Review: The Rising

The Rising
Darkness Rising, Book 3

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 406
Publisher: Harper
Source: YA Books Central for review

Description from Goodreads:
Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Previous Books in Series:
1: The Gathering
2: The Calling

First Sentence: "I was running through the forest."

Review:

As ever, Kelley Armstrong delivers an entertaining, fast-paced, paranormal novel. With The Rising, Armstrong wraps up the Darkness Rising trilogy, though likely not her young adult tales set in this universe. The Rising brims with actions and tough decisions for the teenage characters. This review is spoiler-free for the series.

Yet again, I'm really grateful to find romance not the central element of this series. Armstrong focuses primarily on the group dynamics and world building, instead. In The Rising, Maya and her friends face their biggest challenge yet: trying to escape to cabals. The stakes are very high, and Armstrong takes a pretty unique direction with it compared to a lot of evil corporation stories. The characters all have shades of grey to their natures, and it lends a dose of realism to the supernatural story.

Almost all of the characters in the Darkness Rising series are at least somewhat sympathetic and likable. Bad guys aren't always all bad, and the good guys have their dark sides. Maya is a powerful heroine, who takes care of herself and her friends, clearly the leader of their little pack. Daniel and Rafe, the two love interests, are both decent guys, strong and devoted to their friends. Sam, perhaps my personal favorite, is sarcastic and a bit mean, but the kind of person a group needs to have around to get things done. Hayley may be blonde, but there's more to her. Corey's the clown, around to lighten the mood in the tough moments. In addition to those guys, the Darkness Rising series also joins up with the Darkest Powers series, with the main characters of that series making an appearance.

While there is a love triangle, Armstrong does a nice job with it. Only at the very end is it completely certain which guy Maya will choose, for one thing. Even better, Maya never leads anyone on. She reacts honestly and openly to those around her, and never claims to love both guys equally. When she finds herself in that situation, she takes the time to think things through and make an informed decision.

The Rising does flag a bit towards the end, changing in both tone and pacing. It felt as though Armstrong realized she needed to wrap things up, and did so as quickly as possible. There's a bit more telling through that section, and my mind wandered a bit. Still, I do like where the series left off fairly well, and do want to know more about the characters and the world.

Though the Darkness Rising series is complete, readers have not seen the last of these kids and their world, and I am very glad of that. Kelley Armstrong is the author of consistently enjoyable novels, and I recommend them to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories full of action and a bit of romance.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "She obviously didn't take his crap. Still, it would drive me crazy, constantly needing to remind my boyfriend that I could handle myself just fine."

Review: The Calling

The Calling
Darkness Rising, Book 2

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 326
Publisher: Harper
Source: YA Books Central for review

Description from Goodreads:
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.

Previous Book in Series:
1: The Gathering

First Sentence: "I don't know who was more anxious—Daniel or Kenjii—but they weren't making this emergency helicopter evacuation any easier."

Review:

While I wouldn't necessarily rank Kelley Armstrong as one of my favorite authors, she is one author whose books I do always look forward to reading. They're just so much fun from beginning to end, with action and romance and humor. They're like Cheez-Its or potato chips, super tasty snack food that you just have to have and cannot get enough of. The Calling has pretty much convinced me that I like the Darkness Rising series even better than the Darkest Powers trilogy which preceded it, due to the awesome characters and constant action.

It's been about two years since I read The Gathering, so I was really afraid I would remember enough to be parse what was going on, but Armstrong does a nice job refreshing everything, so, while there are some things I don't remember, I've got what I need to know. So, if it's been some time since you read book one, no worries!

The Calling starts with a bang, as the book picks up where The Gathering left off, with the kids (Maya, Daniel, Rafe, Sam, Nicole, Hayley, and Corey) having just been rescued from a forest fire along with the mayor. Things quickly go from bad to worse, as the mayor collapses and suspicion turns to the helicopter pilot who's rescuing them and flying them in the wrong direction. They manage to subdue the helicopter pilot, but that, unfortunately, means no one's flying the helicopter, though they do have enough skill between them to not totally crash it. Until the helicopter pilot wakes up and does it for them. That opening scene is insanely action-packed. Can you say hooked?

Anyway, they mostly survive, but now they have to Hatchet their way through the wilderness while trying to avoid the supposed rescuers out to capture them and do who knows what to them. Meanwhile, they're dealing with the reality of the fact that they all appear to have paranormal powers of some sort and wondering whether they can all really trust each other. I won't go into any details on that stuff, because you should enjoy the drama for yourself. I will say, though, that the romantic element is kept very minor in this book, which I thought was a nice respite from the whole love triangle thing.

Though The Calling was a complete and total blast to read, there were some elements of the plot that felt manufactured and overly convenient. Basically, they're running around and being chased at all turns, and they keep dropping off one at a time, sort of like And Then There Were None. Also, they were strangely mature about everything; every team member acknowledged that the survival of the group was worth the sacrifice of the one, and they were all eager to be sacrifices. This seemed a little ridiculous to me, especially given that some of them weren't even great friends. There's also a scene where Maya has this great idea to get into a truck with this creepy guy, bringing Sam with her. Yeah, she has a plan, but he's so obviously a freaking bad guy and the whole thing just made me headdesk.

Despite those drawbacks, The Calling is an awesome read, and I could hardly put it down. Even better, I love the way the ending set up The Rising, and I am very excited to read that one next.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "I'd always thought of myself as an open-minded person. I had no patience with anyone who put down other kids because of their race, religion, or sexuality. But that's just one kind of open-mindedness. There's another kind, too, the kind that's willing to see people for who they really are and admit when you're wrong about them. That's the part I still had to work on."

Review: Eyes to See

Eyes to See
Jeremiah Hunt, Book 1

Author: Joseph Nassise
Pages: 320
Publisher: Tor
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
In an urban fantasy that charts daring new territory in the field, Jeremiah Hunt has been broken by a malevolent force that has taken his young daughter and everything else of value in his life: his marriage, his career, his reputation. Desperate to reclaim what he has lost, Hunt finally turns to the supernatural for justice.

Abandoning all hope for a normal life, he enters the world of ghosts and even more dangerous entities from beyond the grave. Sacrificing his normal sight so that he can see the souls of the dead and the powers that stalk his worst nightmares, Hunt embarks upon a strange new career—a pariah among the living; a scourge among the dead; doomed to walk between the light of day and the deepest darkness beyond night.

His love for his departed daughter sustains him when all is most hopeless, but Hunt is cursed by something more evil than he can possibly imagine. As he descends into the maelstrom of his terrifying quest, he discovers that even his deepest fears are but prelude to yet darker deeds by a powerful entity from beyond the grave…that will not let him go until it has used him for its own nefarious purposes.

First Sentence: "I gave up my eyes in order to see more clearly."

Review:

Receiving an unsolicited review copy generally feels a bit terrifying, because there are a couple different ways that it can play out, several of them unfortunate. When I received King of the Dead, an unsolicited copy of the second book in a series I'd never even heard of, I was a bit concerned to say the least, as one of the issues with unsolicited books is squeezing them into an already fairly tight review schedule. Well, the publisher did contact me and offer me book one as well, if I didn't already have a copy, and, after looking at reviews, I accepted. Luckily, I enjoyed Eyes to See, and will not have to force myself through the sequel.

The opening chapters really snared me. Hunt lost his daughter Elizabeth, kidnapped away from him while she was playing the floor above. He never stopped searching for her or believing that she was still out there somewhere, waiting for him to find her. The experience completely changes him, taking him from some man that the reader only gets hints of into the man in this series. He now has the much more world-weary attitude that I've seen in other male-targeted paranormals.

So desperate was Jeremiah Hunt to locate his daughter that when he had a chance, however slim, that he might be able to locate her, he took it. As such, he sacrificed his eyesight, gaining instead a new kind of sight. He can no longer see anything in the light anymore, but has vision in the darkness, which is why he lives in a house with every window boarded up. With his new eyes, he can also see ghosts, and other paranormal creatures. Pretty much everything with his eyes was seriously fascinating to me, and, I thought, quite well thought out.

At the outset of the novel, Hunt has taken a job as an exorcist, something he does whenever he needs more money. He faces down a creepy poltergeist and establishes his snarky, people-hating tone here. I really like Jeremiah. He's sort of a mild guy, but still not a good person to mess with, mostly because he's resourceful and not quite as blind as everyone seems to think. Unlike most male protagonists in paranormal fantasy, he isn't much of a fighter; in physical confrontations, he generally comes off the worse for wear, which made him a much more unique character, I felt.

Of course, he quickly gets entangled into a murder investigation which ties in to Elizabeth's disappearance. Eyes to See clearly feels like the set up to a series, though it does wrap up nicely. I'll be really curious to see what direction Jeremiah goes in from here, as to whether the plot arc from this one will continue or if he will now wander around solving individual paranormal cases from book to book. Either could be great, I think, given Nassise's delightful writing style and strong characters.

For the most part, the narrative style worked quite well. The reader mostly gets Hunt's first person perspective. I found my attention waning a bit when the perspective shifted from him, however. Much as I might like Denise, I didn't feel that the one or two brief chapters from her third person limited perspective were entirely necessary. I felt that way even more so about the chapters from the killer's perspective, as well as from Stanton's. Has Nassise stuck to Hunt's past and present perspectives, I feel this might have been a stronger whole.

Fans of paranormal fantasy who don't want a focus on romance will delight in Nassise's Eyes to See. Though I haven't read them, so take this with a grain or cellar of salt, I suspect these might be a good read-a-like for The Dresden Files series. I shall be happily embarking on King of the Dead sometime within the next week.

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote:

"He was clearly nervous; his palm was damp with sweat, and it didn't take a genius to recognize that I unnerved him almost as much as did the events that had forced him to seek me out in the first place.
   Frankly, I didn't give a shit. Miss Congeniality, I was not."

Review: The Unfailing Light

The Unfailing Light
The Katerina Trilogy, Book 2

Author: Robin Bridges
Pages: 320
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: For review from YA Books Central

Description from Goodreads:
Lush and opulent, romantic and sinister, The Unfailing Light, Volume II in The Katerina Trilogy, reimagines the lives of Russia's aristocracy in a fabulously intoxicating and page-turning fantasy.

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Series Up to This Book:
1: The Gathering Storm (Review|Goodreads)

First Sentence: "Two little girls in identical brown dresses skipped down the long corridor on their way to dinner."

Review:
Russian history has, for whatever reason (ngl, probably because of the movie Anastasia), always been among my favorites to read about, in both fiction and nonfiction. As such, Robin Bridges' debut The Gathering Storm sprinted to the top of my to-read pile a little over a year ago. I liked it, but not unreservedly. The Unfailing Light is one of those rare cases where I feel precisely the same about the sequel as I did the first book. If you liked The Gathering Storm, good news; you will enjoy this one as well.

Oddly enough, the book that I am reminded most of in thinking of The Unfailing Light is Harry Potter. Of course, there are abundant magical creatures, but the real parallel is in the villain. Konstantin, lich (undead) tsar, seeks to return to power. Like Voldemort, he cannot be dispatched easily. At the end of the first book, they thought he was gone for good, but...not so much. The fact that he requires the aid of the main character, only to be foiled by her, brought that to mind as well.

To rejoin the living, Konstantin and his forces require the services of a necromancer, which our dear heroine just happens to be. Katerina dreams of becoming a doctor and has plans to attend medical school in Zurich. I love her determination to work in medicine, that she would voluntarily venture into a tough field where she will constantly endure sexist remarks though she has no need of a profession. She could live off her wealthy parents idly, or find a husband with ease. She, however, has bigger dreams. Unfortunately, Katerina's dreams, like many people's, get squashed.

Katerina, guess what! You know that evil dead tsar who tried to take over all of Russia again a little while back, who you though you killed with great difficulty? Well, he's not so much dead, or, at least, no more dead than he was before. Also, Katerina, this means that the tsar (the living one) who doesn't think women should be educated, your love, and your family will use this chance to protect you right back to The Smolny Institute for Young Noble Maidens. Even better, you'll get all this news from the guy you love.

George, Katerina's love interest, was probably my favorite character in the first book. He had this whole awesome broody, I-like-you-in-spite-of-myself, Darcy-ish thing going on, which I, of course, totally fell for. People who don't like Darcy often say that they doubt he and Elizabeth would work together long term, because he would continually try to boss her around. Well, I don't know about Darcy and Lizzie, but George sure is a bossy jerk in this one. Protecting the girl you love from harm is certainly a good thing, but not if you have to reduce her quality of life for all of the foreseeable future to do so. Plus, she should have a say-so. You don't just tell her what to do and threaten that the tsar will make her go. Ugh. Not to mention that protecting her means locking her into basically just that one (admittedly large) building for almost a year. She is NOT your crazy wife; don't lock her in the metaphorical attic, okay?

Of course, Katerina does not help matters by going along quietly. Me, I would have put up a fight. Katerina's intelligent and I know this and enjoy her narrative voice. She's also has guts like whoa. To protect others, she will stand up to anything, risking life, limb and reputation. I love this about her. When she's threatened mentally, though, she just does not exhibit her strength. She obeys orders that take away from her happiness (like going back to Smolny) and, because she fears embracing her necromancer powers, she does not research them like she should. If she embraced the practice of necromancy like she has medicine, she would be an unstoppable badass. You only have one more book, girl, so go read that Necromancer's Handbook and memorize the dang spells ASAP.

As far as the plot and world building go, I bounced back and forth, both in this book and the last, between having suspension of disbelief issues and thinking it's the best. Thinking about this, I believe it's because this is an alternate history version of Russia where magical creatures exist, but the tsars and everything are the same. I'm not sure what the jumping off point was, and, if it has always been this way, then why are the same personages in power? I suppose this is why so many historical fantasy books take place in culturally-inspired places, rather than the actual historical country. At the very least, despite that questioning, this alternate vision of historical Russia is engrossing and fascinating.

Yet again, I realize my review sounds way more critical than I necessarily intend it to (though I'm going to leave it that way because I did want to say those things). All of that nitpicky stuff aside, I blew through this book, eager to flip pages. The Unfailing Light kept me completely entertained, and, if I had the next book sitting with me when I finished, I would have happily started reading that one too.

This book has drama and romance and betrayal and a seriously creepy ghost and so much more. Also, I really loved the twist at the end that happened to one of the people in her family. It totally changed some dynamics in an awesome way. The Katerina Trilogy is just so much fun, and I will definitely be looking out for the final volume!

Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Quote: "'She was on her deathbed and gave me a glass of her own blood, mixed with that of an upyri. It didn't taste bad, but it had a hint of rosemary. And after that delightful fennel salad at dinner . . . well, you just can't have two strong herbs competing for your palate.'"

Review + Giveaway: Full Blooded

Full Blooded
Jessica McClain, Book 1

Author: Amanda Carlson
Pages: 322
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Publisher for review

Description from Goodreads:
Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

First Sentence: "I drew in a ragged breath and tried to surface from one hell of a nightmare."

Review:
It has been ages since I read a straight up paranormal romance, and, though they may not be literary brilliance, I have missed them. Amanda Carlson's Jessica McClain series focuses on shifters, but has just about every paranormal you could hope to find. Full Blooded reminded me heavily of Bitten, the first book of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, so, if you enjoyed that, you will likely enjoy the drama of Full Blooded.

Jessica has fought long and hard for her independence from the Pack, but all of that effort goes up in smoke the moment she shifts into her wolf form. Women aren't supposed to shift; in fact, she's the only female werewolf in the world (baby wolfies are bred on human women). No surprise there, right? What's a paranormal romance without a heroine who is a super special snowflake? Since being the only female werewolf in the whole world isn't enough, she also has some other powers too.

All of that, of course, is very unoriginal ground, well-tread in the genre. What I enjoyed, though, was that Jessica was not running from her family because they were abusive or controlling or didn't respect her, but because she wanted to live a different life. Her father Callum, the pack's Alpha, and her brother Tyler support her in everything she does, unless they're positive she'll be seriously hurt by what she's planning. When in doubt, though, they always help her, let her have what she wants. Like, her father could use his Alpha powers to order her to behave a particular way, but he doesn't, except in extreme situations when her life is legit on the line. In fiction, there are a lot of neglectful or abusive families, so I am always so glad to see that, especially in paranormal romance, where it usually takes a back seat to romance.

Anyway, being the only female werewolf is complicated, and, thankfully, not because all of the men think they should be able to get into her pants. Actually, there's a prophecy that says a lady werewolf will destroy all of their kind, so some factions are seriously concerned at her emergence. Her father's first instinct is to lock her up and keep her safe, but he wants her to be happy, so they try to let her just go on with life. Of course, that doesn't work, because there would be no book.

Jessica was mostly a likable heroine. She's strong, brave, loyal, and practical. Even when she meets her mate (hello obvious instalove), she doesn't get gross about it, thank goodness. The only thing I didn't like about her was the way she would refer to things as 'slutty' that didn't seem to be at all. Like, she would worry that as a wolf she would be a slut, and sleep with everyone. *headdesk* Embrace it, girl. Slutty is something society imposes on you; don't let it and you can have way more guilt-free fun.

Oh, also, Jessica loves to eat. Her change makes her ravenously hungry at all times. She eats constantly in the book. Hurray for a heroine that EATS. She has a hunger beast and I thought that was fantastic. Even better, there's a scene where she's talking to this super sexy guy with a big old mouthful of food. Her words come out all unclear, because of how much food she has stuffed in there. This scene was probably my favorite, since Jessica really doesn't care most of the time if she looks hot and that was refreshing.

Thankfully, she doesn't let her somewhat prudish mind stop her from having fun entirely, because the wolf-y side of her convinces her getting some is an awesome idea. Good sexy scenes happen rarely in YA, so this was very enjoyable. The wolfish side of her brain needs to win arguments more often.

Except...I didn't really like the wolfish side of her brain. Basically, this was the thing I liked least, I think. The wolf reminded me a lot of the 'inner goddess' thing. It's all 'my wolf growls' or 'my wolf barks' or 'my wolf is in a frenzy,' encouraging her to fight or to stare someone down have some sex. I don't know. I guess I just didn't like how silly that seemed or how compartmentalized the wolf was, like an entirely different being inhabiting her body. She and the wolf are one, right?

Full Blooded met my expectations just about, a fun paranormal romp. Not much is accomplished plot-wise, and the ending has some insane cliffhangers, so I'll be sticking around for Hot Blooded, the next book in the series.

Rating: 3/5

Favorite Quote: "'I don't want to go, I want to stay and fight. My place is here fighting alongside my Pack, not being protected like some breakable object.'"

Giveaway: I'm giving away my finished review copy to a reader, since my book shelves are overflowing. Since I'm mailing it out, US only. All you have to do is fill out THIS FORM by October 26 at 11:59 PM.

Audiobook Review: Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls
Carnival of Souls, Book 1

Author: Melissa Marr
Narrator: James Marsters
Duration: 8 hrs, 5 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Source: Harper Audio for review

Description from Goodreads:
In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and "Graveminder," comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Review:
I've been a Melissa Marr fan since Wicked Lovely, though I admit that I've gotten way behind, having missed reading several of her more recent books. This one, though, I simply knew that I had to listen to, because James Martsters, so I made time. Melissa Marr's newest differs quite a bit from her Wicked Lovely series, but shares the dark romance and gritty world building that I enjoyed so much in those books.

Mallory has been raised knowing that daimons and witches exist, that her father, Adam, is a witch. Because of something he stole from the daimon ruler, she and Adam move constantly, and she's never had the chance to get close to anyone but him. What the reader knows and Mallory does not is that what Adam Stole is Mallory, the daughter of the daimon ruler, Marchosias. She is a daimon, but has been trained how to kill them, tutored on the use of firearms.

Witches and daimons do not get along. They fought wars over The City, and the daimons won, thanks to the leadership of Marchosias. The witches live hidden in the human world; the daimons live in the demon world, comprised of The City and the Untamed Lands. The City is dark, violent, sordid, and built around a rigid social hierarchy. In an effort to provide the slightest chance of social mobility to his citizens, Marchosias hosts a competition, wherein daimons can sign up to battle, the winner obtaining high rank and a position in the government. It's rather like The Hunger Games, only made up of a series of individual battles during a long span of time, and the battles do have the option of ending in forfeiture, though forfeiting, for those in the lower castes, ends in fates worse than death.

The story opens with Mallory, in the throes of her first real crush upon a boy named Kaleb. Reality strikes a blow when her dad announces that they have to move yet again. However, she runs into Kaleb unexpectedly before the move and they bond. What she does't know is that Kaleb is a Cur, the lowest of the daimons, and that he is fighting in the competition in pursuit of higher social status for himself and his pack mate. Even more, Kaleb has been contracted to murder Mallory, and he has been befriending her to that end. Their romance, while initially disgustingly saccharine recovers itself in Mallory's sane reactions to knowledge when she obtains it. Though I do feel bad for Kaleb's status and the life he's had to live, I still cannot like him because of how he behaves. Mallory, again, I sympathize with, but feel no real bond to because she's not had enough life experience or self-awareness to really have a personality yet.

I have to say that I was really confused at first when the story switched away from Mallory to other characters. The transition was awkward and, on audio, you always wonder if you've missed something, accidentally skipped a chapter somehow. Furthermore, all of the Melissa Marr novels I've read followed one particular character and I expected this to do the same. Anyway, Aya and Belias, the other two main character, ended up being my favorites and I'm so glad she included them, even if it did make the story a bit harder to follow.

Aya, a high caste woman, signed up to fight in the competition, the only woman ever to do so. That she did this is scandalous, both because women are for breeding and because, as a high caste woman, she already has high status. Her reasons are twofold: 1) she does not want to breed ever 2) she wants to be part of the government to improve life in the daimon world. Her situation is further complicated by her ex, Belias, who would have been her marriage partner and whom she does love (marriage without breeding is not an option for daimons), who enters the competition in a misguided attempt to save her and win her back. The tensions between these two delighted me. Aya, of course, I love because she doesn't want children and refuses to fall into gender roles. Holla!

Though the characterization could use work, I still highly enjoyed Carnival of Souls' plot and world building. I have hopes that the characters improve in the next book in the series.

Rating: 4/4

Narration:
I probably wouldn't have gotten around to reading this novel for a while had James Marsters not done the narration. Who doesn't want Spike to read to them for hours? Of course, I was expecting the British accent he used on Buffy, but he doesn't talk like that here. This turns out not to be a hardship, though, because James Marsters voice is marvelous to listen to in any incarnation, and I do mean any, since the Curs talk in annoying southern accents.

Marsters has serious talent for audio narration, and I sincerely hope he continues to narrate this series and other audiobooks. He really is, Spike fangirling aside, one of the best narrators I've had the good fortune to listen to thus far. He even does a good job with the voices of the girls, even though many professional audiobook narrators struggle with the voices of the opposite gender. His narration for Carnival of Souls was all that I hoped and more.

Rating: 5/5

Audio or Print?:
Did you not read all of that about how James Marsters is the freaking best? LISTEN TO THIS BOOK.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Cold Magic

Cold Magic
Spiritwalker, Book 1

Author: Kate Elliott
Pages: 580
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Orbit for review

Description from Goodreads:
It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy.

“I was not a bard or a djeli or an historian or a scribe and I was certainly not a sage, but that didn't mean I wasn't curious…”

Young Cat Barahal thinks she understands the world she lives in and her place in it, but in fact she is merely poised, unaware, on the brink of shattering events. Drawn into a labyrinth of politics involving blood, betrayal and old feuds, she will be forced to make an unexpected and perilous journey in order to discover the truth, not just about her own family but about an ancient secret lying at the heart of her world.

Cat and her cousin Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust?

From one of the genre's finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle.

First Sentence: "The history of the world begins in ice, and it will end in ice."

Review:
Oh, epic fantasy. I really shouldn't be reading any of it while trying to complete my massive book challenge, because every time I read one I lose ground. Still, I keep reading them, because I like them. Cold Magic proved to be especially slow, because it took me so long to really get into it. The writing and story was always good, but not enough to have me flipping the pages at high speed.

The world building, so far as I understand it, is impressive. Unfortunately, much of it I didn't understand, largely the parts that intrigued me the most, the alternate history aspects. Usually, I don't have major comprehension issues with books, but I really could not piece together a timeline of what events happened when and how the history differed. Of course, it doesn't help that this takes place in regions and discusses times I didn't study much.

The magic, though, made much more sense and was, pardon the pun, very cool. I suspect that later  books might explain how the cold magic came into being, because that seems to be a real mystery, and it's so odd, since there doesn't seem to be any other magic on the earthly plane. The spiritual plane is so weird, and I hope there will be more exploration of it; I think there will be so that we can meet Cat's relatives.

Part of why the book was slow for so long was that it lacked direction. While most epic fantasy revolves around a quest, this one does not. Thing happen, but they're not aimed toward a particular goal until a few hundred pages in. Once we learn what's going on, the pace picked up.

As for the characters, I like Cat the best. I never took to her cousin and best friend, Bee, though I couldn't really say why, since she is sweet to Cat. Early on, Cat, as the oldest daughter of the Hassi Barahals is forced to wed a cold mage, Andevai. She goes along with it to protect her cousin and family, though she would rather not marry an utter stranger, and a cold one at that. Despite his handsomeness, Cat wants pretty much nothing to do with him and snarks at him constantly. She berates him with questions, calls him out when he acts like a jerk, and generally doesn't act like so many young heroines do when confronted with a handsome face.

My very favorite thing about Cat? How much she eats. This girl can pack food away. You know how a lot of books forget about basic human needs like eating to focus on other things? Well, Elliott doesn't do that. Cat has a seriously healthy appetite, and after so many books about skinny, waifish, model-thin heroines, that was so refreshing. She's clearly a girl after my own heart.

Surely, you will not be surprised to learn that there is a sort of romance building between Cat and Andevai. They have a nice slow burn, which grows from mutual disdain (totally my favorite romance pattern thanks to P&P). I am totally rooting for them, though I do not want them to rush together.

In the last 200 pages or so, I was much more entranced by the story. The change came about the time Rory entered the scene. He's hilarious and I adore him. Though this one was slow-going and I can't say I loved it, I have higher hopes for the second book Cold Fire, which is a good thing since it's in my tbr pile.

Rating: 3/5

Favorite Quote: "Idly, I flipped through the ledger's pages, for I cannot resist a book set before me no matter its kind. Writing draws my eye; I am impelled as by sorcery to read even if it is an accountant's list or a solicitor's instructions or, as here, nothing more than a record of traveler who have passed through this inn."

Soul Back - Butterfly Boucher

Eternal
Tantalize, Book 2

Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Pages: 307
Publisher: Candlewick

Brief Summary:
Zachary is a guardian angel and his job is to look after Miranda, subtly guiding her to a good path until her life runs its course. Unfortunately, once she grew up, he kind of fell in love with her too. So when he sees the shadow that means imminent death around her, he is freaked. And when he sees her about to die, without thinking, he makes himself visible to her and saves her life. For a little while anyway. Instead of her death by natural causes, his action results in her being turned into a vampire and his being kicked out of heaven. Now he has one chance to get his wings back: kill Dracula (the current one, not the Stoker one...it's a title) and get what remains of her soul back on track.

Review:
My first time through Eternal I was really disappointed, since I'd really enjoyed Tantalize. Now, though, coming in with somewhat lowered expectations I was, largely, pleasantly surprised. This is not to say that I now think this is the best book ever, but I did think it was an interesting read.

Actually, there definitely was quite a lot frustrating about this book and pretty much all of it can be summed up in one word: Miranda. I hate just about everything about her. After she's turned into a vampire princess against her will, she just rolls with it. She happily eats people and calls the creepy, power-mad vampire who turned her Father, because that helps him fulfill his delusion. Miranda is entirely vapid, conceited and selfish.

Smith tries to set her up as an object of pity by showing her friend Lucy's devotion to her, by showing Zachary's love for her, and by suggesting she had a rough home life. The only one of these that's working for me is Lucy. Miranda's fate doesn't sadden me, but her best friend's does, desperately hoping that her friend has not died because of her desire to flirt. Zachary I actually find to be a somewhat interesting character, but his love for her is both creepy (what with the whole guardian angel, watching her grow from a child to a teen, watching her sleep thing) and ridiculous (she sucks [punned!], so why love her?). And, as for her rough home life, her parents got a divorce. Not to say that that is not painful, but her mother still loves her, and her dad, though distant, buys her awesome presents (now who's selfish? haha).

If you like Maggie Stiefvater's books, you may want to give Cynthia Leitich Smith a try. They have a lot of commonalities, I feel. Both have really clever ideas for paranormal YA romances and both write incredibly obnoxious female main characters. With both books I've read so far, I feel like the stories would have been so much more interesting had they focused on the male characters more.

Rating: 2/5

"I think I'd like my soul back

And only now I find I lost it
At all
Some how
You think you're fine
Until you land
On stones
And then you try to think what pushed you
I'll confess
I'm a mess inside
All my fun fell out.
...I think I'd like my soul back."

A Case of You - Tori Amos

Tantalize
Tantalize, Book 1

Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Pages: 336
Publisher: Candlewick

Brief Summary:
Quincie's parents died and left her the family restaurant Fat Alberto's. The restaurant did okay for a while, but when a rival Italian place opened up nearby and they started losing all their customers but the regulars, her uncle, who's managing the place until she's 21, decides they need a gimmick to get people in. He chooses vampires, even though there hasn't been a definite vampire sighting in years. They're real but still more of a joke than anything else. While the preparations for reopening are still being completed, the chef is murdered. The suspect is her best friend, Kieren, who happens to be a werewolf (well, half of one anyway). The new chef is a bit weird and she only has a brief time to make him look like a proper vampire.

Review:
To get ready for Diabolical, I'm going through this series again. Actually, I've only read the first two. When I read Tantalize several years ago, I thought it was completely hilarious. I enjoyed all of the puns and silly things, like the various kinds of weres (were-armadillo, ha!). At that time, I did think the ending was pretty lame and awful.

Ironically, I'm now kind of going the other way. Whereas before I noticed the silly, light humor, the puns and such things, I now focus on the darkness and violence that I guess didn't bother me before. From my research this is the beginning of Cynthia Leitich Smith's gothic series, and I suppose I can see why. There are monsters lurking under the skin of just about everyone. Of course, the bit of humor on the top does help.

Quincie, aka Quince, does not make a great main character. She's kind of a dope and she does not trust her best friend nearly enough. She is easily swayed by arguments and does not think to do any research on her own. Also, I could definitely have done with a few less mentions of her beige thong; I get it already. On a side note, if my parents named me Quincie, I would be so pissed. Pretty much the only thing consistent from my first read is that I still think Kieren's the best character.

Ultimately, I was a little less into the book on this read-through, but I am still curious to find out what will happen in the later volumes. Although not perfect, Cynthia Leitich Smith does seem to be setting up an interesting world here.

Rating: 2.5/5

"In my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Well, I could drink a case of you, darling"

Two Princes - Spin Doctors

Wolfsbane
Nightshade, Book 2

Author: Andrea Cremer
Pages: 390
Publisher: Philomel Books

Brief Summary:
Calla wakes up in the middle of enemy territory. The Searchers have captured her and Shay. They say they want to be allies, but can they really be trusted? Can Calla really give herself to Shay or does she want to be with Ren, now that he's the one she can't have? Are the Searchers or the Keepers the bad guys? Will Call be able to save her pack?

Review:
I absolutely cannot stand Calla, Ren and Shay. This is unfortunate, given that they are the main characters and that I am probably supposed to like them. Here's the thing: they're supposed to be in this epic love triangle, wherein Calla really is supposed to be with both guys. Yeah, I just don't buy that. You can love both, but you can't love them the same. You either are in love with one of them and will let the other down as easily as possible, or you don't love either one and should start looking for someone better. All of them spend the whole book being completely jealous of any other person who looks at their beloved. Ugh!

Thankfully, the story is action-packed and exciting, which kept me moving through the book, even though I sometimes wanted to hurl it into the wall...or hurl on Calla. The other characters, too, are much more likable. I really loved Connor and Ethan, despite the fact that they're not the most charming folk. Sabine and Bryn both proved awesome. And, of course, Nev and Mason have always been the adorablest.

All in all, a solid follow up to Nightshade that leaves me ready for more, although preferably with less love triangle nonsense (though I doubt it). If you loved the first book, you'll love this one too. Those who think love triangle nonsense is incredibly irritating (even moreso than I do) should probably give the whole series a pass.

"Marry him or marry me,
I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see?
I ain't got no future or a family tree,
But I know what a prince and lover ought to be"

Papercut - Linkin Park

Death's Sweet Embrace
Dark Brethren, Book 2

Author: Tracey O'hara
Genre: fantasy
Pages: 336
ARC Acquired From: HarperCollins via NetGalley

For the second installment, new characters come to the forefront of the story. Antoinette is back as a supporting cast member and Christian makes one cameo. The new heroine is Kitt, a felian (a snow leopard shifter). She is educated, a doctor, and is called in by Oberon's new organization to perform an autopsy. Turns out there is a new paranormal serial killer on the loose and its up to these guys to stop the murderer. And of course, this will require Kitt to get up close and personal with her baby daddy, Raven (a canian/wolf shifter).

I am totally okay with the shift in main characters. It's a good way to write a long romance series without having the main couple get together and break up and get together and break up, etc. What bothers me is that the construction of the book is different from the first in the series. Rather than following only the two main characters, the view point follows others, including the serial killer. The reason O'hara did this brings me to my second concern.

This book has three or four villains/organizations (although maybe they're all part of the same cause?). There's the serial killer, the aliens who originally brought the paranormals to earth as their slaves, the organization the baddie from book one was a part of and the crazy Aeternus who is creating a pack of Necrodeniacs. Overkill much? Because there is so much going on and the group has to split up all the time to deal with the many problems, she could not write from the perspective of just two characters.

I really don't think that the addition of more view points or bad guys added to the book. Now the book is taking itself way too seriously; it is trying to be more fantasy/adventure than romance. This book has very few steamy scenes. What with the shifting between characters and all the action scenes, there just isn't time. That is a shame. Books need to be what they are...and this is a romance series. O'hara needs to do what she does best.

P.S. And twins, really? (This will only make sense to those who finish the book.)

"It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin"

Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? - The Lovin' Spoonful

Nightshade
Nightshade, Book 1

Author: Andrea Cremer
Genre: young adult, fantasy
Pages: 452
ARC Acquired From: Penguin booth at ALA 2010

Brief Summary:
Calla is a Guardian, able to shift into a wolf at will, conveniently without losing any clothing in the process. She is the alpha of her pack and soon to be paired with the male alpha, Ren, of the other young pack by the Keepers, witches who give the Guardians anything they need in exchange for protection and some other less savory things. As a female, Calla is required to remain chaste, but Ren has done nothing of the sort (isn't that always the way?), which is one of the main reasons why Calla does not feel entirely certain about the impending union. Also making her hesitant is the cute new boy, Shay, whose life she saved with her awesome Guardian blood healing powers. Her decision is one of love versus duty, if only she could figure out who she loves and what her duty actually should be.

Review:
Nightshade has a flashy, eye-catching cover. Quite beautiful. The chapters, of the ARC at least, each begin with an image of the waxing or waning moon. Also lovely. The publishers have done a lot to make this book appealing and have aesthetically succeeded. Except that these images are not well-matched to the content of the book. As I said, I like the cover art, but there is nothing about Calla that says purple, especially not her hair. Calla also hates makeup and will not wear it for even the fanciest events, so why would the girl on the cover (presumably Calla) be covered in glitter? As for the moon shots, I liked them a lot until I got to the climax of the book, which takes place at the 'Blood Moon,' which is described in the book as being a full moon. And yet the moon images at the end of the book are of the moon disappearing entirely. Did no one notice this?

The story itself is certainly melodramatic, as is rather unavoidable when the plot is based entirely around a love triangle. Still, I enjoyed the book and will probably read any sequels fairly eagerly. Cremer has done interesting things with the basic premise of werewolves (which these aren't really). Her story definitely falls into a more serious fantasy category than the paranormal bandwagon books. I do hope to see some more exposition about the Keepers and Searchers in later volumes, as this one left a lot of information out.

Nightshade falls somewhere between Twilight and Shiver, but I liked it better than both. Elements of the love triangle were certainly frustrating (such as Calla's inability to suss out her feelings), but I try not hold it against her too much. I did not blame Katniss for that, so Call also deserves a pardon for her circumstances. Paranormal romance fans, this one won't disappoint you!

"Did you ever have to finally decide
Say yes to one and let the other one ride
There's so many changes and tears you must hide"

Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

Bitten
Women of the Otherworld, Book 1

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: fantasy, romance
Pages: 436

Brief Summary:
Elena has managed to build a fairly ordinary life for herself: steady job, apartment, devoted boyfriend. The only thing that mars her normal life is that she has to sneak out of bed once a week or so to go running around the city...as a wolf. Elena is a werewolf (or shifter?). In fact, she is the only female werewolf in existence, since only males can inherit the werewolf gene and women have to be bitten and survive. Elena separated from the werewolf pack, unable to escape her confused emotions for Clay, her love and the man who turned her into a werewolf. She wants to stay with her boyfriend in Toronto, but a crisis calls her back to New York where the pack lives. Mutts, werewolves outside the pack, have started going on a killing spree on the pack's doorstep and they cannot be stopped without Elena's help.

Review:
I determined to read this series (well, I was planning to read it anyway, but I fasttracked it) after enjoying Armstrong's teen series. One of my friends told me that this series was set in the same world, so I really wanted to find out. Honestly, I am not yet sure on that. Overall, I found this book less interesting than the teen series. I never got particularly interested in what was happening or in the characters. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't grip me.

One thing that really confused me was the werewolf gene being only male. Is that a thing genetics does? I mean, maybe it could, but it's just odd. Really, it seemed like a choice made so that Elena could be the one all of the guys wanted, in order to up the sexy drama of the book.

Elena's relationships with pretty much every guy in the book also confused me. She has father issues (unsurprising since her parents died when she was young and she was abused by her foster fathers). Even worse perhaps is the sometimes sadomasochistic relationship betwixt herself and Clay. She is as guilty for the situation as he is on some levels, but it made me so uncomfortable to read.

Recommended to paranormal romance fans, perhaps those that liked the Alpha and Omega series (of which I could not even finish the first book). I do not plan to continue with the Women of the Otherworld books, after having read the description for the second book.

Of Wolf and Man - Metallica

Linger
The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: fantasy, young adult
Pages: 360

Brief Summary (Will Likely Contain Spoilers for Shiver):
Sam, having been cured from shifting to a wolf, is having trouble adjusting to the idea that, no matter how cold it becomes, he will remain human. Grace and Sam remain incredibly wrapped up in one another, spending all their time together, which brings their relationship to the notice even of Grace's neglectful parents. Isabel and Grace are good friends now; both interested in protecting the wolves. Isabel has a particular interest in one of the new wolves, as soon as she finds out how attractive he is in human form, and as self-destructive and sardonic as she is. The real drama begins though, when Grace's ever-silent wolf begins to stir.

Review:
Personally, I did not care for Shiver as much as I had hoped to. I found Grace and Sam's obsession with one another pretty absurdly disgusting. I suppose there are couples that want to be together 24/7/365, but they probably are not people I would want to know. This book, though, was better from the addition of Cole and Isabel's perspectives. Cole and Isabel are both sarcastic and cynical, so reading their thoughts was much more enjoyable for me than reading the love-soaked longing of Grace and Sam.

One more awesome thing about Linger: the text of the novel is green. Made me realize how awesome it is to not be reading in black and white for a change, which is rarely possible with books. That was an awesome decision on the part of the publisher, although I wish they had done Shiver in blue, so that the series was consistent.

The ending indicates that at least one more book will be coming in this series. Here's hoping that Cole and Isabel keep getting a larger portion of the book. Recommended for fans of the first book. If you're wondering whether to start the series, I might wait and see how people review the series as a whole, as I am still not entirely sold on it.