Title: River's Recruit (Sanctuary, #1)
Author: Charlotte Abel
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Age group: New adult
Release date: September 1, 2012

Devastated by the death of his identical twin, Jonathan McKnight flees to the Sawatch Mountain Wilderness. He seeks redemption, but all he finds is trouble... and a beautiful young woman named River that belongs to a primitive and dangerous cult.

Jonathan wants to rescue River and taker her back to his world. River wants to recruit him. Fate has other plans for both of them.



My Review:
Jonathan McKnight has lost a lot; his identical twin brother, his left hand, and himself. After serving in Afghanistan, he goes off on his own to find himself. On his journey, he encounters River and her people. River and her tribe harbour a secret -- they are shifters, and their lifestyle bothers Jonathan. While River claims responsibility over him, he wants to take her away from that life; keep her safe. But could there be a reason Jonathan was sent there?

Jonathan and River are characters that worked well together and apart. As individuals, I felt their vulnerability and their struggles, and both had their own stories to tell. River came from a tribe that separated itself from society; they never relied or indulged in anything from the outside world, and they never really needed to. The society that their people had built was its own world. But of course, every world comes with its own problems. Traditions and rules were to be upheld, but there were times where River found herself at a crossroad. She was arranged into an engagement with a man she didn't love, and the man's mother would stop at nothing to ensure her son climb up the political ladder. Jonathan, on the other hand, grew up in the modern world to a loving family. He went to school, did extracurricular activities, and went on dates. His story really started when he and his twin brother enlisted in the army. Tragedy struck one ill-fated day, and it left him alive while his brother died. While trying to fight a depressed state, he decided to venture off on his own and camp out for a while. He encountered River when he saved her from a mountain lion, and she provided him with a means to survive in the wilderness. As the story progressed, it's revealed that they might have more in common than they thought.

Jonathan and River worked very well together. While it might not have been an instant head-over-heels scenario, their build-up was worth the read. They did get a little too reliant on each other towards the end, but the mind frame and the way the shifter's world worked made it understandable. The romance between the two main characters was well-balanced by the other characters throughout the book. Specifically, there was major concentration on the characters in New Eden, where River was from. Everyone was unique and had their own voice and motive. When you think you have these characters figured out, they go and do something to throw you off, and to me that's one of the most exciting things you can come across in a book. All the characters had more than one dimension.

The world of New Eden, located on the outskirts of Denver, was such a treat to read about. Everything was explained: traditions, politics, hierarchy, and even the mechanics of how they engineered different parts of their living areas. Abel wrote in such a descriptive way with every part in her story. The emotions and actions from all the characters jumped off the page and the world she created was easily drawn up in my mind.

The ending left me wanting more, very soon. River's Recruit was definitely a page turner of a book, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in wolf lore and just paranormal romance in general. I'm already looking forward to the next installment in the series and can't wait to see what else fate has in store for Jonathan, River, and the people of New Eden.

My rating:

About the author:
Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma where she met her soulmate, Pete. She chased him to Boulder, Colorado and finally convinced him they were meant to be together forever. They've raised three kids, two ferrets, three dogs and countless hamsters -- and are still happily married.
She's in love with "real" life and paranormal romance. When she's not reading or writing, Charlotte enjoys hiking, bicycling and primitive archery (although she's never shot at anything other than a target!)
The final book of The Channie Series, "Finding Valor," should be available by Christmas.
Charlotte Abel | Twitter

Check out the other stops on the tour, hosted by SupaGurl Tours:

Dec. 1 - Bend in the Bind *Review, Guest Post, Giveaway *signed paperback*
Dec. 2 - Night Owl Reads *Excerpt
Dec. 3 - Bookluvers Haven *Review, Giveaway *ebook copy*
Dec. 4 - Book Crook Reviews *Review, Author Guest Post
Dec. 5 - Bookworm Babblings *Review
Dec. 6 - Better Read than Dead *Review, Author Interview, Giveaway *ebook copy*
Dec. 7
Dec. 8 - Nomi's Paranormal Palace *Review
Dec. 9 - Starry Night Book Reviews *Review
Dec. 10 - Books & Other Spells *Review, Giveaway *ebook copy*
Dec. 11 - The Cover Contessa *Review, Interview
Dec. 12 - Beth Art from the Heart *Review, Author Interview, Giveaway *ebook copy*
Dec. 13 - A Dragon's Love *Review, Guest Post
Dec. 14 - Howling Books and Design *Review, Megan Likes Books *Author Interview
Dec. 15 - Her Fiction Fix *Review
Dec. 16 - A Reader's Devotion *Review
Dec. 17 - Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books *Review, Playlist
Dec. 18
Dec. 19 - Sweet Southern Home *Review *RR Tour*
Dec. 20 - Vamps and Stuff *Review, Guest Post, Giveaway *Paperback copy*
Dec. 21 - The Cover (and Everything In Between) *Author Interview
Dec. 22 - A Bibliophile's Thoughts On Books *Review
Dec. 23 - Sniffer Walk *Review
Dec. 24 - Bookishly Devoted *Review
Dec. 25 - Simply Infatuated * Author Guest Post
Dec. 26 - Happy Tails & Tales * Review, Author Interview
Dec. 27 - Black Lillies Are Deadly *Review, Giveaway *ebook copy*
Dec. 28 - Night Owl Reads *Review, Giveaway *Necklace*
Dec. 29
Dec. 30
Dec. 31 - Reader Girls *Review, Excerpt

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Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: September 27, 2011
ISBN-10: 1442421762
ISBN-13: 9781442421769
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.



My Review:
Mara Dyer woke up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. She was involved in an accident that killed her best friend, her boyfriend, and his sister. She was the only survivor. To help ease her pain, her family packed up and moved to Miami, Florida to start a new life. While thinking she left the tragedy behind her, Mara starts having visions. It's possibly PTSD, but things start getting out of hand; visions come true and things around her get destroyed, just the way she sees them in her head.

I have conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the way it was told; Hodkin is quite the writer. But the biggest problem I had were the characters. Mara was an okay character; what stood out for me were her narrations. Hodkin gave her a great voice and I literally laughed out loud at some of the stuff Mara said internally because it reminded me of how I talk. She was also clearly disturbed and dark at times, which was understandable considering what had happened to her. But then she took a dive after getting to know Noah. It all became kind of Bella and Edward at that point. Noah was the typical bad boy love interest who had girls dropping their panties left and right, but he never gave a damn about anyone until he met Mara. There's pretentious and cocky, then there's Noah Shaw. He was scruffy and unkempt and a total prick because all the girls dig that, but it turned out he was actually filthy rich with a butler valet named Albert, spoke six languages, was well-read, smoked while he drove, had "la vie boheme" parents, massive daddy issues, and was British. Oh, and he drove a Prius. Of course he drove a Prius. It also bugged me that Mara's older brother, Daniel, seemed to always not have a problem with this guy taking his sister out and asking him to lie to their mom about stuff. It was especially unbelievable after Daniel being so protective of Mara in the beginning. It's like the whole story shifted into this weird place after Noah showed up. Then there was Mara's new friend Jamie... who was black. And Jewish. And gay. Who had a tongue ring. And dreads. Even he pointed out how token he was. Then he just disappeared... shame, because I actually wanted to know more about him. On the paranormal side, it was another story. I really liked how Hodkin pulled it off with Mara's ability and the descriptive way it was written. I just wished there were more details, but that's why it's a series, right?

Plot-wise, there were some random things near the end that just came out of nowhere. Stuff like strange rituals, animal sacrifices, blood consumption, gunshots, something about alligators and leeches and chickens (oh my)... I don't even know. I was confused throughout the book; it just lacked something. I think it would've warranted another star from me if Mara wasn't so obsessed with Noah. It seriously took up 70% of the book once he was introduced, and I'd probably be less confused if there was more focus on Mara's ability and why she had it, instead of Mara wanting to "have his babies" (no, seriously). It also wouldn't have hurt to expand on Noah's ability and why exactly they were meant to connect with each other. It was all so vague and disjointed; I think a lot of it had to do with the lack of differentiating between hallucinations and real-life. About a third into the book, I kept going, "what the heck is even happening?!"

But to be fair, in all my questioning, I couldn't stop reading. I literally could not put it down. I wouldn't rate this book 3.5 stars if I didn't like at least half of it. I kept on reading hoping my questions would be answered; they never really were, but wow, was I ever entertained. The style that Hodkin wrote in made me want to keep reading and I've already gone out and picked up the second installment. A+ for the cover, too. Look at it, it's absolutely gorgeous.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a compelling, creepy read with romantic overtones. If you're curious, definitely check this book out. Then come back and explain it all to me because I'm still confused.

My rating:

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Buy this book:
IndieBound.org | Amazon.com | Indigo.ca

Hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine:
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Like my last "Waiting On" post, here's another steampunk book. This one is the first in a four-part series called Finishing School and is set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate in the same universe. Also, I feel the need to point out that the cover is really pretty.

Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School, Book 1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Release date: February 5, 2013

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.


In addition, it was just announced on Monday that Cassandra Clare will collab with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson to write The Bane Chronicles. Crying. There's another to add onto my "Waiting On" list. The "Bane" in question is the one and only High Warlock of Brooklyn from Clare's Shadowhunter universe, Magnus Bane. I was on my way home when I read Sarah Rees Brennan's fantastic blog post, and her other one on Cassie's blog; I'm pretty sure I let out a little yelp of excitement.

A series of 10 short stories will be released starting February 2013 in e-book format. A new issue will follow every month until the release of the City of Bones movie in August, then a print edition of all The Bane Chronicles stories will be released in 2014. We finally get to find out what happened to Magnus in Peru?! Um, exciting.

The following is an excerpt from Sarah Rees Brennan's tumblr post, complete with a photo of the gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS Godfrey Gao, who will be portraying Magnus on the big screen (and a cat! Chairman Meow, anyone?):

We bring to you THE BANE CHRONICLES, chronicling (you see what we did there) Magnus’s adventures through the ages.

Have you ever wondered about Magnus’s past loves and lies? Magnus and Alec’s first date? How Magnus and Camille got together? What happened in Peru? Starting in February 2013, in the run-up to City of Handsome Magnus: the Movie (Also Starring Some Other People Who Are Pretty Good-Looking) we will put out a Magnus Short Story every month.

There will be ten of Magnus’s magnificent adventures all in all. Some of them Cassie and I are writing, some of them Cassie and Maureen are writing, some Cassie is writing herself as we cruelly abandon her! All of them, we think, are lots of fun. (Read More)

Also, here, have a link to the news posted on EW.com

Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: September 25, 2012
ISBN-10: 0373210582
ISBN-13: 9780373210589
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real...

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies...



My Review:
For most of her life, Alice Bell has lived under a close watch by her father. He insisted that evil was out there; that there were monsters. Their family were never allowed to go out at night, and she had been taught how to fight at a young age, in case anything happened. Alice never believed him... until one day, after insisting that the family go out to watch her sister's dance recital, a tragic accident happens that leaves Alice completely alone. It turns out her father wasn't lying. There were monsters, and Alice had seen them with her own eyes. Now, she's moved and living with her grandparents, goes by Ali, and is pushed into the ever-exciting world of high school, where's she's now free to live the life she had never really known, all the while keeping the secret of what she saw the night her family died. Little did she know that there might be others like her out there, and her life would change much more than she thought it would.I had just finished reading Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem and was still reeling from it when I started this book. So I was going into it expecting another take, this time of one on my favourite tales, Alice in Wonderland. ...It has nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. Well, there are some references and allusions mixed in, but don't expect it to be a modern-day version of Lewis Carroll's classic.

With that aside, I was quite pleased with how the story went. I didn't go crazy over it or anything, but I couldn't put it down. The writing style was engaging and it was all paced nicely. The titles for each chapter had a little reference to Wonderland, which was kind of cool. The zombies in this book were way different than the usual. I thought it was done well, it's just so different that it shocked me something fierce.

There were a lot of characters in this book. I just need to pick on a few... at length. Kat, Ali's new BFF annoyed the living hell out of me when they first met. Ali's entire family just died, she was still in the hospital, and this girl comes in and goes on and on about her "man-whore" of a boyfriend and this "hobag" named Rina. Then she became super awesome as the book went on and now she's probably my favourite. She was a great comic relief to this otherwise intense story, and I'm glad that there ended up being much, much more to her than meets the eye. Our protagonist, Alice, on the other hand... I liked her in the beginning, especially her relationship with her sister Emma, then I got over her pretty quickly. I understand her angst and pain over losing her family, but she became... how do I put this nicely... she became kind of a bitch. And in a short period of time, too. Like where did that come from? Then there was Cole, the love interest. There's a line in the book where Ali says that every girl likes Cole; if they say they don't, then they're lying. I can dig that, sure. But he was described as being muscley, bruised and tatted up with violet eyes... his friends were described in the same style (some even had house arrest anklets, which just had to be pointed out each time for each different guy, just to show how dangerous they were, obviously). The picture I drew up in my head made me laugh and at the same time hope I never ran into people that looked like that out of fear of having the living crap beat out of me for doing something as simple as blinking in their direction. Also, I get that Ali was very, very attracted to Cole, but the narrative when it came to him was 90% focused on how he looked. Other than him being super hot and oh-so-badass on paper, though? I don't know, nothing really stood out about him. He was also kind of a bossy-boots. Needed to relax a little bit. This always happens to me; I find the side characters more interesting than the mains when it comes to book series. There were the others in Cole's group like Mackenzie, Bronx, Frosty (no, seriously, that's actually what they call him), then Kat's friends Reeve, Poppy, Wren, and a whole slew of others. I hope that in the next books, we get to find out a bit more about some of them.

The first half of the book was very high school clique-y for a zombie book, but hey. It can't be all about fighting zombies. It was kind of nice to see Ali living a regular high school life after all the years of isolation because of her father's fears. There was a lot of romance, and it covered the beginning of her and Cole's relationship and followed their evolution at a nice pace. They had some pretty steamy scenes, too, which worked, but it was kind of shocking to have it all shoved in my face early on. It's not necessarily insta-love between them, but you could tell that they were going to be attached at the hip by the end of it. The second half was better in terms of action, and as always, the plot twists happened here. I really liked those twists in the story near the end; I would have never seen them coming at all. I won't mention them here, but if you're planning on picking it up, you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to them.

I really, really wanted to absolutely love this book. I saw so much hype surrounding it, the title was a play on Alice in Wonderland and the synopsis made it sound really awesome. But honestly, I was underwhelmed most of the time and there were some aspects of the book that just confused me. Showalter's take on zombies threw me off the most. Not in a bad way at all -- it was actually really creatively done and very refreshing. I guess I'm just so used to the flesh-eating, grave-crawling, decayed zombies that we're so used to hearing about. Also maybe a little too complex for my brain to handle (or that could just be from me reading it at night all the time right before bed. Pretty sure I actually fell asleep one night mid-read just because I was so tired). I think I set up such high expectations, as well. Note to self: try not to. If you're into teen paranormal romance stories, though, this would be for you. Overall, this was a quick read, held my interest, and was a nice take on the whole zombie genre.

My rating:

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Title: City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, Book 2
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Release date: March 25, 2008
ISBN-10: 1416914293
ISBN-13: 9781416914297
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.



My Review:
First thing's first, I would definitely recommend reading City of Bones before City of Ashes, as the story takes place right after the events of the first book. It might will be confusing if you don't know the entire back story.

In the second installment of the Mortal Instruments, Clary Fray has finally found her mother after the life-changing events in the equally breathtaking predecessor. However, Jocelyn Fray is in a magically induced coma, put on her to avoid revealing deep secrets to her once upon a time husband, Valentine. Valentine, on the other hand, wants to destroy all Downworlders: werewolves, vampires, and faeries. Clary and her friends team up once again with extra help from others to battle against her and Jace's terror of a father, who is after the Mortal Sword this time around to continue his plan to bring down the Clave. With the return of Valentine and the discovery of Jace's identity, the young Shadowhunter is under much scrutiny from the Clave and everyone around him. To make things worse, he and Clary are dealing with the aftermath of the news that they are siblings and being forced to deny their feelings for each other. This leads to a lot of confusion with Simon, Clary's best friend who has been harbouring a secret crush on her. Simon has his own problems -- much bigger problems -- to deal with as a result. Absolutely nothing is easy, everyone is still reeling from previous revelations, and unfortunately for our heroes, this is only the beginning.

This time around, there was more on the Downworlders, which is something that I've been looking forward to since Magnus' party in City of Bones. Clare intertwines between the mystical world of the Shadowhunters and the gritty streets of New York. Everyone is on high alert now that Valentine is on the loose; the Lightwoods are back at the New York Institute to clean up the mess Hodge had left, and Jace's newly-revealed identity also affects his relationship with the family that he's come to know and love as his own. There's more focus on things like Simon's feelings for Clary and vice versa in this book. But I really couldn't stomach Clary and Simon as a couple. Not ashamed to say that I'm too much of a Clace (yes, the portmanteau -- I had to) supporter for that. Plus, I adore Simon and Clary's friendship, nothing more. Their dynamic as best friends was one of my favourite things in book one, unrequited love aside. I'm not a fan of love triangles, but the Jace-Clary-Simon fiasco is far from your average. It's pretty messed up and disturbing if you've read the end of City of Bones and the summary above (I know, ick, her bother?!), but I'm all for disturbing. I don't know what that says about me, but I feed on twisted storylines... it makes things more interesting. While I did feel for Clary and Jace's major dilemma, there was a lot of focus on the fact and at times it became a little too much; luckily Clare made up for those little bouts with amazing action sequences and shifting to the backgrounds of the other characters.

I don't think there's a character I don't like or at least find uninteresting in this series. Valentine, for instance. I loathe him and his Hitler-like mentality, but his back story and the way Clare recalls it is so captivating and interesting. Old characters are further explored and there are new ones added into the mix. This book definitely cemented my love for some in particular. Such as...? Isabelle, Isabelle, Isabelle. My lovely Isabelle. I loved her even more in this book. Her one-liners were to die for ("Nothing less than seven inches", "I'm pure at heart. It repels the dirt"). She's such a fierce character and so sure of herself. Another character that was introduced was Maia. Yay for female werewolves! I think the last time I read a book with a female were was in Blood and Chocolate... and I was about 14-15. She's basically a female version of Simon. Speaking of... Simon, my love! This was a great book for him. I loved mundie Simon, but I love vampy Simon even more. Just his whole adjustment to it was such a great thing to read about, because you could tell it was very hard on him, very far from glamourized. It's not easy adjusting knowing that there's a possibility you could kill and that you'll probably outlive everyone you love. Then add Clary's overwhelming feeling of guilt and belief that all of it was her fault? It's heartbreaking. Then there's Jace. Just stick a knife in me and twist it, why don't you? Poor kid, getting kicked out of the Institute because of who he is. I love the Lightwoods (by far my favourite TMI family), and I'm so happy that the rest of them were finally introduced in this book, but Maryse lost some points with me for that one. She kind of redeemed herself after, though. I'm glad that the mystery of where Jace comes from was being further focused on. Dude's lived a very complex life. Of course, there's the precious Alec and Magnus, who both started to grow on me. I could tell that they would be something special as the series goes on. There was also the development of Luke and his connection to both worlds and their inhabitants. He spent most of the book at the hospital, watching over Jocelyn and hoping she would wake. It's amazing how the story was fueled by a woman who fell into a coma quickly in the series. Her back story and how she brought up Clary led to all of these events happening in her daughter's life now, and Jocelyn's not even awake to tell the tale. It just makes it more exciting to look forward to hearing Jocelyn's side of it once (if?) she finally wakes up.

As you can probably tell from that huge last paragraph, I enjoyed the character development immensely. The last 100+ pages were also very action-packed and was the perfect way to end the book. I was eager to jump into the third book right away. This second installment definitely entertained me more than the first. City of Bones was a great set-up for the things to come, but City of Ashes had such great character development and so many unexpected twists and turns that kept me thoroughly engrossed.

My rating:

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Title: Sweet Shadows
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Medusa Girls (Book #2)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: September 4, 2012
ISBN-10: 0062001833
ISBN-13: 9780062001832
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Gretchen may have known she was a descendant of Medusa long before her sisters — after all, she's spent her life fighting the monsters that escape the abyss — but that doesn't mean it will be easy to teach the other girls the ropes. Can she rely on Grace and Greer, or even trust herself to keep them safe? Greer has pressing social commitments on her plate and precious little time to train in her newfound powers. But that wretched second sight won't leave her alone, and her fabled heritage seems to be creeping into her fashionable life.

Grace has worries closer to home—like why her brother, Thane, has disappeared. He's hiding something. Could it possibly be related to the secret heritage the triplets share?

With the warring factions among the gods of Olympus coming for them, the creatures of the abyss pushing into their world, and the boys in their lives keeping secrets at every turn, the three girls must figure out where their fate will take them and how to embrace the shadows of their legacy.



My Review:
The second installment of the Medusa Girls picks up right (and I mean right-at-that-very-moment) where the first book left off. Medusa's descendants, Gretchen, Greer, and Grace are back, they're together, and now they find themselves fighting for their lives as monsters from the abyss plan on killing them in exchange for freedom. Olympian gods are involved and has the potential to get deliciously messy, the girls have new (or old?) allies, and all the while they're dealing with their new-found lives clashing with their old ones.There's so much that I loved about this book. Sweet Shadows had more action and an up-close look into the abyss as opposed to just being set in San Francisco. Childs gave the reader a look from both sides this time, and we were introduced to more of the monsters. And not all of them are bad! Cheers! This other world is such a contrast to the city. It's dark and ridden with monsters who have absolutely no desire to be there, which is why they want to escape any chance they get.

In addition to the change of setting, the characters were further developed really well. Greer wasn't my favourite in the first book, but I have to say that without a question she was my favourite in this one. Especially when talking to her adoptive parents... my heart broke for her. Another revelation lies in the character of Nick. Throughout the first book, there was this obvious underlying that there was something going on with him. I love that his role was expanded beyond being a pretty boy always hanging around Gretchen. The relationships were also more cemented, and will continue through the next book if this one is any indication. Childs did it again; I already can't wait for the next book.

Alright, I'm going to go into fangirl-mode for a sec, but am I wrong to think that something might happen between Thane and Greer? And that I got positively giddy just thinking about it? Potential to be awkward, though, because Greer looks exactly like Grace, who is very much still Thane's little sister. ...Or has Thane ever really considered Grace his sister? It's obvious that Grace thinks of him as her big brother, but it's never talked about how Thane feels. I think I've typed Thane out more than 4 times in this little blurb. Such a cool name. Plus he's still very much a mystery as he was before, even more-so now at the end of this book (Greer even called him an enigma. Did I call it, or did I call it?). Back to him and Greer, they seem to share some kind of link, and I'm really curious to see why. He still wins out as my favourite guy in the books. I'm really interested to know what his deal is; he's so vague. Just when I thought all the mysteries from the first book have been solved.

Just like the first book, this was written in the three different perspectives of the sisters. My only issue with the first one was the switching points of views, as there was no real flow or uniformity. This book was set up the same, so it was a little confusing at times. Again, not a huge issue because even though the girls were more in tune with each other and had similar goals and experiences, they were still very much distinct. All the storylines and characters moved forward at a nice pace with every chapter, and it's getting more apparent that this war is going to be something big.

Once again recommended for Greek mythology lovers and lovers of kickass heroines; there are three of them in this one. I got through Sweet Shadows in less than 30 hours--that almost never happens. Definitely no sophomore slump here!

Note: Read for the Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge

My rating:

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Title: Sweet Venom
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Medusa Girls (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: September 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0062001817
ISBN-13: 9780062001818
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.



My Review:
Gretchen, monster hunter extraordinaire, starts the story off in the middle of a fight, in which she comes out victorious. She's also trying to get a hold of her mentor, Ursula, who has been missing for a while. Grace just moved to San Francisco from a small town with her mom, dad, and older brother. She's smart, eco-friendly, and wants a fresh start in her new school. Only thing is, she starts seeing monsters everywhere. One day, the two cross paths and discover that-- hey, they have the same face. Upon learning about her ancestry through Gretchen, Grace finds out that she's a descendant of Medusa, the snake-headed Greek mythology lady we're all familiar with. The two start to spend more time together and make a further discovery: they have another sister. They're triplets. Greer is the Blair Waldorf of San Francisco. She's preppy, on top of the social ladder, is involved in many extra curriculars, and has a boyfriend that is just as socially high up. When she's tracked down by Gretchen and Grace, she refuses to believe anything they say. But their arrival triggers something from her past and now there's no turning back. She is, in fact, a triplet and a direct descendant of the Gorgon Medusa.

It's interesting because in most YA novels about mythology, the gods are portrayed as the good guys and the Gorgons as bad. Or maybe that's just me comparing everything to Percy Jackson, which I really shouldn't be doing. Just an observation. So this turn of events with the Gorgons being connected as main subjects intrigued me, and I love it. I remember learning about the Gorgon sisters in class several years ago, Medusa and Perseus specifically, but it wasn't a myth that stuck with me. I had to think back in terms of accuracy for this book, but I gave up a few chapters in, because I was pulled into this world that Childs created enough to enjoy it as it is. Plus all the monsters were kind of confusing and I couldn't keep up, but I was entertained nonetheless.

Each sister, we learn, has a power parallel to each Gorgon sister as well as common abilities, and the girls spend most of the novel discovering what they can do and why. I loved the kickass action sequences; especially Gretchen's, she's awesome. But I think what I loved more was their journey to discovering each other, their background, and their inevitable strong bond. It wasn't sudden, which I liked. It was all very heart-warming and nicely paced.

When I saw that the novel was switching perspectives back and forth between the sisters, I got a little weary. They'd have to have very, very distinct voices to work well. Childs achieved this, though. The sisters are so different from each other and their individual narratives definitely show that. I did, however, get confused (again) at times because it's not like the perspectives have a flow -- one chapter will be Grace, then the next Gretchen, then Grace again, then Gretchen, then Greer. But again, their voices were so distinct that it wasn't such a problem. The potential love interests were also likeable and very intriguing, like there's more than what's in front of you. This is also the case with Grace's brother, Thane, who is an enigma wrapped in stealth, wrapped in sharp cheekbones and square jaw. It's hard not to like these characters.

Overall, this book is a winner. It took me a while to get into it, but once I hit about the quarter mark, I finished it two days later on and off. I went and got the second installment as well, which I'll also be reviewing soon. Thank goodness I have the second one already, because... holy cliffhanger. Check it out if you're a fan of sisterly love and Greek mythology (especially the different creatures, there are loads here).

Note: Read for the Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge

My rating:

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Today is the cover reveal for Shauna Granger's Fire, the 4th book in the Elemental series. Excited to say that this is my first time taking part in a cover reveal. And, might I say, it's a pretty awesome one. It's quite different from the last 3, but I like it! Check it out below.


Title: Fire (Elemental, #4)
Age Group: Young Adult/New Adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Expected Release: December 18, 2012
Cover Design: Mooney Designs


Synopsis:
Demons, faeries, and mermaids. Claws, teeth, and nightmares.

They have been beaten and bruised, set on fire, and nearly drowned, but manage to always find their way home.  Over their last Winter Holiday break before college, Shayna, Jodi, and Steven try again to put aside the magic in their lives for a little mundane fun. But Shayna's mother is having dreams of fire and death. A mysterious stranger by the name of Liam has just arrived in town. And Shayna's attempts to manage her new angelic powers are set back by Steven's insistence that the trio intervene in a riot outside of a concert, with disastrous consequences.

In her attempt to stop the riot, a man sees Shayna use her magical abilities – a man driven mad by watching his brother die at the hands of a black witch. He stalks Shayna, plotting to destroy her and her friends. With her mother’s warnings echoing in her mind, Shayna is now in the fight of her life against an unlikely foe: a human man.

About the author:
Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago Shauna started work on her Elemental Series and released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011. When not reading and writing, Shauna enjoys cooking and playing hostess whenever she can.
Shauna Granger | Facebook | Twitter

Links to find/buy previous books in the series:
Earth: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
Air: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
Water: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

Cover reveal organized by

Title: The Hallowed Ones
Author: Laura Bickle
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Dystopian
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release date: September 25, 2012
ISBN-10: 0547859260
ISBN-13: 9780547859262
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there…and it is making a killing.

Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: no one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elders’ rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?



My Review:
Katie has been waiting for her Rumspringa for a long time. She's a good Amish girl who values her beliefs but has a bit of a rebellious streak and still wants to experience life on her own, to know what it feels to be truly independent. The world beyond their own Amish community is referred to as the "Outside", and Katie is ready to go. But something happens that forces a lockdown; outsiders cannot come in and no one from their community can leave. People are dying and there's something evil out there.

Katie, Katie, Katie. I love her. She was smart, rational, brave, and had this quality about her that made you believe she'd do well given the chance of freedom. There are some romantic, relationship-y bits in the book, but nothing too major that it verges on being the central focus. It's just the right amount for this type of book. I love Alex, though, definitely more than Elijah, Katie's best friend and most-likely husband-to-be in her eyes. The relationships between Katie and the other characters were nicely done as well. Bickle gives the readers a nice glimpse into the Amish culture, giving it a nice touch of insight, authenticity, and straying away from being even an ounce preachy or over-the-top. She provided the perfect mix of culture and paranormal to make one scary-ass perfect story. Who knew it would work?

The vampires are not the usual romanticized heartthrobs that have seemed to take over YA literature as of late. Bickle brings it back to the terrifying monsters that Stephen King would be proud of. They're super creepy and just vile, I couldn't put the book down. I found myself literally gasping and having my eyes almost bulge out of their sockets at some parts, it's just so grossly engaging.

I suggested this book in a meme just this past Friday. I read it just when I started blogging, but I never wrote up a review for it. I thought this would be an appropriate time as it's around Halloween. I read the premise and had some serious doubts, but I like being proved wrong when it comes to books, because you never know, right? There are some books with amazing plots but the writing itself is just terrible. So why can't the opposite happen? That's why I decided to read this. No regrets. It was amazing, guys. While the whole premise of Amish + vampires sounds crazy ridiculous, it was well-written and utterly engaging. The build-up was fantastically done and paid off in the end. I never found myself bored or reading for the sake of getting it over with. I'm not usually one for horror novels; I read them only once in a while. It's not my first genre of choice, but I can definitely stomach horror novels more than horror movies. As I've mentioned on this blog before, I don't have half the imagination that horror directors do, so the scary scenarios aren't as scary in my head as they could be on-screen, just because I don't want them to be. Even though Bickle's descriptions gave me chills, it was still enjoyable enough for me to keep reading. Call me a wuss, but I get scared easily. If I do decide to read horror, I wait until this time of year. If you're looking for a solid paranormal/dystopian read for this Halloween season, definitely consider picking this up.

My rating:

Visit the author:
Official website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy this book:
IndieBound.org | Amazon.com | Indigo.ca

Hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine:
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

There's no set release date or cover yet, but with all the hype surrounding it right now, I'm not even ashamed to say that my life revolves around this series at the moment. So to see it end is like a piece of my soul drifting away into the abyss. I'm exaggerating, but I really don't want the Mortal Instruments to end; I love this particular group of characters too, too much.

City of Heavenly Fire
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments (Book #6)
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: Unknown
Release date: 2014

In Book 6: City of Heavenly Fire, Jace, Clary and their friends are drawn inexorably into a war that pits Heaven against Hell, angels against demons—a war that threatens to destroy our world entirely if the Shadowhunters can't end it first.




This next one: just look at this cover! I love the plot, as well. White's Paranormalcy trilogy is pretty good, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games (Book #1)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 256 (Hardback)
Release date: February 19, 2013

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.