Kiss of Frost - Book Review

Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2)
by Jennifer Estep

What is it about:
I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

What did I think of it:
This is a very entertaining read.

I really like the mythology and the setting of this series (I'm a sucker for boarding school stories). Gwen is nice enough when she's not talking about man-whores and sluts, and I like her friends even more. There are some cool developments regarding Gwen's powers that make them even more interesting, and I'm curious how Gwen will decide to use them in the future.

The mysteries weren't that mysterious. Two of them could be seen from miles and miles away. But in a series like this that's not important. It's more about being entertained than being surprised in my opinion.

Overall I think the first book was better, but I still very much enjoyed this one, so I'll be picking up the next book one of these days to see what's next.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun YA Paranormal read.

On McPig's Wishlist - Brave New Love

I love themed anthologies, and this one sounds like it might be really good.


Brave New Love: 15 Dystopian Tales of Desire

Young love has always had its challenges, but even so, the world falling apart at its seams is a pretty big obstacle. This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity. When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

Contents:
Hidden Ribbon by John Shirley
The Salt Sea and the Sky by Elizabeth Bear
In the Clearing by Kiera Cass
Otherwise by Nisi Shawl
Now Purple With Love's Wound by Carrie Vaughn
Berserker Eyes by Maria V. Snyder
Arose from Poetry by Steve Berman
Red by Amanda Downum
Foundlings by Diana Peterfreund
Seekers in the City by Jeanne DuPrau
The Up by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
The Dream Eater by Carrie Ryan
357 by Jesse Karp
Eric and Pan by William Sleator
The Empty Pocket by Seth Cadin

Sins of the Lost - Book Review

Sins of the Lost (Grigori Legacy #3)
by Linda Poitevin

What is it about:
Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war as Lucifer builds his Nephilim army and waits for his new agenda to become a reality — that of having a Nephilimchild of his own bloodline to lead his forces to cataclysmic victory.

With rumors of the pending war rampant on Earth, Alex fights to save humanity from its own panic –­ leaving little time for her fledgling
relationship with Seth, the man with heavenly origins who has captured her heart. But when Nephilim children begin to disappear, along with Alex’s own vulnerable niece, the inevitable war between Heaven and Hell becomes as personal as sin.

Heaven has its own plans to fight the coming apocalypse, but first it needs Seth back. Asked to betray the man she loves, Alex must turn for help to the soulmate she thought she’d given up — the Archangel Aramael, who may be her last chance to save her family and humanity from the ashes of Lucifer’s Armageddon.


What did I think of it:
I read the first two books in this series back in 2012. This book released in 2013 as ebook only, and because I'm not too fond of ebooks, this book remained unread until it finally released in print recently.

And I really should set aside my ebook dislike more often.

This is an amazing read.

I really disliked Seth in book 2, and I didn't warm up to him in this one. Still I can understand why Alex made the choices she did, and why she is having difficulties with the choices she has to make in this book. I rooted for her to find the solution that would be best for her, not to make the choice I would have made.

That's the strength of Poitevin's writing I think: Even when characters do things that I do not agree with, even when events don't go like I want them to, I stay invested in the story. I might not like where the story is taking me, but I still love the ride and want to know what's next.

And believe me: Things happen in this book that had me shocked!

The ending (although not a direct cliffhanger ending) is dire and has me hungry for the next book. Luckily that one also released recently in print, and I already have it in my TBR pile.

Why should you read it:
It's an amazing UF read.

Teaser Tuesdays - Crossed

While they leave, I look down at my hands - ash-black and covered with the stuff that rained down death on us the night before - and remember the way we used to scavenge remnants back in my real village. The Society and the Enemy thought they were the only ones with fire but we knew how to use theirs.

(page 64, Crossed by Ally Condie)




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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Unwept - Book Review

Unwept (The Nightbirds #1)
by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman

What is it about:
Gamin, Maine, is a remote seaside town where everyone seems to know Ellis Harkington better than she knows herself—but she doesn’t remember any of them.

Unknown events have robbed Ellis of her memory. Concerned individuals, who purport to be her friends and loved ones, insist that she simply needs to recuperate, that her memories may return in time, but refuse to divulge what has brought her to this state. For her own sake, so they say.

Ellis finds herself adrift in a town of ominous mysteries, cryptic hints, and disturbingly familiar strangers. The Nightbirds, a clique of fashionable young men and women, claim her as one of their own, but who among them can she truly trust? And what of the phantom suitor who visits her in her dreams? Is he a memory, a figment of her imagination, or a living nightmare beyond rational explanation?

Only her lost past hold the answers she seeks—if she can uncover its secrets before she fall prey to an unearthly killer.

What did I think of it:
*slightly spoilerish*

I loved the writing and the mood of this story, but the story itself is a big mess in my opinion.

Yes: Ellis has memory loss so she is an unreliable narrator, but add hallucinations, dreams, magic, and a bunch of lying jackasses to that and you can't trust anything that happens.

If the characters in this book had been more interesting I might not have minded the constant bamboozling of what was really going on, but I couldn't really connect with any of them. They felt grotesque and flat at the same time. It didn't invite me to care about them, and root for anyone of them. It was the mood and the writing that kept me reading, not the characters or the need to find out the truth.

And if you think things might get clearer further on in the book: Wrong! There are some things that seem to be getting clear, but at the same time some small hints are dropped to make you question other things you thought you might begin to understand.

At the end of the book I was underwhelmed to say the least, and annoyed enough to not care about what might happen in the next book. Maybe this might work for people who don't need to feel connected to at least one of the characters, but this isn't my kind of book.

Why should you read it:
It's a well written Paranormal read.

The Daanan Trilogy - Promo

Synopsis
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Buy Link:
Amazon


Synopsis
Allison thought it was crazy enough when she found out her father, Liam, wasn't entirely human. But now she has to join his magical allies to unravel his former mistress's plans. Aoife wants to keep Allison's parents apart forever.

Despite Allison's efforts to keep Ethan, the only guy she's ever cared about, out of this supernatural mess, fate keeps throwing him back into the mix.

Will Allison be able to find the amulet that holds the enchantment Aoife placed on Liam and destroy it? Are Ethan' s feelings for Allison strong enough to endure the magic of the Tuatha De Danaan?

Buy Link:
Amazon


Synopsis
The time has come. Allison's quest to save her mother from Aoife's wicked enchantment will test everything she believes in. Who is trustworthy in the land of the Fair Folk, the Tuatha de Danaan? It's up to Allison, along with her host of allies, to unravel the truth.
Journey along and discover the power of family, love and duty as Allison faces the most difficult trial of her life.

Buy Link:
Amazon


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About the Author
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

On McPig's Radar - Wake of Vultures

This sounds like a great read, so I preordered it.


Wake of Vultures (The Shadow #1)
by Lila Bowen

Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She's a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don't call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood, and he turns into black sand.

And just like that, Nettie can see.

But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn't understand what's under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding -- at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead to her true kin... if the monsters along the way don't kill her first.


Expected publication: October 27th 2015