Teaser Tuesdays on a Monday

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!

Yup, one day early, but I got something special planned for tomorrow!

It took the remainder of the twenty minutes for Selah to recount the origin of the Guardian corp to him. Lucas listened in silence, trying to take it all in - and certain the mental overload he was experiencing had little to do with the animal blood.
(page 110, Wild Thing Anthology by Marjorie M. Liu, Maggie Shayne, Alyssa Day and Meljean Brook (excerpt from the story Paradise by Meljean Brook))

Hellforged - Book Review

Hellforged (Deadtown #2) by Nancy Holzner

What is it about:
A demon is stalking Vicky's dreams-just as several of Deadtown's zombies are viciously attacked and become really dead. And when Vicky realizes she is the only connection between the victims, she suspects that the demon is somehow working through her dreams to become Deadtown's living nightmare.

What did I think of it:
A worthy sequel to Deadtown. I liked how the zombies (especially Tina) got more screen time in this book as they're really cool zombies in my opinion. Holzner further expands on the world she created in the first book in a believable and intriguing way. There are some minor storylines that are clearly leading up to events that will unfold in later books in this series, but this is done in a way that doesn't frustrate or annoy, instead it make me eager to keep reading this series. The main storyline is intense and actionpacked. The one thing I could say against this book is that I got the feeling that Vicky is so busy dealing with the horrors facing her and others that there's no time for her to stop and look at herself. Don't get me wrong: This is a great series and you bet I'm going to get hold of book three when it's released, but I'd love to see Vicky get some downtime and go through some personal growth in future books.

Why should you read it:
It's a kick-ass UF book with demons and cool zombies!

Swallowing Grandma - A Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Swallowing Grandma by Kate Long

What is it about:
Katherine Millar is eighteen, and desperate for lots of things – to be thinner and less swotty, and to have cooler friends. But most of all she wishes that she had two parents instead of one grandma, Poll.

Katherine’s father, Poll’s adored only son, was killed in a car crash when she was a baby. According to Poll, the crash was the fault of Katherine’s mother, who disappeared shortly afterwards and hasn’t been seen since. Poll is pushing seventy, half-blind and utterly poisonous. Her ambition is for things to stay exactly the same for ever, and for Katherine never to leave their pit village of Bank Top; indeed for her to leave the house only when strictly necessary.

Katherine has other ideas, especially when on her birthday she receives a mysterious parcel of glamorous, grown-up clothes – so unlike the ones Poll makes her wear. And then the handsome and self-assured Callum turns up, claiming to be a cousin she never knew she had. Katherine can feel that change is coming; the omens are all around her. In the meantime, she cleans up after Poll, revises for her exams, watches daytime television and surfs the net at the library trying to find out how to be bulimic. What she doesn’t quite realize yet is that life won’t always wait for you to catch up.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I really liked this book. It's well written, emotionally intense and at times funny. Katherine's problems and fears are very recognisable and I found myself wanting to scream at her grandmother and to kick Katherine into taking control of her life, while at the same time asking myself if I wouldn't have acted the same if it had been me in Katherine's position. All in all a powerful read about discovery: of self, of family and of the world.

Why should you read it:
If you want to read a powerful YA book without the almost inevitable love triangle this might be your read.

Petals and Thorns - A Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Paris
(ebook novella)

What is it about:
In exchange for her father’s life, Amarantha agrees to marry the dreadful Beast and be his wife for seven days. Though the Beast cannot take Amarantha’s virginity unless she begs him to, he can and does take her in every other way. From the moment they are alone together, the Beast relentlessly strips Amarantha of all her resistance.

If Amarantha can resist her cloaked and terrifying husband, she gains his entire fortune and will be allowed to return to her family and a normal life. But the Beast seduces her at every turn, exposing, binding, tormenting, and pleasuring Amarantha until she no longer knows her own deepest desires.

Increasingly desperate to break the curse that chains his humanity, the Beast drives Amarantha past every boundary. But her desire for a normal life may jeopardize the love that will save them both.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I love the story of Beauty and the Beast, but always thought that for a story featuring a Beast it was too sweet and lacked a certain edge. This retelling fixes that problem once and for all. It's a hot and intense BDSM romance that is strictly for adults that aren't too squeamish about the darker side of lust. I really enjoyed it and can recommend this story to anyone who likes their Beast beastly not only in looks, but in certain appetites as well. My one negative point would be that sadly enough this retelling is just a novella, so much too short in my opinion.

Why should you read it:
If you like BDSM and Fairytales this is your story

Taken by the Others - Book Review

Taken by the Others (H&W Investigations #2) by Jess Haines

What is it about:
Once, New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest's most pressing problem was keeping her agency afloat. Now she's dealing with two dangerous, seductive vampires who have been enemies for centuries. The only thing Max Carlyle and Alec Royce agree on is that they both want Shia--for very different reasons.

Max is determined to destroy Shia for killing his progeny, while Royce's interest is a lot more personal. That's not sitting well with Shia's werewolf boyfriend, Chaz. As the feud between Max and Royce gets ever more deadly, a powerful vampire-hunting faction is urging Shia to join their side. Shia has always believed vamps were the bad guys, but she's discovering unexpected shades of grey that are about to redefine her friends, her loyalties--and even her desires. . .

What did I think of it:
Hunted by the Others was among my top 5 books from 2010, so I can safely admit I was really looking forward to reading book two in this series.

And I must say: Wow!
It exceeded expectations!

I love this book and it's characters! Haines knows how to keep a tense and intriguing story going and how to shake the expectations of her readers. No black and white villains and heroes in this book: There are many shades of grey that keep shifting so I wasn't sure who to trust or not.

Shia is still the character I fell in love with in the first book, but she too is shaken by the things happening around her and has some personal growth to go through to keep up with the frightening world of the Others around her.

All in all a wonderful, tense and action packed story that leaves me yet again hungry for more. Luckily there are many more books planned.

Why should you read it:
It's an awesome UF read

Witches, the Dunwich Horror - Movie Review

Witches, the Dunwich Horror (2009)

What is it about:
In Louisiana, the thirty-five year old single mother Lavina delivers a baby boy and a monster in the evil Whateley House. Ten years later, Dr. Henry Armitage and his assistant Professor Fay Morgan discover that the page 751 of every copy of the Necronomicon is missing and The Black Brotherhood has summoned the gate keeper Yog Sothoth to leave the portal opened to the demons and ancient gods. They invite the arrogant and skeptical Professor Walter Rice that can translate the Necronomicon to help them to seek the book. Meanwhile Lavina's son Wilbur Whateley ages very fast and seeks the missing page to open the portal.

What did I think about it:
I've seen many horror movies based on Lovecraftian mythology, so by now I know most of those have two ways they can turn out:
- Horribly bad in a good way
(A great example of this is the movie Dagon (2001) or Necronomicon (1993))
- Horribly bad in a bad way
Witches, the Dunwich Horror falls among the second category.
It was both boring and over the top, which is quite a feat, but not something I want from my horror movies. Lovecraft's mythology was butchered in such a way I felt violated by the end of the movie. Add some annoying lead characters to that and you got me wondering why I even bothered to watch it till the end. I must have really hoped it would still redeem itself, but alas. Luckily it was on sale, so I didn't spend too much money on it.

Why should you watch it:
If you want to play a drinking game, you can watch this movie and drink a shot every time there's a new reference to a story by Lovecraft. You'll get so drunk you won't notice how bad this movie is.

A Brush of Darkness - Early Book Review

*
A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

What is it about:
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and as sexy as sin incubus who shows up searching for his sister—and is convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invading her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As Abby is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, she realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

What did me and Voodoo Bride think of it:
We loved this book. The story is cool, creepy and intense and had us biting our nails/trotters. The world Pang creates is intriguing to say the least and the characters are awesome! This book gets bonus points for the unicorn being the proper goaty kind of unicorn I must add. The romance is well woven into the story and made Voodoo Bride cry at several points (which means it's a good romance according to her).

There are two small negative points, although both are (probably) very peronal. The first I can't even get into as it would be too spoilery. The second: There's too much bacon in this book according to this piggy! ;-)

All in all we really enjoyed this book and are hoping there will be more books from Pang set in this fascinating world and with Abby and a certain incubus in the lead!

Why should you read it:
It's an awesome, intense Urban Fantasy read.


* A Brush of Darkness will be coming from Pocket Books on January 25, 2011