Lover Mine
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other – vampire warriors, defenders of their race…
Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 8
John Matthew has been through his vampire transition and take the life of the Brotherhood with a vengeance, but he still can’t shake the nightmare of his past and is unsure of his future as a warrior hero. He’s made a promise to honour the Brotherhood and their fight with the slayers at all costs, until the love of his life is kidnapped and he is forced to make a choice that could his life and the Brotherhood’s for ever…
Lash has taken Xhex and is keeping her in an invisible prison, hidden in plain sight. After weeks of searching, the Brothers can’t find a single trace of her. John Matthew is out of his head, mourning the loss of her as if she were his bonded mate, despite the years of constant rejection.
To Lash’s surprise, and horror, his body begins to change, rot actually, slowly evolving into the Omega 2.0…but the transformation weakens him and Xhex is able to bust out of the wards.
When Xhex finally escapes after nearly a month of abuse she is dancing on the edge of death. John finds her and with the help of the Brothers and their mates, bring Xhex back from the brink…
It’s John’s unwavering devotion and deep sympathy for Xhex that finally breaks her down. Their relationship begins to blossom, but they both realize it will never come into full bloom. “[Xhex's] end game doesn’t include anyone else but herself.”
John and Xhex agree to hunt Lash together and go their seperate ways, but when John is nearly taken out by a lesser Xhex begins to question the strength of her feelings. When John offers Xhex the final strike at Lash, giving her some closure after the abuse he dealt her, she realizes she can’t live without John.
True to a J.R. Ward novel, Lover Mine is contructed of layers of plot. It’s not just the vast history of each character that I admire for their depth, it’s the simultaneous and ongoing storyline that introduce new characters and sheds light on characters we know and always wondered about.
In Lover Mine we finally get to really know Darius, the Brother killed in the very first book of the series. As reader’s we knew that he was a ferocious warrior, Beth’s and John’s father and that somehow his soul is carrying on within John. But through reading Darius’ journal, some of the why’s of John’s hebaviour are uncovered, and both Thorment and Xhex’s beginnings are revealed.
As expected the relationship between John Matthew and Xhex is both frustrating and satisfying. I enjoyed both characters, particularly Xhex. Tough chicks rule! But I did wonder if someone quite so emotionally damaged would recover so quickly…
Besides the characters of focus, we have Lash and the Omega and the lessers. I believe I almost, almost felt a twinge of sympathy for Lash…until the story continued and I was reminded what an absoulute freak of nature he is. Was. Loved the scene where John pins Lash to the ground so Xhex could kill him. Really hope I’m not the only person who found the unraveling of events romantic…
I was pleasently surprised by the focus put on Qhuinn and Blay’s relationship. I wondered if Ward would bring the gay relationship into the light, and I’m happy she did. I doubt I’m the only one feeling a little torn. I like Blay, he’s in love with Qhuinn, who I don’t paricularly like. I do like Saxton though…but somehow I get the feelings he’s not a permanent character in the series.
Through Payne’s insights we are introduced to another important characters in Xhex’s life. I’m looking forward to reading more about Payne, Vishous’ estranged twin sister, in Lover Unleashed. I like her spirit and love that she can keep up with Wrath in a fight.
What I wasn’t too hot for, but which is typical of a J.R. Ward novel, is too much long winded despcription that slowed the story flow down and had me skimming. Thankfully Ward toned down the slang in this novel, so it’s quite possible to read without a Ward’s Dictionary.
Bleeding Violet
Love…can be a dangerous thing.
Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly violet dresses, Hanna’s tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas, in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify a normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.
After her father’s death Hannah moves to Portero, Texas, with the hope of awakening her mother’s motherly instincts. What she doesn’t expect is the small Texas town to be even stranger than she is. Monster’s creeping around every corner and luring students to peril, hunter’s flashing in and out of existence, and townsfolk who adhere to rules even Hanna can’t quite grasp; for the first time in her life her dance along the edge of insanity is what keeps her, and the people she loves, alive.
This is not a novel, it’s a work of art. If you function under strict logic, this book probably isn’t for you. This book is the definition of reading outside the box. I am one of those lucky people who rarely apply logic to anything, so this book has settled itself at the top of my favourites list. It now lives behind glass.
This story had my full attention from the moment Hanna began speaking to her father…who’s voice she heard from inside her head. I couldn’t put it down for fear that the words would pick themselves up and rearrage themselves on the page. Guaranteed next time I read this book it will be a completely different story.
I really enjoyed how the focus of this Young Adult novel was the relationship between Hanna and her mother. There was a romantic relationship as well, but because of the kaleidoscope crazy the teenage romance was refreshing and not redundant. Bleeding Violet my be labelled YA, but there’s a little something for everyone here.
Generally speaking, all the characters are all well-developed, and Rosalee, Hanna’s mother, has a good deal of strange going on herself, but Hanna is the real kicker. Hanna isn’t a round character, she’s bursting with life. I could have rejoiced when she revealed the reason she fled from her aunts in Chicago covered in blood. Finally, an interesting character! Should I be worried that I sympathised with her, a bi-polar manic-depressive, more than I do with most ‘normal’ characters?
Spirit Bound
ROSE’S LIFE WILL NEVER BE HER OWN
After a long and heartbreaking journey to Siberia, Dimitri’s birthplace, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladamir’s-and to her best friend Lissa Dragomir. It’s graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside the academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of the court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He’s out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won’t join him, he won’t rest until he has silenced her…forever.
But Rose can’t forget what she learned on her journey-whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all Rose’s prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what-and who-matters most to her. And in the end, is true love really worth the price?
After the guardian trials Rose, Lissa and the rest of the St. Vladamir grads are swept off to Pennsylvania, where the newest guardians and Moroi would spend time at the Royal Court, and where Rose plans her next move: busting Viktor Dashkov out of a maximum security prison in Fairbanks, Alaska. While in Russia, Rose was told a story about restoring Strigoi to their original state. The person who ‘saved’ the dhampir? Robert Doru- Viktor Dashkov’s brother. Unfortunately, Robert-a spirit user-has been dancing the line of insanity for so long that he is completely unreachable without Viktor’s help. And though she’s loathe to release Viktor Dashkov, she can’t ignore the possibility of restoring Dimitri’s soul.
Rose creates a plan and she escapes the Royal Court with Lissa and Eddie, a friend from St. Vlad’s. Using Lissa’s charms to mask their appearances and her vampire compulsion, the three manage to trick their way into Tarasov prison to retrieve Viktor. After a narrow escape, the four of them flee to Las Vegas, where Robert lives in seclusion outside the city.
Robert agrees to a meeting, during which he reveals the rumour of restoring a soul is not only possible, but he was the one who’d performed the act. Rose is elated, until she learns that not only must the silver stake be infused with spirit, but the spirit user must perform the staking; only the spirit-blessed have the gift on life. Only Lissa can pull the Strigoi soul out of limbo between life and death. And despite Lissa’s protest, Rose forbids it. Lissa is Moroi, royal Moroi, and the last of the Dragomir’s. She cannot face Dimitri.
Unfortunately, Dimitri and his minions find them. Rose finally has the opportunity to kill Dimitri, yet she can’t bring herself to do it while there is still hope for his soul. And after another narrow escape, and losing Robert and Viktor, Rose admits defeat.
Guilt ridden, Rose faces her punishment at the Court: manual labour and filing. When Lissa’s ex-boyfriend, Christian, confronts Rose about their strange ‘girls weekend in Vegas’ disappearing act coinciding with Viktor Dashkov’s sensational escape, it’s Eddie who fills him in on the finer details. Except Christian believes completely that Lissa is capable of facing, and staking, Strigoi. Through the bond, Rose watches as Christian begins coaching Lissa to fight, eventually gaining assistance from their new guardians. While Lissa and Christian are away at Lehigh Rose is summoned before the queen to give a statement of her ‘achievements’ as a teenager. Rose doesn’t have long to be baffled, because Lissa and Christian’s group are attacked, their guardians and chaperone slayed, by Strigoi – a group led by Dimitri, who kidnaps the two Moroi, baiting Rose.
Rose leads a team of guardians into the Strigoi layer, determined to retrieve Lissa and Christian, alive and unharmed, and destroy Dimitri once and for all. While Rose is facing Dimitri Christian and Lissa free themselves, but in the second before Rose’s stake reaches Dimitri’s heart she is shoved out of the way and Lissa approaches him, charmed silver stake in hand. With Christian’s help Lissa is able to pierce his heart, restoring Dimitri’s soul.
The surviving guardians return to the Court, where Dimitri is locked away, and refuses to see Rose; he is in agony over the evil he has committed, especially what he has done to her.
When a new Moroi law is passed, declaring guardians fit to serve and protect at sixteen, rather than eighteen Rose is enraged, particularly when she discovers that her testimony helped pass the law. Rose faces queen Tatiana and the court…only to be thrown out for calling the queen a ‘sanctimonious bitch’ after she denies Lissa her right to vote.
With Rose’s help, Dimitri is granted semi-freedom, though he still refuses to face her. Rose persists, until Dimitri makes is clear he doesn’t love her. A declaration that is contradictory to his behaviour when royal guardians arrive to arrest Rose for high treason and Dimitri ferociously attempts to protect her. After Rose and Tatiana’s many public “falling-outs” Rose becomes suspect number one when she is murdered.
Blood Promise left me feeling hopeless, and Spirit Bound left me more than a little unsettled.
Despite the first half of the book being sinfully dull, there are several things that I quite enjoyed-besides the fact that it picked up a little over half-way through.
In keeping with its predecesors, this novel’s characters are fantastically developed, and even the most supplementary characters are well-rounded. Lissa, for example, is finally interesting. I could never quite understand why Rose felt such loyalty to her; she’s always been so spineless that I got the impression she was just in Rose’s way. I love the way this character developed, and it was great to see her really using her vampire strengths and taking charge of a situation. I really didn’t think she had it in her to stake Dimitri, and I was pleased to be proved wrong.
Adrian, as well, is a character that took on unexpected, very pleasant, characteristics. I hardly ever expected to see him so completely devoted to Rose. It makes me fear for his heart. He’s an entertaining character, and I would really love to read more about him in the future. (Providing he isn’t killed off in Last Sacrifice, that is.) Adrian has grown on me so much that I don’t know who I’m rooting for anymore, Adrian or Dimitri.
Speaking of Dimitri…I should have expected him to be self-sacrificing. I was relieved that Rose and Lissa managed to save his soul, and really, his behaviour is fitting. If Dimitri hadn’t felt he should carry the burden of his guilt alone, and attempt to turn Rose away after the hell he’d put her through, he wouldn’t be Dimitri. He does have one truly spectacular moment when he fights to protect Rose from the royal guardians that hit me on a primal level and made me think I haven’t paid enough attention to him in previous books.
What I love most about this book is that it made me feel.(After the really BO-ring first half). I was amused, I felt my heart break with Rose’s and actually cried when Dimitri rejected us in the church, and when the new law declaring guardians fit to serve at sixteen, I do believe I actually saw red. Why can’t those pompous, self-serving vampires defend themselves!!!(Isn’t that an odd sentence…this may be the only book I’ve read where vampires behave like the weaker race.) Any book that has me super pissed off right along side a character deserves a round of applause.
Of course there was a great deal of teenage drama, what with Lissa and Christian’s unresolved romance and such, but I love how it’s not overdone. It’s a are quality in a young adult novel.
Eternal Kiss of Darkness
AN IMMORTAL WAR HAS BEEN BREWING IN THE DARKNESS… AND NOW ONE WOMAN HAS STUMBLED INTO THE SHADOWS.
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside the warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears-this fearless, beautiful…human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
Mencheres is resigned to his fate when his visions of the future show him only impending darkness. And after a four thousand-year long stand-off with Radje, his death will be the ultimate checkmate. Mencheres intends to end his life via a gang of ghouls and ruin Radje’s schemes to covet his power. Enter Kira. Ghouls, being the flesh-eaters that they are, take a break from mutilating Mencheres to munch on Kira. Mencheres feels that letting Kira die is poor repayment for her heroics and escapes with her- after ripping off all the ghoul’s heads with his power.
He brings her to his home, heals her, and informs her she’ll be released as soon as her memory can be erased. What Mencheres doesn’t plan on is Kira’s immunity to his power, or his attraction to her.
After a week of fighting their attraction to each other, Mencheres still can’t break into Kira’s mind. Mencheres refuses to let her go with her memory of him in tact. But when Kira discovers that her sister is in the hospital, fighting for her life, Mancheres, who can’t bear to see her suffer, releases her.
After weeks apart, Kira can’t seem to forget about Mencheres, and begins searching for him. When her hunt leads her to a missing teen and a vampire named Flare who beats her for her intentions to steal the girl away, it’s Mencheres who comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, Radje, who is a Law Guardian for the vampire council, follows Mencheres and in a power play in vampire politics, Kira must pay the punishment with her life. Mencheres refuses to accept her death and changes her.
While Mencheres is nursing Kira through her change, Radje releases footage of Mencheres changing Kira, violating the law the of secrecy amongst vampires. He frames Mencheres for torching the club he found Kira in and all accountable witnesses and turns Mencheres into a fugitive. It’s while on the run, searching for proof of his innocence, that Mencheres and Kira finally admit their feelings for each other. Feelings that Radje exploits by kidnapping Kira, and offering an exchange: Mencheres’ power for Kira.
What Radje doesn’t realize is the power of Mencheres’ allies. Or that Mencheres will do anything, even dabble in black magic, to get her back. Or that the entire snatch is a set-up. A telephone call between Mencheres, Radje and Kira, overheard by the remaining Law Guardians, clears Mencheres of the charges against him.
ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS is the best book I’ve read all year.
The world is flawlessly built, and the characters are real. Mencheres, who has fascinated me ever since he was introduced in the Night Huntress series, is fantastically written, and with his looong history and practise of black magic, he is by far one of the most interesting vampires I’ve read about in a long while. And the power he can wield? Wow. Jeaniene Frost can write vampires. Kira is well-developed as well, and I like how she reacts to discovering about the darker side of life.
The story was straight-forward and followed a very familiar pattern. Meet, fight attraction, part. Realize their feelings for each other, almost lose each other for ever, save one another, live happily every after, the end. Oh, and I forgot the steamy sex somewhere around realizing their feelings. Yet Eternal Kiss Of Darkness is proof that the system still works!
What I love is how Jeaniene Frost gets right to the point. There is no waffling; will Mencheres really turn her, will he not. No. He says he’s going to change her and he does. I also like how Kira just accepts being turned without all the theatrics and moral dilemma’s.
I really enjoy the fact that Bones and Cat make an appearance. It’s interesting to see other characters that we know so intimately from a completely other perspective.
And how much did I love the fact that Kira feeds on her first human on the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland? *Que the cackling*
The cover, while good, is really poor representation of the characters. I particularly don’t like how, on my copy at least, the blood on her neck looks like a mistake.
Crescendo
Nora Grey’s life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn’t pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out if it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He’s more elusive than ever and, even worse, he’s started spending time with Nora’s arch-enemy, Marcie Miller.
Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back into town, if Patch hadn’t been acting so distant. Even with Scott’s totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him – despite her lingering feeling that he’s hiding something.
Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations as she searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything – and everyone – she trusts.
*Nora is heartbroken when Patch refuses tp profess his love for her, and in spite of Patch’s efforts to explain that the archangel’s are watching, waiting for an excuse to banish him to hell, Nora breaks up with him – and denies Patch as her guardian angel.
When Scott Parnell moves back to town Patch warns Nora that he’s dangerous, that he’s Nephilim. But Nora ignores Patch’s advice- until she sees a brand on his chest. The same brand, made from a ring with a raised fist, connected to her father’s murder. The brand given by the Black Hand. When all the evidence of the Black Hand’s identity point to Patch, Nora begins to fear the worst- that Patch killed her father.
When Nora crosses Scott and he comes after her she is forced to put her life in Rixon’s hands. But when her father’s voice in her head urges her to touch Rixon’s scars Nora is sucked back to that fateful day and watched the events as they unfolded. And although the trigger man is wearing Patch’s cap, it wasn’t him that pulled the trigger, but Rixon.
Patch, who has been reassigned to Marcie after Nora denied him, is forced to go rogue, to break all the archangel’s rules, to save her.*
It feels a little bit like this series could be following in Twilight’s footsteps, except instead of being devastated by the break-up in New Moon, I was supremely irritated by the break-up in Crescendo. It was purely based on irrational and immature behaviour that seriously had me doubting Nora Grey’s intelligence. A couple of times it seemed like Nora’s motives were going to be noble, but then her good intentions were bogged down by stupid teenage crap. I mean, Patch gave up being human for her, something he’d wanted for thousands of years, to be her guardian angel, yet she flips when he doesn’t say it back when she acts like an insecure child. Even when Patch tries to explain that the archangels were watching him, waiting, Nora behaves ridiculously. I can’t quite see what Patch sees in her…
Speaking of Patch, where was he in this novel? What we got of him was in glimpses. Other than learning his true name, Patch really didn’t undergo any character development in Crescendo. He’s still just a really enticing mystery.
About two-thirds of the way into Crescendo, when people started trying to kill Nora, things picked up and the story finally got interesting. One thing that continued to bug me was how Scott kept being portrayed as a ‘bad guy’ but I was never sold on the idea. It was no surprise at all that he turned out to be a victim, running scared. But the developments with Nora’s mother, and her own biological father were a pleasant surprise. As was Rixon’s betrayal. The final third of the story saved the novel and the closing sceneas intense enough to make me care, and therefor read the next novel in this series. Leaving Patch and Nora at the Black Hand’s mercy pretty much maked it impossible not to want to read Tempest, the next novel in the series due out fall 2011.
Bullet
If I had ever wanted to give into hysterics, it was then. How do you fight something with no body to kill? How do you fight something that can possess the most powerful vampires in the world and use them like puppets?
My name is Anita Blake and I try very hard to live a normal life in St Louis – as normal as possible for someone who is a legal vampire executioner and a US Marshal. But then a vampire from my past reaches out. She was supposed to be dead, but the Mother of All Darkness is the first Vampire , the dark creator, and it’s hard to kill a god.
She believes that the triumvirate created by master vampire Jean-Claude with me and the werewolf Richard Zeeman has enough power for her to regain a body and to emigrate to the New World. But the body she wants to possess is already taken; I’m about to learn a whole new meaning to sharing my body, one that has nothing to do with the bedroom. And if she can’t succeed in taking over my body for herself, she means to see that no one else has the use of it, ever again…
With so many men in Anita’s bed, things are bound to be difficult. While trying to smooth out issues between her men, Anita is visited by two Mother of All Darkness ridden council members, determined to either own Anita or kill her. Marmee Noir, whose physical body was destroyed one year earlier, has divided up her essence and possessed every powerful council member she could touch. The only way Anita can keep all the people she loves safe from certain death is to become the Mother of Darkness’ rival in power. She must tame the tigers, Marmee Noir’s animal to call, and become Master of Tigers.
Jean-Claude reveals his plan of keeping the New World safe from the Dark Mother’s reign of terror: an American council, with Jean-Claude at its head. It is a plan that the European council has feared for years, and now the problem is swaying the American Master’s to hand Jean-Claude their rights and power.
Meanwhile, Anita’s Rex, Haven, lets his jealousy of Anita’s other men overrule his judgement and he turns on the weaker lions on his Pride. Haven forces Anita to take drastic action, and in her desperation to save Nathaniel, she is forced to destroy her lover.
While Anita struggles with the loss of a lover, and the near death of her beloved Nathaniel, she receives a call from a US Marshall in Atlanta. The Master of the City has been possessed by his Master, council member Morte d’Amour, Lover of Death, and is on a killing spree designed to lure Anita away from the men that complete her triumvirate. This time Anita cannot hunt the Master down herself; assassins are waiting for Anita, Jean-Claude and Richard beyond their lair beneath the Circus of the Damned.
In the middle of all the chaos, and much to Anita’s surprise and trepidation, a werewolf pays Anita a visit, offering himself as extra muscle as well as his gold tigers, a line of purebred tiger shifters that were believed to be extinct. Jacob is one of the Harlequin’s wolf to call and informs Anita that the Harlequin are divided; those on the Dark Mother’s side are gunning for Anita. Now, after thousands of years of careful breeding and fierce protection, through Jacob the Harlequin give Anita the golden tigers for her to tame. They are the key to Anita and Jean-Claude becoming Master of Tigers.
Fortunetly Anita and her men are able to choose two of the tigers to join their inner circle. And after the Master of Atlanta’s brutal rampage, the other Master’s in America are prepared to offer Jean-Claude their power in exchange for protection and a plan. As per usual with Jean-Claude, a nation wide alliance is the perfect excuse for a party, to which representatives from each tiger line(colour) is present. What begins as a simple challenge from a white lioness turns into Anita’s opportunity to tame all the colours of the tigers, proving to anyone who may have doubted that she is powerful enough to be queen of the tigers.
Hamilton has redeemed herself: Bullet is a highly graphic fairytale that is irresistible to the twisted romantic.
After several books that shook the foundation of my loyalty to Hamilton, and Anita Blake, my devotion has been reaffirmed. Bullet may be my second favourite book in the series, right after Narcissus In Chains. This one is twisted, plot heavy, gruesome and sexy. What more could a girl ask for?
Several characters have a fresh attitude in this one, including Anita herself. She’s a lot easier to deal with, and doesn’t seem to get in her own way as much. But she isn’t the only one who’s accepted herself, and the hand she’s been dealt. This is the first book in this series that I haven’t wished Richard dead. For the first time he steps up and is the werewolf that Anita and Jean-Claude need him to be. I have to admit that in the beginning of the novel Asher irritated me something fierce, though his attitude was easily changed through a little pain filled lovin’. Honestly, it was the first time that I really felt like the dynamic between Anita and her men really worked, and it was a pleasure to read.
I was a little concerned when the novel kicked off that it was all going to be sexually based, as several previous novels in this series were, but it was all very easy to accept. And while it was very sexual – to such a degree that a couple of women have been thrown into the mix, it’s all done very carefully. And all the sex, and the collection of power through the ardeur, it finally all makes sense. All the books filled cover to cover with dirty sex with every male for as far as the metaphysical eye could see, it really has been for a reason. Sure there was a lot of needless smut, and some books that almost hurt to read, but many of the unions that made me grit my teeth in irritation(like when she went to Vegas and slept with everybody) have led us to Bullet. To Anita becoming Master of Tigers, to being powerful enough to battle the first vampire, a god. Honestly, taking the characters as Hamilton first created them, I can see how their paths took so many sharp left turns.
The one thing that did make me wonder was how it seemed implied that every straight man is one sexy vampire away from being bi-sexual. I bet I know a couple of men who would disagree…
Torment
How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for?
Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts-immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky Californian coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something-something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
Daniel has called a truce between the fallen angels, leaving Daniel and Cam working together for 18 days to take out as many members of the Elders as they can. But they aren’t the only ones gunning for Luce-the Outcasts, a group of fallen rejects that even Satan didn’t want, are hell-bent on killing her. Daniel and Cam agree to send Luce to Shoreline, a private school for rich humans and the Nephilim, who are a mixed breed of angel and human.
Despite Daniel’s warning, and demands, that Luce stay on school grounds she is constantly drawn away by the prospect of finally glimpsing her past lives in the Announcers, the shadows that have stalked her her entire life. But what she glimpses in her past lives, and watching herself die over and over again, all because of Daniel, is more than she bargained for. When her roommate Shelby agrees to help her find family members of her past lives and she realizes how much pain her repeated death must have caused she begins to resent Daniel. Her feelings for Daniel begin to change, especially when he insists she ‘obey’ him and stay on campus, without ever opening up and telling Luce why. Unfortunately for Daniel, Miles, a new friend at Shoreline, is the person Luce turns to for support when she decides to meet a former sister in Vegas. Caught between Miles’ devotion and Daniel’s arrogance and her reoccurring deaths, Luce is confused about her feelings for them both, and guilty for the pain she’s caused her past families. The one thing she is sure of is that she doesn’t want to hurt her current parents like she’s hurt the others.
That’s why when Thanksgiving rolls around Luce is present for dinner, with all her favourite angels, demons, Nephilim and humans. Dinner goes well…until the Outcasts show up. They want Luce, and attempt to kill everyone who stands in their way. To save Miles, Luce surrenders to the Outcasts: she is their key to get back into Heaven, and only a brave move from Miles’ saves her. Temporarily safe, Luce is torn between Daniel and Miles when all she wants is a little time to think. Instead of facing either of them, she steps back into time to find all the answers to her questions.
My first thought when I finished reading this book was ‘CRAP! Another sequel!’ Seriously, what a point to end a book on! She just walks off into the past, and Daniel sets out after her.
I loved TORMENT as much as I loved Fallen. I wasn’t expecting a love triangle, which in my opinion, is a little overdone in the YA genre at the moment, but it still worked. I didn’t roll my eyes once. And even though it frustrated me, I couldn’t even be mad at Luce for considering Miles over Daniel. Though I think my irritation would have skyrocketed if she ultimately chose Miles over Daniel. He followed you for all eternity for god sake! (And yes, I am a hopeless Romeo&Juliet kind of romantic.)
Other than some fluffy writing that often comes up in love stories, and that I don’t personally care for (matter of personal opinion-I’m sure other women eat it up) I can’t complain about anything. Oh, except Shelby’s sorry-ass-ex…HELLO?!? Even I knew he was an Outcast, so I had to wonder why Roland didn’t connect the dots. I mean, he’s been around long enough(since the dawn of time!) to recognize the signs.
What amazes me is that this is a whole new book and while quite a bit happened, none of our questions were really answered. We need PASSION
(the sequel) in order to finally find out the hows and whys of Daniel and Luce. And I am not thrilled about waiting until June 2011 for it.
Fallen
Fallen by Lauren Kate
What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at Sword & Cross boarding school in Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are screwups, and security cameras watch every move.
Except Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce-he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret…even if it kills her.
Luce sees shadows. They hover behind her and aren’t satisfied until someone dies. After an accidental fire and the unexplainable death of Luce’s crush her parents send her to Sword & Cross school – a school of social rejects where Luce’s so-called psychotic episodes are ‘best case scenario’ compared to some of the other students. Then she sees Daniel, and can’t seem to stop thinking about him. Or leave him alone, even though he makes it quite obvious that the attraction isn’t mutual.
Meanwhile, another boy, Cam, has made his interest in Luce clear right from their very first encounter. But despite Cam’s attention, all she can think of is Daniel – in spite of all the warning’s snarky Molly gives her to stay away from him. No more fruitful than her internet research of Daniel’s family history is her assisted break and entry into the records office. In fact, Daniel’s file is nearly empty, but Luce’s friend Penn promises to uncover more information on the mysterious Daniel…
And Penn doesn’t disappoint. The results of her research: a list of student arrival dates and the title of a book written by D. Grigori in Rome, 1755…
But while searching for the random book another random fire breaks out before Luce’s eyes, claiming the life of another fellow student and nearly her own. After the incident Daniel’s cold demeanor finally begins to thaw. Kind of. It’s more like he can’t help himself. But when Luce admits to seeing the shadows, Daniel is caught off guard. “This has never happened before,“ he says.
Curious, Luce researches the book title further, and discovers his family name wrapped up in angel folk-lore. When Cam and Daniel both seek Luce’s company, and Cam makes a play for Luce, inviting her off campus, all hell breaks loose and Cam and Daniel fight.
Luce agrees to meet Cam- only to tell him she isn’t interested. Cam has her picked up and has her brought to a seedy bar out in the river marshes, where he gets into a bar fight and displays an awesome show of almost superhuman power that terrifies Luce. The room slowly fills up with shadows and she flees from the bar- right into Daniel’s arms, who drags her to safety. The shadows follow, but to Luce’s amazement they retreat from Daniel, as if he’d requested it. They stop on their way back to school, and after a passionate kiss, Daniel is totally confused. And Luce begins to remember. What she doesn’t remember on her own, Daniel reminds her of…though it’s a hard concept to grasp, being cursed for eternity to die in the arms of an angel.
The ending of this book is to good to even summarize. Just read the book – I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Beautiful. Tragic. Love this book. Love Luce and Daniel. The characters were real, the setting perfect and the writing sucked me in from the first page and kept me burning the midnight oil.
I’m not a huge fan of prologues, but this one was subtle. We are introduced to the characters gently, and we already have that feeling of doomed love coming into the story. If you’re like me, you’ll be trying to figure out who is who once you hit chapter one.
Fallen is the epitome of Young Adult Para-romance. Everything about this novel flowed and was well thought-out, and most important, it didn’t try too hard to fit into the genre. The sequel is a definite must have!
My Soul To Take
My Soul To Take Book 1 of the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent
Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh
She doesn’t see dead people, but…
She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who’ll be next…
Soul Screamers
The last thing you hear before you die…
***SPOILER: If you want to be surprised, skim the synopsis.
Kaylee Cavanaugh has lived with her aunt, uncle and their daughter, Sophie, since her mother died and her father moved to Ireland. The delusions that she had though were over, delusions that landed her in a mental health ward, begin acting up again the night she sneaks into a night club with Emma, her best friend. She sees a girl wrapped in shadows and knows the girl will die. It is also the night she meets Nash Hudson, a gorgeous senior with way too many notches in his belt. He seems to understand Kaylee’s struggle to hold back the scream burning her throat. With his calming Influence, Kaylee manages to bury the wail.
Kaylee later discovers that the girl she saw wrapped in shadows at the club died – for no apparent reason. Death claims two more girls, one right before Kaylee’s eyes. Again, Kaylee sees the girl surrounded in shadows before she dies and again she fights the urge to scream. Only Nash’s calming Influence helps her through. Terrified, Kaylee confides in her aunt, who is wholly unsupportive, and makes Kaylee question her sanity. Again. Nash assures her that she’s not crazy, she’s not even human. Neither is Nash. And together, they can control a soul once it leaves the body. It is their decision where it goes: the afterlife with the grim reaper or back into the body to live on borrowed time. Someone else’s time, because someone has to die; a reaper won’t go empty-handed.
Kaylee doesn’t believe that any of the three young, healthy girls were supposed to die, so with Nash’s help, she asks a grim reaper to get a look at ‘the list.’ The reaper discovers that none of the girls are on ‘the list’ and that a reaper has gone rogue. At a memorial service the rogue reaper tries to take Emma and Kaylee and Nash are forced use their ‘power’ to bring Emma back, even though another soul must replace her’s in the reaper’s collection.
While taking Emma’s replacement, Kaylee glimpses the reaper, who later comes to take Sophie’s soul. With the help of her uncle, her father, who flies back from Ireland to tell her the truth about her roots, and Nash’s mother and brother, she manages to save Sophie’s soul. The truth is revealed: her aunt made a deal with a demon, offering it souls to savour in exchange for eternal youth.
I was really excited to read this book once I read the back cover. I thought it would be something powerful and disturbing. And while the angle that Vincent came at was new, I was expecting a never before seen wonderment in the world of fantasy. What I got was Faerie.
***End of SPOILER
While the story had it’s moments, I was generally disappointed. It’s a growing trend in the YA world that makes me reluctant to read books in this category. More and more often, I find that things just…slip.
Like characterization, and the whole concept of endearing characters to readers. Here we didn’t find out until two-thirds into the book that Nash’s hair was brown, and other than his ‘swirly eyes’ and being a skank, I didn’t know a thing about him. Why should I care about someone I can’t even get a feeling for? Then there was Kaylee’s aunt, who began the book with long brown hair and, halfway through the book, was blond. Little inconsistencies truly irritate me.
From the first hint of shadow there was this urgency I didn’t quite understand. This girl sees a black shadow around a person and freaks. Sure it’s wierd. I’d probably be concerned and might even ask a doctor about it. But at that point she had no idea anyone she’d seen wrapped in shadows died. Her fear would have been more genuine if it had built gradually. But then we find out that she’s already been committed. For screaming. By her aunt and uncle, who aren’t supposed to be bad people and who both know what she is. They then allowed her to undergo severe psycho therapy…but just for one week. Ummm…okay? None of it rang true.
I found there were many dull patches that I had to put conscience effort into reading. I could have happily skimmed seventy percent of the book and still understood what the story was about. Most of the detail was focused on Kaylee’s feelings. Scared, okay. Confused, got it. Angry, uh huh. The only other variation of emotion was lust, but my lack of interest in Nash made that emotion futile.
As far as the writing itself goes…I love stumbling over big, fancy, seldom used words, or in an extremely rare case, words that I have to look up definitions for, but when there are three or four of these words in one sentence, it makes me think the thesaurus was a little but overused in the writing process. There is once scene, ***SPOILER when Kaylee’s father describes the wreck that killed her, and how her mother selflessly sacrificed the rest of her life for her daughter’s, that was very excellent. In fact, it was so heartbreaking that I cried.***
Obviously Vincent can write well, but perhaps she should stick to adult books. That being said, I found that the kissing scenes were a little to racey and the death aspect a touch to morbid for the younger spectrum of YA readers. Overall, I feel like the idea could have been great, but the delivery was weak. Such a shame; the story had so much potential. I probably won’t bother with the sequal.
Hush, Hush
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick
If Edward were a fallen angel…
He would be Patch.
Maybe that’s not quite accurate. If Edward had a twin who was dark to his light, arrogant to his polite, fallen angel to his vampire, he would be Patch.
Everyone always says not to judge a book by it’s cover, but I have to admit, this cover is so intriguing I felt I had to read the book. And it was so worth it.
Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at the school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushed them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen-and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
Nora Grey is a down to earth, super responsible teen character that, at sixteen, practically runs her own life. Her father was murdered, and her mother works a lot, leaving her alone in their old farmhouse in Coldwater, Maine. She is a devoted student who has never before been interested in boys. That is, until she meets bad boy fallen angel Patch.
Patch is one of the fallen, an angel stripped of his wings and forced to live an immortal half- life. Only by possessing his Nephilim vassal, during the two weeks of Cheshvan, can Patch physically feel. Humanity is the only thing in the world Patch desires. Until he meets Nora.
An old flair finds Patch and relays an offer: save a human’s life and return to the grace of God by becoming a guardian angel. But Patch is above being a guardian, the lowest rank of angel. Besides, what Patch really wants is to be human. According to the Book of Enoch, a book the fallen are forbidden to read, if Patch kills his Nephil vassal he will become human. Unfortunately, the Nephil are immortal. But Nephil have mortal offspring that carry their blood…
And herein lies the paradox surrounding Nora Grey: She is the human he must save in order to become a guardian. But the person he needs to save her from is himself because she is the only female blood relative of his Nephil. The very girl he intends to sacrifice for his humanity.
I hope I’m not hunted down on the streets by devoted fans for saying this, but this YA story is as good as Twilight. Make no mistake, it’s not Twilight, but it gave me that same tingle.I loved the sense of urgency laced throughout and I found myself flipping pages to find the next scene with Patch. There were a few similarities between Nora Grey and Bella Swan, though I really appreciated the fact that Nora fought her attraction to Patch. That’s not what gave me that Twilight tingle. It was Patch’s hard edge and irresistible over-confidence. I could never quite figure out whether he was good, evil or somewhere in between. Nora and Patch’s relationship seemed to constantly balance on a knife’s edge, and more than once I had serious goosebumps. *SPOILER One hotel scene in particular, when Nora touches Patch’s scars and discovers the truth about him, hit all the emotions…hot, cold, hurt that hits in the center of your chest.* Fantastic.
Overall, the characters were well developed and likeable, and the emotion was tangible. I enjoyed the writing, particularly the gentle sarcasm that had me snickering. I’m practically foaming at the mouth waiting for the sequel, Crescendo.
