the icing on the cake is that by the end, Katie 'bravely' decides she would sacrifice her life for this character. Give me a break! What's good for the goose isn't good for the gander, I guess.

Her immaturity leads me to another point. The fact that she didn't need to be in this relationship was obvious to me. The interactions between her and Vincent are so little before they decide they can't live without each other(ugh!). I'd believe it if it rang with any kind of true sentiment, but it didn't to me. Plus, at Vincent's age he should know better and at least leave her alone for a few years.

As you can probably tell this book hit some nerves. I know that many of the things that bothered me other readers would gobble up. In fact the romantic scene at the end reminded me so much of Twilight it was hard not to compare the two. So I can definitely say fans of that series would like this one. It's not for me.

Copy Source: Purchased

Dark Descendant (Descendants, #1) by Jenna Black

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I can say I was honestly surprised by how much I loved this story. I liked the author's other adult series, but it didn't really wow me and I haven't continued with it. When I heard she had a new story out related to mythology I was hopeful yet again because I'm a sucker for anything related to mythology (Greek, in particular). I'm happy to say this one hit all the right notes for me and Nikki Glass is now one of my fav UF heroines right up there with Kate and Mercy. She had the strength and courage to do what she needed to do, even if she did think she's a 'bleeding heart'.

I recommend this one if you like your UF a little on the grittier side (because honestly, where else should it be if you're playing around with immortals) if your playing around with the stuff of legends. I loved the basis of the plot and the world-building was superb. I will be hard-pressed to wait for the next in the series.

Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was an okay book that could have been so much better. Abandon is Cabot's take on the Persephone myth. I liked the appropriately dark and mysterious tones she took with John and I sympathized with the way Pierce cared about others, even if it was a bit much at times.

The real drawback was while I enjoyed the idea of Cabot's Underworld, I didn't like the baddies she decided used the conflict. I have to admit I haven't brushed up on my mythology lately, but Cabot's Furies were dare I say it, boring. That's worse than being bad, because my interest level zoomed to nil once I saw the direction the story was taking.

I thought she was heading in the right direction as Pierce and John began to know one another, but even in that respect the story faltered. The flashbacks weren't interesting and made the story seem disjointed at times. I was glad her young age was acknowledged, but other poignant developments in their relationship were lacking as she grew.

Disappointing, but I may give the second a try from the library if I can get over the boring antagonists.

Copy Source: Library

Tithe (The Modern Faerie Tales, #1) by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I first discovered books by Holly Black after reading White Cat, which I loved. So it made sense for me to try her others. Tithe's world-building is based on faeries, the Seelie and Unseelie. I've seen this genre time and time again being a fan of fantasy, but I have to say Black didn't do too bad this time around, either.
Kaye has always felt like an outsider. When she was little she remembers playing with faeries and that they were anything but imaginary. Her mom fronts various unsuccessful bands which means that her life is often turned upside down when she's moved around in hopes that her mom can find her big break. After a bad incident, Kaye and her mom go back to her grandmother's and odd things start happening again.
For the most part I liked Kaye. There were a few moments when her quirky emo-angst was a bit annoying, but toward the end she found a lot of her own inner strength. This was a quick read and the story kept me turning the pages because Black managed to find the right balance in making the faeries inhuman, but still accessible. Her human relationships could have used a bit of work, because there were a lot of loose threads in that department.

Copy Source: Library

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I didn't like this one. It's the first I've read by this author, who has quite a following, but I've heard plenty about her controversial books. I guess this one wasn't really controversial, but I could see why some might think that.
Pattyn was a sad girl and even though the author tries to show the reasons why her life was so terrible, I never identified or felt like she was a fully realized character. The same can be said for Ethan and Aunt J. It felt cliched and a bit tacky in it's PSA lessons and as if she was bunching so many incongruous big life messages together for more shock and awe. Even if I'm in the minority with this one it was not for me.

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

Wither (Chemical Garden, #1 by Lauren DeStefano

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I was really excited to start this one since I was in the mood for some dystopian goodness. I don't know exactly what's between these pages, but after reading I wouldn't call it dystopian per se, but maybe that will change later in the series. I had to suspend quite a bit of disbelief to enjoy this one. The premise is that humanity is slowly dying after a failed utopian-type experiment to produce a generation of humans without disease. Every child born after the golden "first generation" is dying too early. Girls live only twenty years and boys only twenty-five. The first generation seems to be enjoying an unnaturally long lifespan, but cannot find the cure to stop the 'virus' that seems to be claiming the young.

As a kidnapped child-bride, Rhine is angry, scared and wants nothing but to return home to her brother. She places her efforts to escape in befriending her young husband only to find that most of her bitterness is directed at the wrong person because the one that holds the strings is Linden's father.

The plot of this story is very linear and the progression is a bit predictable. The strength of the story is the characters and the world DeStefano has created. Although I don't find many things plausible, like how an entire population would agree to in vitro fertility, or how anything would be accomplished when the next generation only lives to twenty-five at the most, or how the first generation expects anything to be done for them when it seems like everyone else is either cloistered in luxury or dying in poverty. Whenever these types of questions would come to mind I'd remind myself this is a story meant to entertain not a textbook I'll be quizzed on at the end. Otherwise I found myself immersed in Rhine's bubble of a world with the glimpses to the outside and what has become of it. I'll definitely read the next in the series to see if the author can pull off the grandiose ideas and stories she's put into play.

Copy Source: Library

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

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slight Spoilers for the previous book

After reading the first in this series, White Cat I was really impressed with the surprise ending (for me, anyway). Cassel was a character I could sympathize with in his endeavors to do the right thing in a family where cons are the norm. Red Glove continues right where we left off. Cassel's mom is out of prison and doing what she does best. The school year is about to start again and it's senior year so things are a little more serious in the academic arena. At the beginning we discover Phillip has been shot and killed by a mysterious person in red gloves and Cassel has been "recruited" to help figure out who was behind it.

The struggles in this book for Cassel are much more about trust and making the right decisions. We know just how much he's been manipulated in the past and now that he knows too, he has to find a way to avoid going back to the person he was. Lila is also going to the same school and the curse Cassel's mother put on her only makes things worse, because now he can't trust his own feelings, must less Lila's.

I was happy with some of the developments for Cassel. I hope he can find more to trust in the world, but still keep clever and realistic about the people in his life. Family has always meant the most to him, but the reasons are starting to become a little more blurry in the face of the truth. Cassel's got a lot to work out and I'm looking forward to seeing what he decides.

Copy Source: Library

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!