Mini-reviews- Tainted by A E Rought and Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Title: Tainted

Author:  A E Rought

Series:  Broken #2

Published:  October 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Source: Netgalley

Review: Post events of Broken, Alex and Emma should be able to get back to their normal lives. These plans gets scrapped when Hailey Westmore turns up—Alex’s ex-girlfriend who we are quickly introduced to as a “manipulative, spoiled witch”. People start dying and it’s clear there’s more secrets that may come out.

This book is told from Alex’s POV as opposed to Emma’s which was a nice change because it helps  you understand the Alex from Broken a little more too. It also means the narrator knows things that everyone else doesn’t, a feature I like sometimes in mysteries.

The beginning was good. Something big happens in a car which really changes the dynamics, which I liked, and the way that scene was written kept me gripped. Later, it wasn’t quite as good-it’s quite predictable and the villain, while being beautifully crazy, isn’t very deep at all.

It’s very over the top with use of tropes and lots of romantic lines that you’ve heard before. There’s a lot of focus on the romance, which I found less interesting than all the action going on. Alex also goes a bit broody and annoying at times.  I liked Emma just as much as in Broken.

There’s still bits of Frankenstein in here, but there’s bits of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde in here too.

I liked the fact that the deers were still a thing. 

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book where we saw different parts of other characters.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Title: Blood Magic

 Author: Tessa Gratton

Series:  Blood Journals #1

Published:  26 April 2012 by Corgi

Warnings: cutting (for magic, but still cutting), lots of gore

Source: borrowed from friend

Review:  Ever since her parents were murdered, Silla’s been mentally scarred. Nick’s the new boy in town with past experiences of magic. When he finds Silla experimenting with magic, they form a bond, and romance happens. And then there’s a journal kept by Josephine, a girl from years past whose experience with blood magic will highly shape theirs.

From the start, you’re pulled in. The magic and intrigue starts pretty quickly, and promises to build.

The story is narrated by Nick and Silla in alternating turns. They’re two very contrasting characters that work together well. The writing is intricate, gothic and a bit longwinded in places.

I must admit, I didn’t read all of this. The copy of  Blood Magic that I got had journal entries in copperplate, which I looked at and thought “Eyes broken enough anyway. Not even going to try decoding that.” *bases view of plot on characters’ reactions to this*

The magic system is good. Due to it all requiring blood, this book isn’t for the faint hearted!

I didn’t really get into this for reasons unknown. I got characters mixed up a bit every now and again, it took a while for Josephine’s relevance to become clear, but the main thing is that it didn’t have that spark of awesome for me.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to an atmospheric magic story that I didn’t get into.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: The Demon’s Lexicon

 Author:  Sarah Rees Brennan

Series:  The Demon’s Lexicon #1

Published:  2 June 2009

Length:324 pages

Source: Bought

Other info: Sarah has also written Unspoken, Team Human, two other books in this series (The Demon’s Covenant and The Demon’s Surrender) and in anthologies.

Summary : Nick and his brother Alan are on the run with their mother, who was once the lover of a powerful magician. When she left him, she stole an important charm - and he will stop at nothing to reclaim it. Now Alan has been marked with the sign of death by the magician's demon, and only Nick can save him. But to do so he must face those he has fled from all his life - the magicians - and kill them. So the hunted becomes the hunter...but in saving his brother, Nick discovers something that will unravel his whole past.

Review: in this world, magicians are the ones who use their talents to call demons to use their powers. Nick and his brother Alan have beein on the run for years from a magician. When Alan gets marked by a demon, after other sibling set Mae and Jamie come to them asking Nick is determined to save him-and the only way for that to happen is for someone to end up dead.

I have to thank Cait and Liz for this. I picked this up ages ago when I was first getting into paranormal things but never got through it. This time, I was actually paying attention to it and really quite enjoyed it.

Nick, to start with, is not wholly likeable. He doesn’t care for anyone except his brother and he’s very sarky in a horrible way and quite a bit of an ass. As the book progresses, I likked him a bit more.

Alan is a lot more emotional, a nicer person and generally more likable.  There’s also Mae and Jamie, who I think develop more than the two brothers as they learn more about this world of magic.

The relationships are really interesting. The one between Alan and Nick is really deep, and I loved seeing them look out for eachother. Then comes Chapter 11. And aww.... Love triangles, I don’t tend to care about. But then the stakes are automatically higher when two parties involved are brothers, and if one gets her, they’ll break the other’s heart.

. the third person writing was close, so we got into his thoughts quite well. Although Nick was a bit annoying, his personality makes for some really witty conversations. I generally really liked Sarah’s writing style.

I really liked the setting. It’s multiple places in England, but the Goblin Market would officially be part of my favourite places to be if it were real. The magic system is different and original, and enjoyable.

The plot-everything happens for a good reason. The second half was very actionfilled, as was the ending. The ending and the big reveal! Yes, there were hints throughout, but when it was actually revealed it was all “seriously? That is cool.”

Overall:  Strength 4 tea for some really good urban fantasy. I’ll definitely hunt out more of this series.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

IN HONOUR OF TOMORROW'S APOCALPYSE. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THE WORLD ACTUALLY ENDS WITHIN A CLOSE TIME PERIOD, IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU. 

IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THIS REVIEW.

Title: Good Omens

 Authors: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Published:  First published 1990.

Length:  398 pages

Source: bought

Summary : According to "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter," "Witch" (the world's only "completely" accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon--both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle--are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Review:  The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter tells us that the world will end. Next Saturday. As foretold in Revelation, the Four Horsemen (or now, Bikers) will ride, Heaven and Hell will fight and the world will end. Crowley and Aziraphale are the only demon and angel that don’t want this to happen. And to make sure that it doesn’t, they have a lot to do. For example, deal with the Antichrist-an 11 year old named Adam who is a generally nice boy. Other things happen too. Lots of other things.

I’ve not read much of Pratchett’s work (I think Nation and Maurice and that’s it) and only a little bit of Gaiman’s. But what I have read of both was generally awesome, and Good Omens is no exception!

The dramatis personae really sets the scene for this. Quote:

Satan (a Fallen Angel, the Adversary). Beelezebub (a Likewise Fallen Angel, and A Prince of Hell), *other Fallen Angels* Crowley (an Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards).

 Also generally descriptive of this book are the explanation for the M25 being such a hellhole, the Angel’s conversation with the Snake, and the Satanic nunnery in which the nuns are meant to keep talking. If you  laughed, liked, or weren’t morally offended by these things, then you’ll enjoy the rest of this.

There’s a lot of plots that intertwine with each other eventually. Crowley and Azireaphale running around, Anathema dechipering Agnes’ prophecies, the Four Horsepersons getting together, the witchfinders running  around, and Adam and his friendship group. There’s also a lot of shorter plots featuring characters for one block of text and then moving on. For some reason, this works in Good Omens (cameo characters in this volume don’t work in other books).

The main characters are all one of a kind. Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t your typical angels/demons, and most of this defys your stereotypical views of heaven and hell. I loved the Four and the way they’re presented-both darkly funny and a little creepy (especially when their disguises drop) at the same time.

The thing that really makes Good Omens is the writing. The “Who wrote what bit”  of the Q&A proves you can’t say exactly which is Neil’s and which is Terry’s, but I’d say they’re both equally good. The footnotes! There’s more of them at the start, but they crop up throughout in amusing and appropriate places. The writing style of the whole thing contains many pus and is full of sarcasm and dry wit.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a comedy of apocalyptic proportions you just have to read again and again.

Links: | Goodreads | Neil’s website | Terry’s Website

Book Review- Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Title: Struck

 Author: Jennifer Bosworth

Series:  Struck #1

Published:  26 April 2012 by Doubleday

Length: 373 pages

Source: Netgalley. Once again, sorry for the wait.

Summary : Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come. Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything

Review: Mia is a human pylon. And she loves it. and then she has a dream in which a boy is standing there with a knife ready to kill her. A few days later, an earthquake hits Los Angeles, and people are calling it the end of the world. Mia wants to take care of her family, but then she gets caught up between two cults. Those who follow Rance Ridley, prophet who performs miracles, and the Seekers, who want her for something. Mia only really cares about her mother and brother, but after being pulled in between these two groups, they’re the least of her worries.

A lightning addict! Wow! From the blurb I was highly excited about this one.  And it didn’t disappoint. Mia’s narration is gripping, and her actions to try and keep her family safe even more so. It’s nice that Mia will do what she can to protect them, and her business with the Dealer shows how loyal and caring she is. On other counts, she's not amazing. 

The cults were the most intriguing things about this for me. The devotion to the causes was both spectacular and a bit scary, and people in both of them are completely unpredictable. The Seekers want Mia to stop the apocalypse and keep dragging her in to their ceremonies and so on. The Followers believe it’s time to repent for sins and so on. both of them have good and bad sides that we see along with Mia, and are thought provoking in their own ways.

Instalove alert. Kind of. I found Jeremy kind of boring and slightly annoying. The relationship then develops  at a better pace, but fact that Mia falls in love with a guy she first sees with a knife is a kind of WTH moment.

There’s also a few things that seems a bit drawn out and predictable. It took a long time to get to some important things, and with so many things happening, there were a couple of bits that I thought didn’t need to be there.

But not the world building. Wow. I could easily imagine the disaster-struck LA, full of hungry people desperate for medicine, food, supplies and so on. most things can be obtained if you have enough cash. It’s a kind of typical post-apocalyptic world-but it’s a good typical post-apocalyptic world.

Overall:  Strength  4 tea to a different post-apocalyptic novel with a lot of awesomeness.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones

 Author: Cassandra Clare

Series:  The Mortal Instruments

Published:  2 July 2007 by Walker (Margaret McEldery books too)

Length: 442 pages

Warnings:  13+

Source: the library

Other info: The rest of the series are: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls.  Victorian spin-off The Infernal Devices are called Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess. Another series set in LA 2013 will be published some day. A film of City of Bones has been cast.  

Summary : When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Review: You probably know the whole story anyway, but for the sake of consistency with my other reviews, I’ll recount it here it’s a normal night at Pandemonium Nightclub when Clary Fray and Simon go. But Clary starts seeing things-a boy with a knife that no one else seems to be able to see. She walks in on him,and two others, killing someone. And from there, she is pulled into the world of the Shadowhunters, demon hunters that have been in existence for many years. As well as handling this, and dealing with the disappearance of her mother, she learns a lot about lots of different thngs. For example, that a war may be on the verge of breaking out. And that her family is totally different from what she thought it was.

I read the first three in this series a long time ago, but never really getting into it. Then I started blogging. Then there was a huge hype over City of Fallen Angels and Lost Souls. And I really enjoyed the steampunk version...so I had another go with The Mortal Instruments...and I’m really glad I did.

The world is one of the best things about City of Bones. It takes into account lots of mythological creatures and works them in small degrees-I’d definitely like to see more of these obscure paranormal entities.  

The Shadowhunter world is full of likable characters. And unlikable ones. Most of these are built up in such a way that we know enough for one book, but there’s still things that can be found out later on in the series.

As with The Infernal Devices, my favourite character is Magnus Bane. He’s cocky, clever, wears glitter makeup, and holds parties for his cat. That last thing makes him, by default, awesome. Then there’s Simon, who’s really cute. Jace, Clary, Alec and Isabelle were interesting, but I didn’t really care much for them in the  present day. Backgrounds for all four of them though should definitely be explored further on in the series. And the MagnusxAlec hintings. Yay! They’d make such a cute couple...

Plotwise, there’s a lot of aspects. The race to find the Mortal Cup and Simon and Clary’s introductions to the paranormal world combined makes for a lot of exciting things. like Simon transformation- the set up to which made me laugh. Throughout, something is happening-you’ll learn something, something’ll happen which needs to be acted on, or there’s some other big hook.

Cassandra writes with a nice balance of description, action and sark. All characters are distinctive by mannerism and dialogue, and  there’s something about it that keeps you reading. You definitely need a whole day to get through this.

The Jace and Clary romance. It was going so well and seeing them all loved up was really nice. And then the big reveal. Yes, it was a good plot furtherer. But it made everything really really awkward. Incest...not really my thing. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment, but it just made me a bit uneasy about everything that happens between them.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a series I can’t wait to get back in to.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Clarity by Kim Harrington

Title:  Clarity

 Author: Kim Harrington

Series:  Clarity #1

Published:  June 2012 by Scholastic UK. March 2011 by Scholastic US

Length:246 pages

Warnings: violence, suggestive situations, 13+

Source: ARC from publisher

Other info: Book two, Perception, should be out in 2013 for us UK people.

Summary : Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift. And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case—but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother—who has supernatural gifts of his own—becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review: Clarity “Clare” Fern comes from a long-ish line of psychics. In relation to her family, she didn’t do too badly-if she touches an object, she might be able to pick up on memories associated with it. Might. Her powers don’t always work. And then a girl turns up murdered, and her brother Perry is the prime suspect-everything leads to his being the killer. Determined that he is innocent, Clarity uses everyhitng she can to try and find the true killer. But it may not be as easy as simply using her sight-she might have to rely on ex-boyfriend Justin and new-guy-in-town Gabriel too.

Murder and psychics-I definitely wouldn’t give this one a miss. The opening chapter is Clare confronting her possible killer. Joy oh joy. Then back to nine days before, setting up the scene. Introducing the family, introducing the characters, and killing Victoria off (who we never actually meet, so it’s not a big plot spoiler or anything) within the first fifty pages. Fun.

There’s something about the majority of the cast that makes them really likeable. I’m not sure what it is, but I found myself seeing the characters as if they were real, and wanting things to go well for them, and generally caring for them.

Clare is quite well rounded, and she handles herself well. She’s a good narrator, adding humour where it’s relavent, and her relationship with her brother is your typical, easy relationship where playfights are common. Throughout the course of the book, she learns a few important lessons, such as using her common sense, and not jumping to conclusions. Perry is ok, somewhat funny even though he’s not really a comic relief character. I couldn’t really get close to Justin-I just didn’t care about him when we first met him, and when he starts becoming important, I had to remember who he was. Gabriel, his attitude was a little annoying. And most guys who the author describes as being hot, I don’t like-Gabriel was one of them. I didn’t hate him, but I also just didn’t care.

It’s amazing how easily a love triangle can kind of kill the awesomeness. Especially if one of the boys involved has already had his chance with the girl. The romance didn’t add anything.

I really liked the whole psychic aspect. Madame Maslov was one of my favourite characters, who wasn’t as bad as we first thought.   Clare’s mother was also really cool, and I thought it was sweet how she wouldn’t give up on the hope that her husband would be coming home.

Plot turns were simple, but well done. Nothing was incredibly complex, but it’s at the enjoyable, not patronising level, There were a few things that were predictable (ie the rising body count), but the climax/reveal of the killer was totally unexpected. To be honest, I couldn’t see who it would be. But it’s nice it ended how it did.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a new psychic mystery series. I’d definitely like to read the next book, Perception.

Links: Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Black Butler vol 8 by Yana Toboso

Title: Black Butler vol 8

 Author:  Yana Toboso

Series:  Black Butler #8

Published: January 2012 by Yen Press

Length: 192 pages

Warnings: Violence, non suggestive situations made suggestive by the artwork 14+

Source: Carrefour (bought in France)

Other info: Reviews of other books in the series are here.

Summary : When one curtain falls upon the big top stage, another rises behind the scenes, as young Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his virtuoso butler, Sebastian, face off against the villain behind the missing children. But as Sebastian, under orders from his master, single-handedly draws the gruesome tale to its sad conclusion on one front, battle lines are drawn on another! With the masterless Phantomhive Manor under attack from the Noah’s Ark Circus and Sebastian nowhere nearby to protect its inhabitants, is Ciel’s home once again headed for the same tragedy that took the lives of the young earl’s parents?

Review: So, the circus troupe are storming Phantomhive Manor. Luckily, the servants are around to take care of things. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Ciel bring the circus arc to a close. Volume seven left with the toupe  planning to invade the manor. Volume 8 starts with this actually happens. And then the three servents...they...yeah.

Character development definitely happens. Well, not so much development, more like seeing the side of these characters that we’ve never seen before. We get Finny beating up the circus’s strong man, Mey-rin showing off her incredible sniper skills, and Bard whipping out a machine gun that has been casually kept in the kitchen. Because, you know, every servant has to be able to do these kinds of things.

Sadly, after this amazing show of badassery, once the arc comes to a close, there’s huge character regression. Back to stupid, crying, useless, comic relief charcters they go.

New character alert! Two shinigami turn up, sorting out the bloodbath at Phantomhive Manor.  It’s nice how even though he appears for six pages, everyone falls in love with Ronald Knox and his mad fun personality. Oh, and William turns up again. So fun. I wish we saw more of the shinigami.

I feel so bad for Doll. At first, I didn’t care for her. Then, in volume 7, she’s so happy and funny that I fell in love with her. And then the guy she’s slightly in love with (Ciel) tells her something that really kills the mood.

The final chapter is completely different. We meet Nina Hopkins, dressmaker to the Middlefords and the Phantomhives. Nina, her being racy (removing her skirt to reveal bloomer/short-y things) and Sebastian stopping her from seeing Ciel’s brand provides welcome comic relief, before we are treated to, most likely, another dark and gory storyline in volume 9.

The art, once again, is extremely detailed. I love Yana’s style, which works for comic and serious storylines. The cover to chapter 36 (Ciel and Doll) is beautiful in black and white, and the colour version (which you can find on the internet) is even better. On a less  properly appreciating art note, I love Undertaker’s boots.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a volume that includes a little bit of every reason why I love this manga.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Publisher website | 

Book Review- Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day

 Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series:  N/A

Published:  2 February 2012 by Quercus (Dec 11 by Egmont for USA)

Length: 329 pages

Warnings: violence 12+

Source: Publisher, in exchange for review

Other info: Jennifer has also written the Raised By Wolves series, as well as Tattoo, The Squad and Golden.

Summary : Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human. And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely. Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism. When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Review: Some days, Kali is human. and other days, she’s not. Those days, she hunts demons-she’s practically invincible and she knows it. Then she notices Bethany, one of the popular girls and daughter of her father’s friend, is marked for death. Kali has twenty four hours to save her. And in said twentyfour hours, she’s human. After taking care of that, Skylar, Bethany and others get to find out the truth about Kali’s parentage, and what bio-tech company Chimera are doing with all these paranormal creatures. Oh, and after saving Bethany, Kali has a creature in her that gives her the ability to telepathically communicate with somebody called Zev. This is going well.

I love the idea of this. Human one day, the next something else? Fresh and original and definitely my thing. Aside from the interchangeable biology, Kali is an interesting character. She’s very determined to save everyone, she’s smart and will take a lot of risks. Bethany definitely isn’t as bad as you think at first once you get to know her and I ended up liking her. Zev, I didn’t care much for, even though we get a clear idea of him through his communications with Kali. My favourite character was Skylar-she’s funny, cute, happy to call herself a “slut” after bullying, a “little” psychic, and her constant verbal sparring with her brothers is one of the best parts of the book,

There’s surprisingly little romance, considering Jennifer’s other series, and this suits me just fine. The action is fast, continuous and the kind that makes you just want to read on and on. The paranormal world of Every Other Day is quite well developed, with a wider range than most paranormal creatures getting a mention, even if they weren’t all integrated into the main story.

The plot takes many turns throughout, especially the subplot regarding Kali’s mother. You think you know something, something else happens, you realise that it’s a lot more complicated than you first thought. The whole thing with Zev was quite complicated, and a little annoying trying to fully keep up with it. It was a good way of interacting with a character though-different and interesting. The whole thing is a book that makes you just want to read on, trying to guess what’ll happen next. I also really liked seeing everything pan out in ways different to what you imagined it to.

I’m not sure if there’ll ever be a sequel to this. The ending left it totally open to being a standalone where you can make up adventures for Kali, or for Jennifer to do so. If there is a sequel (there hasn’t been one announced) I’d definitely like to read this, but if there isn’t, I won’t mind.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fresh take on paranormal creatures that’s also a fun read.

Links:  The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture

 Author: Megan Miranda

Series:  N/A

Published: 17 January 2012 by Bloomsbury/Walker

Length: 262 pages

Warnings: 12+

Source: Won from Comacalm, approved on Netgalley

Other info: This is Megan’s debut novel. There is also a tie in called Eleven Minutes.

Summary : Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening? 

Review: Delaney fell through the ice, into a lake, and died. Eleven minutes later, she starts breathing again. Nobody knows how she survived, or what happened, or why she seems to have recovered completely. But she has. But now, she ends up being around people when they die. She doesn’t know why, or how, but it happens. And then she meets Troy. Who seems to understand her new morbid talent/gift/curse/ability. But maybe there’s a little more to him than that.

This wasn’t one that I was particularly dying to read, but the idea of it did intrigue me. It all starts really quickly, with Delaney describing what happened when she died as she comes out of a coma. Next comes a description of her accident, before medical appointments and going home. Delaney receives her first premonition-y thing and has the first person die at around the sixty page mark. The rest of the book continues at a similar pace-not breakneck, but still fast enough to keep me interested and not mark as a DNF.

Delaney isn’t particularly strong, but she is a good character and I liked reading her story. Her talents really were a good part of this book, but aside from them, she didn’t really capture my attention. For the most of it, she reacts believably and develops a little throughout the book. Troy is your typical tortured soul (the kind of which I don’t particularly like), but he did have his own ideas about how their gifts work which I liked reading about. The supporting characters were nice, and filled out the cast nicely.

The plot was ok. It’s definitely original, which I liked, and as a premise was interesting from the start. There were a few things throughout that I didn’t really care about and wanted to get over so I could get to a better bit. On the other hand, there were parts that made interest levels peak. There were definitely a few unpredictable moments which I liked- [SPOILER]’s death being one of them.

The ending is a little ironic, but a good way of ending it. It tied things up neatly, and gave us a better idea of Troy’s character that we didn’t pick up on earlier in the novel. I don’t think there’s room for a sequel, but I’d definitely be interested in other things from Megan.

 Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a interesting book that takes a good look at life, death, friendship and other things.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Halflings by Heather Burch

Title: Halflings

 Author: Heather Burch

Series:  Halflings #1

Published:  February 1 2012 by Zondervan Publishing

Length: 228 pages

Warnings: Angels, demons, romance 13+

Source: Netgalley

Other info: This is Heather’s debut novel. There is an ebook prequel, 11:15, The Making of a Halfling, and the sequel Guardian should come in September.

Summary : After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

Review: This gets off to a very quick start. We meet Nikki, who is being attacked by wolves. Or something. Then we get to a group of boys, Mace, Raven and Vine, who are actually Halflings- beings with one human and one angelic parent. Nikki is being drawn into a world that she didn’t know existed, where she has a bigger role than she thought.

It’s a very quick read. The chasing at the beginning definitely drew me in, and was a fast start for  something that could be great to come. The idea of Halflings is also quickly introduced. So far, so good.

The beginning-middle bit, I found to generally be quite slow. I didn’t really understand why all these things were happening, what the point to them were, and how it fit in with the start.  It picks up again when we meet Damon, who turns out to have a bigger part later on in the book.

There’s a bit in the middle that I didn’t really like. Why? It was a Twilight-style confrontational scene “I know what you are”. I don’t think it was really that necessary, it was a slight rip-off, and we could have learnt more about the angel-lore in Halflings in  another way.

The angel-lore itself was quite good. it’s not too different from what we get in other novels, but it was still interesting.  The romance, well, most of it was in the middle, so I turned off for that.

The ending definitely picks up. A lot.   I won’t say what happens, because that might spoil it, but if you get past the slow middle section, you’ll enjoy it.

Nikki is a strong character at times, and at others, slightly annoying. We get a good sense of her character without seeing too much of her, and when she wasn’t being all Bella-Swan-ny, I quite liked her.

The action scenes were definitely the best thing about Halflings. Not only was something actually happening, they were well written and interesting.

I’ve read 11:15, which would get 3/5 too, and would like to read Guardian, but I’m not overly wild about it.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea of a somewhat confusing and boring book, but with enough good parts to  keep me interested and give it this rating.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take

 Author: Rachel Vincent

Series:  Soul Screamers #1

Published:  2009 in America. 2011 in England by Mira Ink

Length: 345 pages (plus bonus material)

Source: Won from Mia @ Gripped into Books

Other info: The others in this series are My Soul to Save, My Soul to Take, My Soul to Steal and Soul Thief. Rachel Vincent has also written the Shifters series for adults.

Summary : Something’s wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest boy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee’s power than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no reason and only Kaylee knows who’ll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries.

Review: Kaylee Cavanaugh has a weird, unwanted, supernatural talent. If someone near her is about to die, she can sense it and she screams. A lot. And as girls around her start dying for no reason, it’s up to her, her somewhat-boyfriend Nash, and others to work out what’s happening and what they can do to stop it.

Rachel Vincent uses this to write about banshees, Irish creatures who scream/sing when death is close. Banshees are often overlooked in YA paranormal fiction, and it’s nice having a good variety of creatures to choose from. Reapers also feature in this book, adding a little more interest to it.  The fact two under-represented creatures are in this is something that made me want to read it. Even though I didn’t know about the reapers before I read it.

It gets going very quickly. The club at which the first girl dies is literally the first chapter, and said girl is dead  by the end of the next one. This fast pace is kept up throughout, keeping me interested and wanting to read on.

To me, Kaylee and Nash become real people by the end of it, as did the world of bean sihdes (banshees) and reapers both of these incorporate very very well into “real life”, if you get what I mean. They kind of slot together well as if they were always there and the author was just pointing them out.  So the paranormal elements locked in well with real life.

Kaylee undergoes a lot of development, learning about her power, how to controlit and other things with Nash. They make a great couple together, both powerfully and also romantically. My absolute favourite character is Tod, because of his personality and the fact that he’s a reaper.

I like Rachel Vincent’s writing style. It flows well and moves the plot along. The romantic scenes were written well, and so were the action scenes towards the end.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to an original  series. I would definitely like to carry on reading series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Name of the Star

 Author: Maureen Johnson

Series:  Shades of London #1

Published:  29 September 2011 by Harper Collins

Length: 372 pages

Warnings: Violence, kissing, 14+

Source: library

Other info: Maureen Johnson has written other things such as Little Blue Envelopes and the Scarlett series. Book 2, expected in October, will be called The Madness Underneath.

Summary : The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target?

Review: Rory moves to London to start at Wexford Borarding School, Whitechapel. And while she’s there, there’s a set of copycat killings. Being ‘Whitechapel, all they’re copying is the murder spree of Jack the Ripper. Like they were in the 1800s, the police in the 21^st century are once again useless, even while aided by technology such as CCTV. But then Rory sees a man on the school grounds, who no-one else can see despite him being the creepiest thing ever. Soon enough, she’s bulled into a world of ghosts, mystery and Jack the Ripper.

From the moment I read the summary on Goodreads, I knew I’d want to read this. And that I’d have high hopes for it. A modern take on Jack the Ripper? Count me in.

I really liked Rory. She taught me a few things about America. ((well, I say taught. She made comments about England such as “my schedule didn’t have the day in day out of back home, I’ll never remember this” and I just thought “Do you guys really have the same thing first period every day, second period every day and so on at school?” )). Jazza and boo were both fun girls who I’d love to be my real life friends. Jerome, the love interest of this novel, wasn’t my favourite boy in YA of a ll time , but he was fun and interesting.

I love the take on Ripper II. The spin on ghosts in this novel is a unique idea,. And the exorcism process is seriously cool. These new ghosts and the world around them is awesome! The plot twists and turns a lot, at unpredictable places, which makes it interesting and keeps me going.

Rory has her own strong voice- chatty, descriptinve, and easy to read. I got through The Name of the Star fairly  quickly, owing partially to the narrative, partially to the plot, and partially to my general interest in Jack the Ripper.

Overall:  Strength 4   tea to a book that has given me a new look on many things.

Links:  Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Cat Paradise Vol 1 by Yuji Iwahara

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Title: Cat Paradise vol 1

 Author: Yuji Iwahara

Series:  Cat Paradise #1

Published:  4 August 2009

Length: 192 pages

Warnings: a little romance that doesn’t go anywhere, demons

Other info: There are 5 volumes of this in total.

Summary : Nine lives might not be enough to survive this catfight!
At Matabi Academy, students are allowed to bring their pet cats to the dorms. For Yumi Hayakawa, whose favorite hobby is making clothes for her kitty Kansuke, Matabi seems like a sure bet. After all, nothing can possibly go wrong with her best friend at her side! But on the first day of school, the two find themselves face-to-face with a murderous demonic minion on campus! Will Yumi and Kansuke be able to defend themselves and their school against an ancient cat demon's thirst for vengeance?

Review : This is a school set manga with a difference. At Matabi Academy, students can bring pet cats  to school. And it's set on a site where a princess and her cat died after a fight against a demon. And the student governers and their cats have special powers enabling them to protect the school from said demon, and its henchmen. But apart from that, it's your typical gakuen(school) manga. Girl, in this case, Yumi, starts at new school, settles in, plot moves on in some way and she falls in love. In Cat Paradise, the love interest is Tsubame, a fairly interesting boy in that, like the rest of the student council, he and his cat can do something special to protect the school. The way the plot moves on is that a demon, not the one mentioned earlier, who is called Kaen,but another one, shows up and wants to eat Yumi, along with the other humans. And then various things happen, Yumi and her cat gain special powers and by the end Yumi and her cat have to save the school.

This was a fun interesting plot. The back story provided was good, and the things happening in the present day happened fast enough to keep you interested.

Some of  the things are hard to remember, such as the names of minor characters and their cats. This is only to be expected as a lot were introduced in a short period of time. However the plot in general was easy to follow and understandable.

The characters aren't exactly the best, but they're fun and have distinctive personalities. I like the way the cats have their own personalities too, that match or otherwise compliment the owner's.

The art is realistic, for the humans and cats anyway. I don't particularly like the shading style- ie mainly pure black and white, with greys thrown in every now and again. It works for single pieces of art, but for 200 pages worth it gets boring easily. However the fantasy creatures are drawn very well and are very imaginative.  

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to this fun quick read that isn't really the best thing ever but you might enjoy it.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | 

Book Review- Death Note by Tsugami Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Title:Death Note
Author: Tsugami Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Series: Death Note
Published by: Viz Media 2005-7
Length: 12 volumes of about 200 pages each

Warnings: the whole idea of being able to kill anyone by writing down their name, mild fanservice if you know what to look for, the big question of is it ever right to kill someone

Other facts: There is an anime. It was published in Weekly Shonen Jump, before being made into tankobon versions in japanese and english.

Summary from Goodreads: Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

Review: A book about a talented student (Light Yagami) being bored and wanting something exciting to happen, finding a note book that fell from the sky during class a black note book and later going to see what it is (a book with a set of rules, the most important of which is that the human who’s name is in this book will die). Light decides that the people who need to die are criminals and starts writing down lots of names with the help of the death notes owner, the shinigami/death god Ryuk. But the police aren’t too happy that criminals are suddenly dying form mysterious heart attacks (not sure why though) and they send the world’s best detective, known only as L, to find the culprit, who is known as Kira. L and Light inevitably meet, and the story becomes a pressured battle to find out L’s name so Light can kill him, and proof that Light is Kira. Later on Light is joined by more Kiras and L’s successors (who have major problems: Mello (who looks like a girl) and Near (who lacks basic life skills). How simple can a plot line get? I thought death note was one of the best mangas I’ve ever read. The plot (though I’ve explained it badly) was fast paced and the tricks that were pulled were things I would never have thought of. It’s realistic in the sense that the things that must happen, do, and the artwork is amazing. One of the cleverest things done with the artwork is that Light grows visually more evil as the story goes on. Though the story is dark, Death Note contains many comic scenes so it isn’t too serious or puts readers off.

Overall: Strength 5 for the reasons above.

Katy >.<

Book Review-Black Butler vols 1&2 by Yana Toboso

Title:Black Butler
Author: Yana Toboso
Series: Black Butler #1&2
Published by: Yen Press 2009/10
Length; 192 and 194 pages

Warnings: Guns, violence, profanity, m/m fanservice, 14+
Other facts: It is also known as Kuroshitsuji. It was published in a shonen, or teen boy's, magazine in Japan in 2006. Yen Press translated  and published it in English. Yana Tosobo has also written Rust Blaster.An anime series and two musicals have been created. The 5th volume comes out in english in may. there are at least 10 volumes in Japan.
Summary from Goodreads: When a terrible fire claims his parents, Ciel Phantomhive must step up as the head of his father's company and as Earl Phantomhive. It would be a lot for the young boy to handle were it not for his faithful butler, Sebastian. Ever at Ciel's side, it seems there's little Sebastian can't do, whether it's saving a dinner party gone awry or probing the dark secrets of London's underbelly. He's almost too good to be true...or at least, too good to be human...
Review: I won’t normally review two books in one review, but seeing as not much really happens in volume one , I m going to so you get the full idea of this manga. The first half of volume 1 is simply introductions, showing the servants being useless and Sebastian being forced to sort them out. The action doesn’t really get going properly until half way through, but when it does, it is rendered perfectly. Volume 2 follows Ciel and Sebastian investigating the jack the ripper killings, ending in the beginning of a fight between jack the ripper and Sebastian that is continued in volume 3. I really like the characters. Sebastian is the butler from hell - literally, he's a demon who's catchphrase is "I am one hell of a butler"- who will make you cake, show off amazing tea pouring skills and kill any enemies in amusing and ironic ways. Ceil is really sweet, although you don't really find out much about his back-story- you find out in the anime though. The rest of the characters are very clichéd, the useless gardener, stupid maid and creepy undertaker, but with distinctive personalities and are very likeable. Some of these characters are pure comedy relief, which is amusing although it can be hard to believe they belong in the same world as the serious things they accompany. I like its setting, Victorian England, and the vague historical accuracy, even though some aspects are questionable: fake eyelashes and chainsaws, anyone? It’s been well translated, even though a lot of the puns require you to read the translation notes as you go along, or you may feel a little lost. Be warned though, there is a fair bit of undertones of  Sebastian and Ciel in...erm, questionable clothes, positions and situations- this  and a certain scene involving a corset and cross dressing springs to mind. The fanservice mentioned above , whilst being awesome as fanservice in anymanga is, detracts a lot from the point of the story.However, the artwork is beautiful and the action scenes are so awesome. The whole series is a mix of history, supernatural, horror,fan service, a little gallows humour, and a lot of crack.


Overall:I give this strength 5 tea because while the subtle SebastianxCiel undertones slightly distract a lot from the main story, in a good way, overall this is one hell of a manga.

Nina xxx