Book Review: 13 by Kelley Armstrong

Women of the Otherworld #13

Published By: Orbit
Rating: 5/5

War is coming to the Otherworld. A sinister cult known as The Supernatural Liberation Movement is hell-bent on exposing the truth about supernaturals to the rest of the world. Their violent, ruthless plan has put everyone at risk: from werewolves to vampires, from witches to half-demons.

Savannah Levine - fiery and unpredictable - stands at the heart of the maelstrom. There is a new, dark magic inside her, granting her the power to summon spells of terrifying strength. But whether this magic is a gift or a curse, no one knows.

On the eve of battle, all the major players must come together in a last, desperate fight for survival - Elena and Clay; Adam and Savannah; Paige and Lucas; Jeremy and Jaime; Hope, Eve and more...They are fighting for lives.

They are fighting for their loved ones.

They are fighting for the Otherworld.

Anyone  who is a fan of Ms Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series will find 13 packed full of yummy otherworld goodness in the form of all our favourite characters and pairings, all our favourite secondary characters, action and twists.

Now without giving away too much, 13 wove an intricate plot that brought everything and everyone introduced in the series full circle and they all play their parts wonderfully. For most of the story I was wondering what Ms Armstring was going to do to her characters next because she really tested them in the final three book arc and you won't see many of the twists coming,. It made the book a delight to read.

For me the characters have always been the heart of this series, to follow them through their adventures and trials, and to see them grow has been a pleasure. This book is no different. Following Savannah through this book we get to see just how much she has changed and grown up not just over the last three books but ever since she was first. We get to see characters coming into their own and get  a real glimpse at what the world could be like in the future when the new generation really take over. But what I really liked about this book was how some of the minor secondary characters were treated, Jaz's arc really put into place how much he cared for Hope, Cassandra and Aaron (who are two of my top secondary characters and who I would like to have seen more page time) were provided with sweet closure, and let's not forget the Lord Demons that made a few visits and gave me some of my favourite scenes.

You also can't ignore the role pairings play in making the characters so loveable and it was great to finally see Adam and Savannah get together after that kiss at the send of Spell Bound. I do love my ships and it's great to see an author get on board and give the readers what they want without all the hassle of the dreaded love triangle. I also fell more in love with the Hope and Karl pairing after seeing them interact in this book as of all the book protagonists we've had they've had the least screen time. Elana and Clay, Paige and Lucas, Eve and Kristoff, Jeremy and Jamie...well, it's always a pleasure to get to see more of them and see them interact. But as I mentioned above Cassandra and Aaron is also one of my favourite pairings and it was so heartwarming to see them in this book.

It's sad to see then end of such a great series, especially one that has so many more exciting adventures to tell. I look forward to getting my hands on the short stories that Ms Armstrong has promised us in coming years to see how the ramifications of 13 impact on everyone and hopefully sometime in the future we'll be able to revisit our favourite characters in a full length novel.

Series Review: Curse Workers by Holly Black

Curse Workers #1

Publish By: Margaret K. McElderry
Rating: 3/5



Curse Workers #2

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.  



Curse Workers #3

Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to like this series more than I did. Now don't get me wrong it was well written, had a decent plot, the world building was some of the best I've seen in a YA novel, the characters were likable, and it had romance. All this normally adds up to a big fat win for me, in fact it they are the exact type of books I normally go for and love. So where did it go wrong?

I think the biggest problem for me was that I just didn't connect with the writing. As I said it was fairly well written and much better than some of the others out on the market at present. But, I just couldn't get into it, I was quite happy to put the books down and wait a few days before I continued on and I know there should have been times that I shouldn't have been able to put it down. It didn't help that I found the plot a little bit lack luster. There just wasn't that much excitment in it for me. Sure it was interesting and I really did want to finish the books and find out how it all fit but it was all a bit meh, especially in the last book where there were story lines that just fell flat.

I did appreciate the world building aspect, though. A lot of authors have trouble with this aspect, especially in YA lit, leaving their books feeling broken and incomplete. Ms Black did a great job of creating a world where a minorty where given the power to make things happen with just a touch of a hand. I especially liked that there were also consequences to using that power. It was fascinating to read about how the world, in particular laws, had developed with 'workers'. One thing that was interesting was their view on scandel and what constitutes as porn (ungloved hands).

The characters on the other hand I found likable but I didn't really connect with any of them, a fact that would be connected to my lack of connection with the writing. I mean I should have been shipping the whole way through but in the end I really couldn't have cared less if the guys got the girls. Another issue I had was placing the ages of people, specifically Barron and Philip. They always came across as way way way older than what they are in the books. Philip is meant to be 21 but acted like he was in his late 30's, the same went for Barron. I got that their working for a mob probably had some sort of impact but it just messed with my mind a bit too much. Cassel was interesting and it was good to read a YA from the persepctive of a boy rather than a girl but again I didn't really connect with him. Out of all of them I probably liked Daneca, Sam and Grandpa Desi the best, and they're not even main characters.

Overall, it was a decent read and I would recommend it for lovers of YA paranormal novels who want something different to read. I have read rave reviews about this series and it probably rightly deserves them, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Book Review: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Graceling Realm #3

Published by: Gollancz
Rating: 3.5/5

Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past. Whatever that past holds. Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart ...

Anyone who is a fan of Fire and Graceling have been waiting for this book for a while. Waiting to find out what has happened to all of our favourite characters. And as much as I liked the book and enjoyed reading it, I can't help but to feel a little let down. The plot was slow moving, and the use of ciphers and keys worked better in theory than on paper. The mystery had no suspence and it was obvious from very early on what was happening and why. There was no big climax and I finished the book feeling like it was incomplete.

That's not to say it didn't have any saving graces, considering I gave it 3.5 there had to be something that made it worth reading and that was the characters. I liked Bitterblue, although at times she came across as younger than her 18 years. This was understandable though as she has been very sheltered since she became queen 8 years previous and it was a joy to see her develop and become a real queen rather than a pawn. She showed that she was strong and just, and wasn't afraid to fix the damage her father had made, but she also showed a very vulnerable side that connects with her past.

I loved Saf and Teddy. They made reading the first part of the book very enjoyable. Unfortunately for being so crucial in the beginning of the book and for Saf being a love interest they disappeared into the background very quickly after their parts were completed, only to show up quickly to forward some plot point. Saf in particular felt like he should have played a more prominant role. I do still love him though.

Seeing Po, Katsa, Raffin and the rest of the crew again was great as well but they didn't really serve much of a purpose. They had their own little storyline that didn't have anything to do with the main one, and it tell the reader what was happening in the rest of the kingdom, which I guess was its main purpose. The one thing I found odd was how Po and Katsa behaved. Now I know I haven't read Graceling since it first came out and that 8 years have passed but they came across as alot more animated then what I remember them being, especially Katsa. It wasn't exactly a bad thing as I still loved them and was glad to see Po so much, but it just didn't sit right. I think I'm going to have to go back and re-read Graceling again to check.

Among other characters I loved Death, Lovejoy, Madlen and Helda. They were great characters to read about. Thiel and Rood I really felt for, they have been through so much and were left so broken. It was heartbreaking sometimes.

Then at the end we get to see Fire again. Again not really a bad thing to see how she was going and it did serve a purpose but it felt kind of chucked in like a last minute decision. I'm not entirely sure if it was meant to go somewhere or if it was just a plot device to help Bitterblue.

Overall, I had mixed feeling about the book but I still did really enjoy it and would recommend anyone who has read the first two books to read it. I'm hoping there will be another book as the ending did feel incomplete and open ended.

Book Reviews: Rachel Caine and Cassandra Clare

Black Dawn by Rschel Caine

Morganville Vampires #12

Published by: New American Library
Rating: 4.5/5

In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires... their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.

This book takes off from the events at the end of Last Breath and it was a rollercoaster ride. From the beginning it was action packed and it didn't slow down. It was a lot of fun and a bit of heartache.

I've been with this series for a long time now and have become invested in the characters, and to see how the have evolved over the course of 12 books has been a joyous ride. With this book we saw Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve deal with a lot of stuff and develop in ways you wouldn't expect. The best thing about them though is that they are real and you can see how their past has forced them to become the people they are today. It is something that is missing in a lot new YA PNRL books at the moment. Shane is one of the best male characters with a tortured past around. I loved seeing him so vulnerable in this book, it really gave his charcter a greater depth, I just wanted to give him a hug!

Now Claire and Eve, thank god for truley kiss-ass female characters. Unlike some books these girls really are tough, and we're both told and shown this. Eve has such great strength in this book, I really admired her. After what happened in Last Breath it was bound to be rocky for her and Michael, and it was, which was great to see. She didn't go running back to him and excusing his behaviour just because she loved him, she made sure she made the right decision by her and let him know that it couldn't happen again, or she is liable to kick his ass. Saying that I really do hope them the best in coming books becuase they are such a cute couple. Claire has always displayed an inner strength and that continues to come out in this book, it's great to see her stand up to the vampires but still know when to back off.

As usual Ms Caine does a wonderful job fleshing out her secondary characters, making them a part of the story rather than having them their as plot points. Some short points Myrnin needs a good slap for what he did, still love Oliver, can't believe I'm feeling sorry for Monica, and Amelie...well, I don't know where I stand with her at the moment.

With the end of this book it will be interesting to see where Ms Caine takes us in the next two. Black Dawn was a game changer for Morganville and I don't know if we'll get to the end of book 15 with everyone we love alive or undead. There will definitley be some hard times ahead for the gang and I can't wait to be taken along for the ride.


City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments #5

Published by: Walker Books
Rating: 5/5

Can the lost be reclaimed? What price is too high to pay for love? Who can be trusted when sin and salvation collide?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

WTF just happened...Bad Alec. Bad, bad, bad Alec. No biscuit for you :(

Now that's out of my system. This book was amazing. I loved every minute of it.  And I can't believe where Ms Clare took us with it. There is so much to say about the plot but I can't say too much so I don't ruin it for those who have yet to read it. It was full of surprises and twists that I didn't see coming, it truely was a joy to read. One thing that will bug me until I find out is who is Brother Zachariah? And damn Ms Clare, she's refused to say which book we find out his identity in :(. There was a lot to keep track of and follow in this book, especially because it continued to change perspectives between characters. But this wasn't a bad thing, it kept me on the edge and it provided some wonderful insight and character development.

I could go on about how I admire Clary's strength, how my heart went out to Jace and how all I just love them as characters. But what really got to me in this book was Sebastian. We were given some great insight to him as a character and as much as I hate him and think he's an evil little creep, I had moments when I felt for him but the annoying thing is it's hard to know how much of it is real and how much of it is manipulation. Ms Clare did a great job humanising him just a little bit even and I do believe not all of it was show. It will be really interesting to see how things turn out with him in the next book.

Simon, well I have loved him from the start and continue to do so. Some of his actions made me frustrated and face palm it but I understood his reasons behind it, I just hope it his decisions don't come back to bite him. He has grown so much since the first book and its a joy to continue to see him grow, and deal with the hardships thrown his way especially those related to his mother which was heartbreaking.

I refuse to say anything about Alec because as the start of my review suggests I am not a happy camper when it comes to him at the moment. He's an idiot and in some ways I understand his actions but nothing justifies it. I just hope it can all be resolved in the final book because I like my ships afloat, and I hate it when they sink.

Ms Clare does a wonderful job keeping her world alive and interesting, and her characters evolving. She also makes a point to award fans with little snippets that connect this series with her prequel series The Infernal Devices. I particularly loved the mention of the duck, for fans who don't understand this there is a deleted scence from Clockwork Prince where Will explains his disliking of ducks :). Unfortunatley we have to wait until 2014 to read the final book City of Heavenly Fire but we do get the last Infernal Devices book Clockwork Princess next year to help tide us over.

CiaoXX

PS I am officially on the countdown for Europe, 35 days, so when that hits I'll be posting about my various travels on here :)

Series Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush #1

Hush, Hush #2

Published by: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 2.5/5

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn 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 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 when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Hush, Hush #3

Where do I start with this series...well, for straters I enjoyed it more and it pissed me off less than Fallen. That was until the third book where the writing and story line took a nose dive. I do believe Silence made me suffer from what can be summed up by an acronym I found on GoodReads PTJRARCBD (Post Traumatic Just Read A Really Crappy Book Disorder). Yep, it was really that bad but I'll get to that later in the review.

Ok so the good news and one of the saving graces of in particular Hush, Hush was that the story doesn't try to trick the reading into thinking it's about something it isn't. Which is good because it has an angel on the front cover. It also "reveals" this by about half way through the first book, kudos to you Ms Fitzpatrick for not thinking you're readers are idiots who couldn't piece two and two together and that by leaving the big reveal at the last minute creates tension.

The rest of the news is kinda a mixed bag. The mythology element. Ms Fitzpatrick do not, I repeat do not think you can go changing the story of Adam and Eve. This was really the only part that she majorly let me down on. I could deal with and kinda liked her take on nephilim and even her take on how the fallen act but seriously specific events in the Bible is a big no touchy. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not some born-again-christian but you can't go changing things that are so set. The snake who tempted Eve was Lucifer not some random who's in love with a mortal, and Lucifer wanted to remove God from his throne and when God cast him and his followers out they became known as fallen angels. So close yet so far Ms Fitzpatrick, you almost had me. And don't get me started on the supposed devilscraft that was introduced in the third book becuase where the hell did it come from and WTF is it? We suddenly have some random new type of magic that characters chuck around all the time, yet is never really explained.

I had really mixed feelings for some of the characters but the biggest problem I had was that a)by the end of it I really can't imagine what most of these characters look like besinde a couple of features that seemed to be chucked down my throut constantly and b)I had no clue what some of their personalities were like becuase what I was being told and what I was being shown were two different things. Let's look at Nora for example. She's apparently really smart and could make it into an Ivy League University yet in the first book she continually does things that she knows is stupid and wrong. Furthermore, it appears Ms Fitzpatrick doesn't know if Nora is smart or not either because in Crescendo Nora goes to summer school to take Chem claiming that she sucked at science and that finding a lab partner better than her would be easy considering her standard (ignoring the fact that in the first book Bio was supposedly her hardest subject and she was sitting on a B+) and then all of a sudden in Silence she's taking AP level classes, WTF! Please explain. Now Nora as a character was a bit of a Bella clone but considerable more tolerable than Luce that is until the third book when she turned into a psychotic b*$#@. She's whiny and mean, taking no consideration of anyone elses feelings but her own. The way she treats her mother is appalling and I dearly hope that the tween target audience don't think that this is an acceptable way to treat people. But even worse than being a witch she has no remorse what so ever. For a large chunk of the book all she is out for is revenge and to kill the person who 'kidnapped' her and stole her memories and when she finally gets it she doesn't give a damn. Surely you would feel something if you'd just killed someone even if you did hate them.

Patch. My dear Patch with dark hair, dark eyes and a perfectly sculpted body, I can't tell if you're moe or less abusive than Daniel. But let's put it out there, you're a dick, plain and simple. As you can tell not really feeling the love for Patch (Seriously where is Ms Fitzpatrick pulling these names out from). He's more tolerable that some of the other poorly written broody love interests out there but he still treats Nora like crap, and I really don't care for your excuses as to why you should be allowed too. But hey, he is kinda kick ass at points and doesn't sparkle or glow purple, so that automatically gives him extra marks, and maybe a gold star for not being a complete joke to the supernatural world.

Scott on the other hand, I did like. He's my Fallen's Cam in this series. Shame he seems to be more plot device than anything else at the moment though. He's bad and he knows it but he's also got a softer side which I liked. This was all in the second book though. The third book I swear he only existed to give readers an info dump with all the information given in the previous books. I know Nora's lost her memory but really I don't need to be reminded about what I've already read. And the worst thing is he's on the run and I kid you not living in a cave *face palm*. Just, no.

Now Vee (again what's with the names in this series?), oh how I hate her. She's just a bad character. Not only is she constantly breaking the law but she justifies it and the amount of times she was speeding or breaking and entering is really sending a bad message to the younger readers. In no way is this kind of behaviour acceptable. And furthermore, she's a complete cow. Some of the things she says about Nora's mum is rude and uncalled for. But what's worse Nora says nothing about it and at times says worse things. That being said there were times in the third book where I did have hope for her, especially on her views about Patch (she picked up on the fact that Patch is a dog's name, yay).

So while this story had some good elements it also had a lot of bad. I did however enjoy reading them but unfortunately could not give it higher than a 2.5 due to bad writing, inconsistency and bad character development.

Peace out.

Book Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Darkness Rising #2

Published by: HarperCollins
Rating: 4.5/5

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is--a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents. Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.

This book was mcuh more fast-paced and action packed than the first book in the series The Gathering. And despite being only focusing on the teens trying to runaway from whomever is chasing them it doesn't get old. Ms Armstrong manages to keep the plot moving forward and fresh. However, there really wasn't much in terms of information revelaing, tons of questions were brought up but nor many were answered. However, considering this is a middle book in a series that is not too uncommon or detrimental, plus it means the third book will be jam packed full of surprises!

There was very little in terms of character development in this book, but I still love all the characters. We did see them struggling to make sense of what was happening and who they really were, which was really cool to see. I am adoring most of the teens, I know what Corey's deal is, it will interesting to see was Ms Armstrong does with it and Nicole really, WTF! Rafe and Maya are still super cute and there was definitley some big steps taken in that relationship with the acceptance of what Rafe has done and why. Hayley was a big surprise for me and I can't wait to see how she develops in the next book. And Daniel, need I say more :).

This is a really entertaining read and one YA PRNL readers will enjoy for it's strong characters and for what sets it apart in the current market. Maya is the anti-Bella/Nora/Luce and the guys are most definitley not abusive a-holes. But what's even better is that it's dark, gritty and heart-felt.

Book Review: The Dark Divide by Jennifer Fallon

Rift Runners #2

Published by: Voyager Australia
Rating: 5/5

 Time is running out for Ronan and his psychically-linked twin brother, Darragh. In two weeks, at the Autumn Solstice in their own reality, the Queen of the Faerie will transfer the Undivided power to the new-found heirs and the older twins will die. But Darragh is trapped in 2001 Dublin and Ronan in a reality where the Undivided are not Druids, but Shinto warriors. The twins need to get home before the transfer takes place - not only to save their own lives, but to break the curse on Trasa, who is destined to remain trapped by Marcroy Tarth's spell, and to rescue Hayley from the Faerie Lord's seductive embrace. With Darragh caught in a reality without magic, and Ronan stranded in one with plenty of magic but no idea how to use it, the brothers must prove that even across realities, they truly are the Undivided.

This book has been taunting me for a while. First, it came out in stores early but I had to wait for my pre-order to come in the mail. Secondly, when I got it, it was the last week of the uni term so I was far too busy to begin reading it. Finally, I wouldn't have put this book down if real life hadn't forced me to.

Yes, I loved this book that much and yes, I may have a writers crush on Jennifer Fallon. I have read all of her books and loved every single one of them. I love her mix of fantasy and politics. I honestly believe she is one of the better fantasy writers published at the moment. She is an amazing world builder, does character development among the best of them, and best of all she keeps you guessing and manages to chuck things at you that you never saw coming. Ok, enough with my writer crush ramblings.

This book flows really nicely even though it jumps between characters and realities constantly. It was really easy to follow and helped build up the tension as the story moved forward as you just had to know what happened next. Although, what happened next you probably didn't see coming and with Jennifer Fallon you can never know what she'll do next (you just have to read The Chaos Crystal to know that). And that is what I love about her books, she gives you enough to make some educated guesses (I totally picked Pete) and then will throw you a curveball that you never saw coming. It makes for wonderful and compelling reading.  She also does world building among the best of them. The world (or would that be worlds) in the The Dark Divide is intriguing, dangerous and alluring, it sucks you in and you'll never want to leave.

I love all the characters in this book even the ones I hate, they all have their part t play and they all have their secrets. I love Ren/Rónán. He develops a lot in this book, becoming a self-assured leader rather than the rebellious brat he was in The Undivided. You can't help but to fall in love with him as he finds his way in a new reality that is so unlike the one he grew up with, while trying to work out who he is as one of the Undivided and the power he wields. His twin Darragh is also great to read about. I just love his frankness and his belief that he will be rescued by his people. I particularly liked how frustrated he was making everyone when they were trying to find out where Hayley was. Trása is another favourite. She really finds her place in this book and realises that even though she's half-fairie she still has a lot to offer. I just wish I could make up my mind about who I want her to end up with. I could go on for days about how much I grew to love Pete and Logan, how I suspect Kiva knows more than she lets on, how creepy  Isleen and Teagan and how Lady Delphine is a evil b*@#$.

I can't wait for Reunion to come out next year and to find out how everything will come together. I'm sure it will be a long but worthwhile wait.

In the mean time I'm eagerly awaiting The Calling by Kelley Armstrong to arrive in the mail.

Peace out.