Book Review- Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Title: Level 2

 Author: Lenore Appelhans

Series:  The Memory Chronicles #1

Published: 15 January 2013 by Usborne

Length: 330 pages

Source: Bought

Summary : Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind

Review: Felica Ward died and did not go to heaven. Instead, she is in a blindingly white afterlife known as Level 2. There, she replays memories over and over again- memories of Neil, a boy who she knew when she was alive and really wants to see more of. Then, someone else in Level 2 dies. Then, she learns about a rebellion, and has to decide what she's going to do about it.

 I liked the idea of being able to rewatch your memories  and the concept's originality  made me really excited to read Level 2.

It was fun when we started seeing the memories, with the whole set up seeming a bit like fantastical  Youtube. I also liked this way of seeing characters' backstory.

The romance, while being set up as a love triangle by the publishers,  isn’t really one, but I liked the way that it was slowly built and we get to see two sides of Felicia.

Felicia,  she doesn't accept answers without questioning them, which I liked about her. I also liked wondering about what happened while she was a live, and finding it out. I didn't really connect or care for any of the other characters. Julian is pretty much the opposite of Neil, one being badboylike and the other one being sweet and kind. 

I like the mix of computer/scifi elements, and the religion and mythology of the angels and the general world that Lenore has built up. The angels aren't the ones you often see in YA, mysterious romantic things, but they’re very good new interpretations. I would have liked to know a little more about them.

The plot, I got a little lost at points, but the ending was good.   The little ending there was. The whole rebels vs Morati thing is finished off very quickly, possibly a bit too much so.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book where I was hoping for more. I’d still like to read Level 3, though.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Dead Harvest by Chris F Holm

Title: Dead Harvest

  Author: Chris F Holm

Series:  The Collector #1

Published:  28 February 2012  by Angry Robot

Length: 384 pages

Source: library

Other info:There's currently 2 more in the series-The Wrong Goodbye and The Big Reap 

Summary : Meet Sam Thornton. He collects souls.
Sam’s job is to collect the souls of the damned, and ensure they are dispatched to the appropriate destination. But when he’s sent to collect the soul of a young woman he believes to be innocent of the horrific crime that’s doomed her to Hell, he says something no Collector has ever said before.
“No.”

Review: Sam Thornton collects souls and sends them on to Hell, as payment for something htat happened years ago. One day, he's sent to collect the soul of Kate Macneil, a young woman who  was caught in the middle of  brutally murdering her family. But when he gets there and finds her in a coma, the brightness of her soul tells him she's innocent. He can't send her to Hell-that would start a war. Instead, he refuses the job and helps her escape, leaving them on the run from humans, angels and demons.

I've wanted to read this since before I started blogging -I had a period of needing to read EVERY Angry Robot book ever published because they seemed awesome (i'd just gotten into spec fic properly) and  although I probably won't do it with all the other books I need to read, I can try.

The introduction of Sam is of him hopping bodies-he possesses them, and leaves them when the job's done. I liked this idea, and it helps move the plot on in places too.

Throughout, we get little pieces woven in to how Sam got where he is, both in job situation and look on life, and I liked that this brought us closer to the character, who we already see quite a bit of  in that he refuses orders despite risks. Kate is a really nice character, and you want them to succeed (ie get out of this alive). The non human characters  especially had varied and unique motives, and uncertainties to those made the ride mor9e interesting.

The getting Kate out happens very quickly, within the first three chapters, and it keeps going from there. The plot moves on quickly, and isn't slowed down by the flashbacks or the writing style. Action happens frequently, and there isn't anywhere you think “meh. Bored”.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fast paced fantasy with a main character you always want to know more about. Definitely reading on. 

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Immortal City by Scott Speer

Title: Immortal City

 Author: Scott Speer

Series:  Immortal City

Published:  5 April 2012 by Scholastic

Length: 405 pages

Source: won

Other info: Sequel, Natural Born Angel, is available now.

Summary : Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.
He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.
Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.
Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

Review: This world knows about the existence of angels, and the angels make a profit of it. Jackson Godspeed is a rising star in this world, and every girl wants to date him. Apart from Maddy. Guess who ends up the lucky girl? Anyway, among that, someone’s killing angels. And going by the pattern, Jackson’s next.

I generally love the world that has been set up here. The angels are wonderfully consumerist, refusing to save a guy from a car crash when they save the one sitting beside him because the first one didn’t have insurance. They’re also humanlike in other ways, chasing after celebrity and fame over the things that you would normally associate angels with. And in Jackson’s case, falling to emotions.

Maddy and Jackson are good characters that make a great couple. I like the fact that she’s not totally lovelorn with the angels, and that he cares enough for Maddy to majorly defy what’s expected of him in a society guided so tightly.

It was well paced. Something was always happening and I never found myself getting bored with the plot or world. It’s a little predictable, but a lot of fun.

I’m still really confused why Jackson was next on the list of angels. It might have been done by fame, but I don’t think he’d done anything major  in the angel world by then other than be born pretty. It can’t have been by age, because there was an older guy before him. It seems like a random plot point to be  fussing over, but I must have either missed it or not had it explained, and I get a bit picky over things like this,

I’m glad there’s room for a  sequel, what with the reveal of the antagonist. And then there is a sequel! I’ll read it some time.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a starry supernatural romance with a good murder mystery added in too.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Mini-reviews for The Sweet Dead Life, Devilish and The Eternity Cure

Today- mini reviews for paranormal YA- The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble, Devilish by Maureen Johnson and The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa.

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 Title: The Sweet Dead Life

 Author: Joy Preble

Published:  May 14 2013 by Soho Teen

Source: edelweiss

Review: This is the diary of Jenna Samuels. After feeling sick, Jenna goes to hospital. With her brother. Who crashes the car. He doesn’t survive, instead becoming an A-word (Jenna has issues with the word angel) Jenna finds out that she’s being poisoned and also starts uncovering information about her missing father.

Afterlife stories are really fun. Well, afterlife/mystery stories. You know what I mean. The whole “I was dying” thing in the blurb is a definite draw in.

The Sweet Dead Life is a very quick read. The language is light and simple and easy to get through. I didn’t really enjoy it though-it got on my nerves quite a bit, but it’s good for those not looking for something not too serious.

Jenna was a bit annoying at times, just her way of narrating and all. She is very cheery. I liked Amber a lot, because she’s very different to your stereotypical angel.  Casey too.  We get a good antagonist. Jenna’s mum added a bit of grim reality.

The plot kept developing throughout, with something happening all the time.  you get frequent sumups of what’s happening so it’s easy to keep up with.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a light, fun afterlife story.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

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Title: Devilish

 Author: Maureen Johnson

Series:  N/A

Published: June 2012 by Harpercollins

Source: won from Much Loved Books

Review: Jane and Allison have always been best friends. They’re practically all the other has. So they’re in their senior year, and they’re meant to pair up with a new girl. Jane doesn’t get anyone, but after a small fuss, Allison gets Lanalee. And then Allison  really changes. No transformation should be this sudden. Jane does some investigation. And discovers that Allison has done a deal with a devil.

I was looking forwards to this- Maureen Johnson plus devils. It’s definitely an original and amusing take on such an old topic of selling your soul to the devil.

Jane is quite cool. She does so much for Allison, which is nice. She’s still getting over the breakup with Elton. She’s very funny, and a great narrator. Allison is a bit annoying in that she doesn’t do that much on her own. Lanalee is a really great version of a devil, tied up in bureaucracy  and sassing her way through most conversations. Owen was really sweet and the teachers at Jane’s school, once we got to know them for real, were pretty awesome.

Devilish is a really quick read. It’s well paced, and things happen quickly. the friendly narration works well and speeds it up further.

I would have liked to know the characters and their relationships a bit more before Lanalee showed up.

It’s mainly for younger people, but there are some unexpectedly violent scenes.

Overall:  Strength 3 to a relatively light take on Faustian contracts.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website |

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Title: The Eternity Cure

 Author: Julie Kagawa

Series:   The Blood of Eden #2

Source: publisher

Review: After leaving Eden, Allison is looking for her maker, Kanin, after sensing he’s in in trouble. Along the way, she meets her blood brother, Jackal, and they go along together. They discover lots of things , like what’s been happening to Kanin, scientific research regarding cures, and that the plague is getting rather bad. Fun!

Character developments were happening really well. Allison is still fighting with herself about being a vampire, and trying to be good about who she drinks from. The first part of The Eternity Cure is  mainly Allison travelling on her own, so we get to know her a bit more. Plot picks up when we meet more people. Jackal has changed a bit, and gets more intriguing as we go along. Sarren provides a constant antagonist. Zeke was eternally sweet. 

Plot was rather predictable at times. what with the ending of The Immortal Rules, I was guessing that Zeke would show up again. The story  developed well, with the whole family blood ties thing going on on one level and then there’s the sciency bit with the plague and they fit together well.

You can easily see the close bonds between Allie, Zeke, Kanin and Jackal, all of different types that change. On the flip side, there’s the breakdown of the bond between Allison and one of her friends from The Immortal Rules, which I found was a really good way of showing how changed they’ve all become since the beginning of the series.

The ending, when it happened, was a shock, but I guessed the twist cliffhanger as the playout of the event for it was happening. It seemed like a little bit of a repeat from somewhere else in the series, but it’ll definitely keep me reading.
On cover related note, thank *&*% that they sorted it out.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a vampire book with a completely different world and awesome characters.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Tour Spotlight and GIVEAWAY - WitchLove by Emma Mills

WitchLove 

Synopsis (Sequel to WitchCraft – Book 3 in WitchBlood Series)

With the reappearance of a lost love, Jess flees to the only people who can help her control her increasing powers and gain independence – her family’s coven. But with a bruised heart can Jess learn to forgive or will she find new love in the United States? Witchlove, the third installment of the Witchblood series, is a new adventure that takes Jess from New England to Voodoo country in the South.

What others are saying:

“I love this series. I can hardly wait until the 3rd book, WitchLove is released… This is a series that I will look forward to re-reading just as the new book is ready for release.”

—Carrie, book reviewer at OnceUponATwilight.com

“The characters feel real, the world feels authentic, and the story literally throbs with an underlying intensity that builds with each page. In short, Witchblood is an imaginative, satisfying read that still manages to leave the reader hungry for more.

—Thomas Winship, author of Vaempires: Revolution & Vaempires: Zombie Rising

What I say 

This series is really really cool. Vampires, witches and angels? Heck yes. Throw in a strong main character and some romance I'm sure you'll all love and you have nothing to lose!

You can find my full  reviews of WitchBlood and WitchCraft around here too.

Author Bio

Hi I'm Emma. I am happily married with two lovely children. I have always loved reading and writing and published my first novel WitchBlood in Jan 2012 with Witchcraft following in June and WitchLove due in Feb 2013. After acquiring an obsessive love of supernatural teen novels...yes I'm a Twilight fan...I decided to write my own supernatural story based here in Manchester in the UK, near where I live and grew up. It's currently dark, windy, cold and very very wet... and easy to get inspiration.

Find Me- Facebook  |   Blog   |  Twitter   |   Goodreads  |

Buy US - Amazon   |   Barnes and Noble

Buy UK- Amazon   |   Barnes and Noble


GIVEAWAY!

It'll be a PDF, .epub or kindle file, and is therefore open internationally.

Giveaway open to anyone over 13.
Ends 8 March 2013.
Use the rafflecopter.
Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book tour review - WitchCraft by Emma Mills

Title: Witchcraft

 Author: Emma Mills

Series:  Witchblood #2

Published:  15 June 2012

Length:320 pages

Warnings: attempted rape

Source: author

Other info:  This is the second in the Witchblood series. The first was reviewed here.

Summary : Jess is no ordinary vampire. Protected by the Manchester vampire clan, and initiated by her family’s east coast American coven, she is sought after by every dark witch and warring vampire faction. Jess must fight if she wants to keep hold of her friends, her sanity and finally her existence.
As the dead bodies of human girls begin to stack up, and her recently accepted vampire boyfriend, Daniel, finds himself in prison, Jess goes on a crazy, forbidden trip to London, racing against time to save an old friend and solve the mystery behind Daniel’s incarceration. In battling new enemies and finding new friends, Jess’s confidence finds room to grow, but who will she lose along the way?

Review: Jess has just learnt that her heritage includes a family of witches. Then one of the shows up and initiates her into their coven. Now she’s a mix of both witch and vampire and everyone wants a piece of her.

It’s really nice coming back to characters you love. Jess is now vaguely used to being a vampire, but still wants remnants of her old life, leading to a rather amusing scene involving tea.The being a witch makes for a new set of discoveries waiting to be made. Once again, she’s strong, independent and takes it all in her stride.

I really like the supernatural mix of vampires, angels and witches. It’s not your typical mix, but it works really well. Each supernatural subset has their own society/heriarchy/ whatever and I really enjoyed seeing Jess navigate these.

It’s a very quick read, or maybe it’s because I was kept reading it for ages. Or maybe both. The writing is descriptive, and also accurate in the cases of the Wiccan ceremonies. The first bit is mainly grounding the setting with Jess’ witchiness, still with a lot of action there, but the second part is where it builds up and people die and such.  

Wholly shipping Jess and Luke. We definitely get to know him a bit more (after not getting that much of him in Witchblood) and I think they share a deeper connection than her and Daniel, even if both of these boys are annoying to her at times.

THE ENDING. EVIL AUTHOR. There are certain cliffhangers which should not be allowed to exist. This is one of them. Two of the characters who I was starting to really really like....and then.... WE DON’T KNOW. Must read Witchlove sooner rather than later!

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a mustread for any supernatural lover.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Foretold by Jana Oliver

So the world didn't end... yay!

Title: Foretold

 Author:  Jana Oliver

Series:   The Demon Trappers

Published:  2 August 2012 by Macmillan

Length: 416 pages

Warnings:  non-graphic sex, violence

Source: Publishers

Other info: The other books in this series are Forsaken, Forbidden, Forgiven. Foretold is the last in the series. Clicking on names leads to my reviews.

Summary :  Riley faces the final battle for humanity and Beck's heart—and Hell is the least of her problems
Now that Riley’s managed to (just barely) fend off Armageddon, everything’s changed. Well . . . most things. After their passionate kiss before the big battle in the cemetery, Beck is back to treating her like a little girl, as if nothing ever happened. While she’d love to just tell him off and move on, Riley vowed to take care of Beck the way he’s taken care of her since her father’s death—but she’s about to get a whole lot more than she bargained for. When she’s commissioned to go with Beck to his hometown and help him care for his dying mother, they stumble too close to a dark and murderous secret, one that Beck fears will drive Riley away from him forever. As chaos breaks loose, Riley may be Beck's only hope for redemption . . . and survival.

Meanwhile, up in Atlanta, it’s quickly becoming clear that Heaven may have won a battle, but the war is far from over. Riley and Beck face a stormy future, as Lucifer's ex-right-hand-man, Sartael, proves himself to be more resilient than anyone thought. He has Atlanta in his grip and is about to begin a brutal war with the prince of Hell. As the seconds tick down toward a final confrontation, it's up to Riley and the man she loves to finally defeat their old enemy, or lose everything they've fought for.

Review: I’ve been with this series from the start, so it’s really odd going into this book knowing that it’s the last one. So...yeah. Riley’s come back and the demons are planning their big uprising  and that’s all going to happen.  More important is Beck and Riley, and their relationship. They both realise how much they love each other, but that means that they also can’t hide from their pasts. 

Of the four, this is most definitely the most character driven book. And when I say that, I mean, by one person. Beck really gets the spotlight here, which is nice seeing as he goes through a lot of stuff in the earlier books and we now finally learn all the ins and outs of his backstory-his relationship with his mother, how he was generally brought up. I liked this, but I must say, it felt a bit different in the series. Compared to all the action, it’s both nice and a little bit “oh” to go back to relatively mundane events.

The second half is where it all really kicks off. There was so much happening! We got a lot of demons, both regular pyrofiends and geofiends and such, and a some other things. There’s a huge amount of action- fighting demons, Riley and Ori, and Beck learning to go his own way. There’s some rather intriguing things about the workings of the trappers and the Grand Masters and whatnot, which is good. And Jana’s depiction of Hell is really interesting-a little more on the emotional side of things.

Riley whines a lot in this one. I understand why, with people going missing and nearly dying and the fact that she’s now being expected to fight with Ori randomly and such. But it was a bit annoying. She has matured over the course of the series though. Beck, you just really feel like you have to give him a hug. His characterisation is the best-lots of attention to detail for his personality and thoughts, mainly his pronunciation but also his action tics in general. Ori also has really good scenes. I didn’t like him to start with because he was a bit stalkery and in the first book, useless, but Jana assured me that we’d see more of him further on-and we did. He was handled really well in Foretold and I loved his last scene, even though it was a little sad. But it fit so well with him . All the characters really have developed.

Riley and Beck are perfect for each other! *shipping them hard* They go through lots of things,  but get so much closer and happier.

The ending!!! It works and is so sweet and is also circular format with the start of the series. I’m glad Beck gets his happy ending and is doing well in terms of being a Trapper. The best thing about the ending of this book (and the series) was that it ended in the right place. Jana hasn’t been irritating and dragged out the series longer than it needed  to be. It ended at the right time-when the main story is over we’re satisfied, but still have space for headcanons.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a great ending to a great series. Though we won’t get any more of Riley, I’d definitely like to see more from Jana.

Links: Amazon | 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-Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi

Title: Angel Dust

 Author: Sarah Mussi

Series:  N/A

Published:  2 August 2012 by Hot Key Books

Length: 352 pages

Warnings: violence and romance, 11+

Source: Publisher

Other info: Sarah has also written The Door of No Return and The Last of the Warrior Kings.

Summary : Would you move heaven and earth for the one you love? ANGEL DUST is a powerful, gritty and utterly modern tragic love story with a twist. When Serafina, the brightest and most beloved of all God's angels, is sent to collect Marcus Montague - the original badman - and take him to Hell, she finds herself powerfully drawn to him and makes a decision that places her in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell. Can Serafina fall in love without falling from grace? Can Marcus's soul be saved? And just who is the mysterious and ever-so-helpful stranger Harry?

Review: Serafina is an angel, who has been sent to collect dead souls. One night, she goes to a night club to collect Marcus-but then falls in love with him. Because she can, she makes a deal with mysterious Larry as an extension on Marcus's life. Serafina now has until Halloween to get Marcus to repent- otherwise he goes to Hell.

The first thing I picked up on was Serafina's voice. It's got a distinctive quality to it that I can only really describe as being whiny. There's a lot of refering to Heaven and such, and also a lot about her-more than I'd expect an angel to. Serafina is also over-excited about something-there's an overabundance of exclamation marks, at least to start with, and then a little further on.

The characters are good. Marcus's friends are all your stereotypical London gangsters, but Marcus and his family had a bit more to them. Serafina, while not being all that likable due to her narration style, is built up well.

The Heaven and Hell that Sarah's built up is good. It's not the most interesting one I've seen, but the set up was what we're familiar with, with all happy clouds for Heaven and smoke for Hell.

I was slightly disappointed in the Devil character. He was fun, but not that deep. Same goes for all the characters really.

The romance was nicely done, with Serafina's love for Marcus being evident from start to finish-even if I couldn't really understand why she was in love with him for a reason other than a pretty face.

I liked the plot idea and the setting. It was well developed, and there's a slightly gritty feel to it.

The ending is a little bit confusing. It all happens quite fast and it does feel like, for little bits of it, in-world logic has been twisted to create the ending.

The story of Serafina's standing in Heaven due to her love is the most interesting thing. The most satisfying thing is seeing her dropped into the middle of London, and her being unable to get by without money. With the use of scenes like this and her confrontations with various characters, Serafina's definitely grown up.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a different take on angels with good romance and setting. Best not read if you want a heroine you don't want to kill for her narration skills.

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- Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Title: Dark Kiss

 Author: Michelle Rowen

Series:  Nightwatchers #1

Published:  29 May 2012 by Mira/Harlequin

Length: 348 pages

Warnings: violence, romance 12+

Source: Publishers

Other info: Michelle has also written other series, mainly for adults.

Summary : I don't do dangerous.  Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising... 

Review: Samantha is your normal girl-not that popular, not that pretty, not that amazing. But at a party, she gets kissed by a boy, Stephen, and is subsequently noticed by everyone. From there, she meets Bishop, who she falls for, and learns what she has become-a Gray, that feeds on  souls with kisses. As well as this,o Bishop is an angel and she ends up running around with two angels and two demons.

It's not the most original concept of all time, but it's pulled off quite well. It's really nice having angels that get bloody often. We also get a long talk about the angel and demon lore in the Night Watchers series, which makes sense and is really nice. The second part of the lore, explained by Natalie, was narrated quite flatly so it made me case less about it.

About Natalie. She's a fairly important character in terms of her  relationship with Sam and so on, but she comes along halfway through out of nowhere. And we've only known her for a few pages before her big reveal.

The other characters aren't that standout-y, but they're good enough for me to care about them. The whole  Bishop and Kraven thing was totally unexpected but wasn't explored too much. It'd be nice to see it develop in later novels.

Samantha started off a bit of a stereotype that didn't improve when the popular guy kisses her, but slowly, by the end of Dark Kiss anyway, she's grown into someone interesting who you like. The voice is full of not that deep thoughts, mainly stating the obvious.

Plot-not that original or unpredictable, but still enjoyable. Some twists I saw coming, others I didn't. There's a few plots moving underneath the main one, but it's not complex or hard to follow.

The end is satisfying, but not the kind that leaves me desperate for more. However, it is a good world that Rowan has developed and I'll read Wicked Kiss if I get the opportunity.  

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a novel that plays with angels and demons well.

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

Book Review-Forgiven by Jana Oliver

Title: Forgiven

 Author: Jana Oliver

Series:  The Demon Trappers #3

Published:  1 March 2012

Length: 407 pages

Warnings: Violence

Source: Publisher for review

Other info: the other two books in the series, Forsaken and Forbidden have been reviewed here. Book four, Fortold, should be out later this year.  The US title is the same for once. 

Summary : Riley has made a bargain with Heaven, and now they've come to collect.
Lucifer's finest are ruling the streets and it seems that Armageddon might be even closer than Riley imagined. But with her soul and her heart in play it's all she can do to keep herself alive, let alone save the world. Riley's not afraid of kicking some major demon butt, but when it comes to a battle between Heaven and Hell, she might need a little help...

Review: MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE AND TWO. REVIEWS HERE

Since I put down Forbidden, I've been looking forwards to reading this one. To find out what happened to Riley, what happened about her and her relationship with Ori, and what happened with Heaven and Hell and Earth generally. Put very simply, it didn't disappoint, but it didn't blow me away either.

We get right into Riley's life from the start, most likely because, being book 3, you should have read books 1 and 2 and gotten used to her. She's not completely off the hook, but she's doing fairly well. In comparison to how her life could be. In comparison to how her life will be.

It definitely draws you back in to the world of the trappers. And keeps you there. There's a lot of events that keep building up and building up until a really amazing climax.

The old characters are built up even more, especially Beck. I quite like the fact each boy/man in Riley's life gets their own book to shine (or not, in Ori's case). Ori's situation through the majority of the book...was...hard to get used to and imagine. But also quite funny. New characters, I seriously hated Justine, even though we don't see that much of her. She's a very hatable character. Despite this, I'd like to see more of her. Just because she's getting somewhere, and it'll be interesting to see where it all ends up. And Ayden is still my favourite.

The big climax was a little annoying in that I couldn't remember Sartael cropping up in the other books, even in the smallest mention, so when he was brought in as someone quite major, I wasn't sure why I should case about him. Aside  from that, it was really really good. The six pages in which  Lucifer and Michael verbally fight made this book infinitely better.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a great continuation to a fun and clever series. Definitely want to read book four, Fortold.

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-Angel Sanctuary by Kaori Yuki

Title: Angel Sanctuary

 Author: Kaori Yuki

Series:  Angel Sanctuary #1

Published:    10 March 2004 by Viz Media under a Shojo imprint

Length: 198 pages

Warnings: graphic violence, a little gore, incest, demons, angels

Source: Library

Other info: Kaori Yuki

Summary :When Sara's classmate, Ruri, received a computer disk from a strange man, Setsuna shows up to whisk her away from him. After lecturing Ruri about talking to weirdos, Setsuna comments she's much cuter without glasses, which she dropped in the confusion. Unfortunately, neither of them have been watching the news which reports of mysterious deaths occurring in connection with the CD-ROM "Digital Angels." The disk Ruri received is this same "Digital Angels" disk, and without knowing the danger, Setsuna lets her keep it. As soon as Ruri uses the program, her personality starts to change, and strange things begin to happen as Evils and angels seek the Setsunas's soul for their own mysterious motives...

Review: Setsuna doesn’t know it, but he’s actually the reincarnation of the angel Alexiel, who has been sentenced to reincarnation into the mortal world until she has paid for her sins. So then two demons turn up praising him as Alexiel, and he obviously doesn’t know what’s going on. On a side note, Ruri, after being blinded in an accident, communicates with an angel called Raziel, who is Alexiel’s brother and almost-murder-victim, via means of a computer game she received from a stranger, called Angel Sanctuary. The game that is, not the stranger. On another note, Setsuna has feelings for Ruri’s friend Sara. Who happens to be his sister.

The plot is very confusing. It doesn’t help that half the characters look extremely similar to eachother, and that that was the intended effect. Demonic, or in this case, angelic, possession is not the best topic to approach in manga, when you can easily be confused and your understanding of the characters comes mainly from the art work and how they look. Differentiating the characters is something you need to be able to do to understand it.

When I read this last year, I gave this two stars out of five. This was on the basis that while I liked the art and could pick out little bits, following the main story is impossible. Now, I managed to string together a plot by being fully awake when reading. Just about. This is not a book for whne you want a quick light read.

The characters are easy to distinguish if you pay attention to their personality. Which, when reading manga, I don’t.  Some of these characters are very likeable, some of them aren’t, and some of them change as you read through the story. For example, at first I liked Ruri, but when she XXXXXX(you’ll probably understand if you’ve read it) I started to hate her. Even though I didn’t particularly like the person she wanted it to happen to. But anyway.

I love the art. As always, Kaori Yuki’s unique style fits with the story, and the detailed style makes it look  realistic.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a manga with a long winded plot that improves a little if you get through the first few chapters.

Links: Goodreads | 

Book Review- Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Title: Mercy

 Author: Rebecca Lim

Series:  Mercy #1

Published:  28 October 2010 by HarperCollins

Length:281 pages

Warnings: angels,(highlight for possible spoiler)implied rape and abuse, a little romance,

Source: Library

Other info: Book 2, Exile is now out. Muse is expected for later this year and Fury should be out next year.

Summary : There’s something very wrong with me. I can’t remember who I am or how old I am, or even how I got here. All I know is that when I wake up, I could be anyone. It is always this way. There’s nothing I can keep with me that will stay. It’s made me adaptable. I must always re-establish ties. I must tread carefully or give myself away. I must survive.

Mercy doesn’t realise it yet, but as she journeys into the darkest places of the human soul, she discovers that she is one of the celestial host exiled with fallen angel, Lucifer. Now she must atone for taking his side. To find her own way back to heaven, Mercy must help a series of humans in crisis and keep the unwary from getting caught up in the games that angels play. Ultimately she must choose between her immortal companion Lucifer and a human boy who risks everything for her love.

Book Review: The Demon Trappers Daughter/Forsaken by Jana Oliver

Title:  The Demon Trapper’s Daughter aka Forsaken (US/UK titles respectively)

Author: Jana Oliver

Series: The Demon Trappers #1

Published: February 7th 2011 by MacMillan Children's Books

Length: 448 pages

Warnings:  demons, witches, magic, a bit of romance

Other info: The website is http://www.demontrappers.co.uk , and you can find Jana Oliver here. Book 2, Soul Thief/Forbidden, should be out in August.

Summary: Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass. One thing's for sure - if she doesn't keep her wits about her there'll be hell to pay...

Mouth-watering Mondays (1)

Mouth-Watering Monday is a meme hosted by Brittany at Nice Girls Read Books. Its designed to take the guilt out of judging a book by its cover.

This week...
Crossed by Ally Condie
Though I've not read Matched, I love the symbolism of the girl breaking out from her bubble prison, and also the way the covers are sequenced to tell a miniture story just by looking at them.
Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst
I like the obvious parody of Eat Pray Love, but the cover seems funny- its not often you get someone drinking blood out of a bottle with a straw.
Fallen by Lauren Kate
That is one beautiful dress. I also like the way she seems to be crying, even though I don't think it really fit the heroine of the book. The main reason is because of the dress though.

What other beautiful covers are there?