Mini-reviews- Reaper's Novice and Peregrine Harker

Title: Reaper’s Novice

 Author: Cecelia Roberts

 Series:  N/A

Warnings: non consensual kissing

Source: netgalley

Review: Anna is normal. she’s got a boyfriend, she’s doing well at school and  she’s looking forwards to a brilliant musical education. Then her family dies in a car crash, but she makes a deal with Ernst, aka Grim, aka Death. Her family gets to live, he gets her soul, and she gets to work, collecting souls for eternity. She gets used to this, but then she finds out other things about where Ernst comes from...and where she does.

I read this because I saw it on Netgalley and a book like that, with that title, pretty colours, and a girl with a violin, I couldn’t resist.

It starts off quickly. the car crash and meeting Ernst happens within the first few chapters. There’s a bit of mystery that comes up. Other things like the story to Ana’s background and the mythology of the world, which comes in later.

I really liked Ana. She’s cool. She’s a really good violinist (musical  talent always makes me love characters) and then it becomes plot relavent and this is where audiobooks come in handy. She also seems like a really good friend.

I didn’t like Zig. He’s creepy and full of himself. Ernst was cool. Rolf was kind of mediocre until about halfway through, then we get a big reveal and he becomes a lot more interesting.

The plot was good, but near the second half, the plot became quite confusing.  The writing was ok in places, good in others. The more descriptive parts were better written, such as the end bit with the violin, and  Ana seeing her first reaping of an old woman in a hospital, which was the most beautiful part in the book.

Overall:  Strength 3.5, just more a 3, tea to a fantasy novel with good writing.

Links:  Goodreads | Author website |

Title: Peregrine Harker and the Black Death

 Author: Luke Hollands

Series:  N/A

Published:  3 June 2013 by Sparkling Books

Warnings: non consensual kissing

Source: netgalley

Review: Ever since Peregrine’s parents died, he’s worked for the Evening Enquirer. As a result of his behaviour and habit of writing stories of spies and thieves and espionage into his work which is meant to be factual, he is told to write a story about rising tea prices. Begrudgingly, he sets out to do this, and unexpectedly finds himself in amongst secret organisations, smuggling, and assassinations.

The first chapter takes place on a train, the epic conclusions of a match between Doctor Crick and Peregrine. The second chapter reveals that this was just a daydream of Peregrine’s, and that he is actually being told off by his editor and commissioned to write the tea article.

The plot moves along quickly, the investigation taking us many places, such as docks, posh hotels, backstreets of London and to France.

I liked Peregrine. He’s a great investigator, likable, and smart- like a less sad version of Gavroche (from Les Mis). I really like his enthusiasm for his job-and the fact it picks up when a dead body turns up.

I quite like Louisa too-the first time we meet her, she’s got a pistol and her governess is telling her not to fire that infernal thing indoors. Fun!

The pacing is good. There’s always something new happening and you’re kept intrigued throughout. The atmosphere of adventure is ever present-through London and Paris.

 arker. The

Overall:  Strength 3.5, just more a 3, tea to a younger historical mystery that’s a lot of fun.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

 Author: April Genevieve Tulchoke

Series:  Between #1

Published:  3 April 2014

Length:

Warnings: suicide

Source: publisher

Other Info: Book 2 will be called Between the Spark and the Burn.

Summary : You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand... Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who likes coffee and who kisses you in a cemetery... Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.

Review: Violet White has lived in Citizen Kane, a house out by the cliffs in a quiet seaside town, with her twin brother ever since their parents left to go travel Europe. Not much happens. Until River West turns up-good looking, charming, and someone for whom Violet falls head over heels in love. But as a child goes missing, a man kills himself, and other children hunt in graveyards for the Devil, Violet isn't scared.

I was very much looking forwards to this. The title, the tagline (you stop fearing the devil when he's holding your hand), the cover made it sound gorgeous.

It was gorgeous, though in a different way to what I was expecting. There's instalove, which is explained later in a way which makes you question all the love between River and Violet.

I really like the atmosphere and writing style of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It's romantic, dark, and gothic, and also has touches of 20s glamour, with Freddie, Violet's grandmother, playing a key role in things She's probably my favourite character, despite the fact she's dead.

I liked the way the plot develops, especially with the unexpected arrival of River's family and the tensions between them.

I'm uncertain as to the actual devil-ness of various people, but that didn't really matter. The paranormal elements definitely enhanced the story, even if it was a little creepy at times (ie how it affects the relationship between Violet and River).

The ending, ie climax of the novel, was very unexpected, even though there had been vague hints throughout. I liked it. The very ending seemed a little too neat and tidy a finish, but was still nice.

Overall:  Strength 3.5, just more a 3, to a beautifully gothic romance with a little mystery running through it too.

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- Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve

Title: Fearsome Dreamer

 Author:  Laure Eve

Series:   Fearsome Dreamer

Published:   October 2013 by Hot Key Books

Length: 384 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary : There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path. This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire. There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye. These people are dangerous. And wanted. Desperately wanted.

Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and precious and new that they will do anything to train her in it. But she doesn’t know that she is being lied to. She doesn’t know that the man teaching her about her talent is becoming obsessed by her, and considered by some to be the most dangerous man alive.

Review: Rue is an apprentice to a Hedgewitch in technophobic Angle Tar , which stands alone against World, the merge of other nations that is reliant on the virtual reality system Life. She dreams of other places, can feel herself physically there. Then she gets taken to the city by Frith, a man who hunts down Talented fro a living, and is tutuored by White, a very powerful Talented. And then there’s a boy with silver eyes who keeps appearing in her dreams, and Rue learns how powerful said dreams can be.

I love the world of this. Laure’s English/French heritage shows through in this, as Angle Tar is quite French with language, titles and the name  (somewhere near the end, I realised Angle Tar is a derivation of Angleterre) but there’s some things that are decidedly British. World is totally different, a wonderful vision of overreliance on technology. Both worlds are excellent.

I liked Rue. She’s clever, makes realistic mistakes, talks back, sometimes to the point of annoyance , and is a very intriguing character. White, I didn’t like because of his arrogance as a teacher, but he was nice in between his first appearance and his arrival at the Capital.  Wren I didn’t mind. Frith was awesome.

I think some things at the Castle and World can be explored further. I look forwards to it.

Laure has a very distinctive writing style that’s hard to describe. If I had to put it into words, I’d say gently descriptive. It fills in all the details really well.

For something described as brimming with unresolved sexual tension, I didn’t see it. I say that as someone who’s pretty good at seeing it. That doesn’t make the book bad, in my opinion. Just the marketing. Rue and White infuriate each other to start with, and dancing a dance of intent doesn’t change it that much.  

It’s a slow book,  a lot of build up, then the end happens when everything happens,

I love the dreams and the idea of being able to jump. It’s a new take on teleportation, and this scifiy-country fantasy mix works well.

Overall:  Strength 3.5,very slightly a 4, tea to a book with a great setting and mythos.

Links: Amazon | | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

Title: The Weight of Souls

 Author: Bryony Pearce

Series:  The Weight of Souls #1

Published:  6 August 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 350 pages

Warnings: N/A

Source: netgalley

Other info: Bryony wrote for me A Ghost By Any Other Name. She has also written Angel’s Fury.

Summary : Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn’t make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…
She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she’s bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she’s not going crazy.
But then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn’t know who killed him, so there’s no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave… and where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death.
Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him?
And what happens if she starts to fall for him?

Review: Taylor Oh sees the dead. As  a result of the agreement that one of her ancestors made with Anubis, she and her family must, if they see a ghost of a murder victim who marks them,  they must transfer the mark to the murderer as soon as possible. Because the Darkness will come for whoever carries the mark, and no one knows what happens  to them then. Taylor has been doing this for five years now. It’s been okish up until now, but then Justin Hargreaves, Taylor’s source of torment, dies and comes back as a ghost. But he doesn’t know who is responsible for his death, and Bryony must discover some of the school’s dark secrets before the darkness comes for her.

I was a little interested in this when I heard about the concept. Then the cover came and the MC is Chinese, which makes me really happy. Then I got the guest post about how these ghosts are different, and I thought: yes, I’m reading this one.

It starts quickly, showing Taylor’s normal job. And the dynamics between her, her friend Hannah AND THE POPULAR GROUP OF Justin, Pete, James, Tamsin and Harley within the first few  chapters. Justin dies about a fifth of the way in, a good pace. The pacing works.

I really liked Taylor. She’s been dealing with the ghosts since she was ten, and as well as having to cope with them. She has to deal with  dissolving friendships and trying to get in with the crowd she hated to find the killers. Justin, likability levels vary as the novel progresses, but by the end, you’ve seen who he really is. I really liked Taylor’s dad, who’s determined to find a way to defeat the curse, and is really supportive of Taylor.

The writing is great especially in places of tension and once Taylor’s picked up on the actual lead. The scene with the wheel and the scene at the tube station are two standout scenes that kept me gripped. The unmasking scene is not what I expected and what follows is definitely unique.

The ending is  really clever, links well to the clues scattered throughout, and leaves room for a sequel. A sequel I can’t wait for.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a superbly written novel.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-The Zero Dog War by Keith Melton

Title: The Zero Dog War

 Author: Keith Melton

Series:   Zero Dog Missions #1

Published:  15 Februrary 2011 by Samhain Publishing

Length: 288 pages

Warnings: violence, adult jokes

Source: bought

Other info: Keith has written other things like The Nightfall Syndicate and Ghost Soldiers.

Summary : The first bullet is always free. After that, you gotta pay.
After accidentally blowing up both a client facility and a cushy city contract in the same day, pyromancer and mercenary captain Andrea Walker is scrambling to save her Zero Dogs. A team including (but not limited to) a sexually repressed succubus, a werewolf with a thing for health food, a sarcastic tank driver/aspiring romance novelist, a three-hundred-pound calico cat, and a massive demon who really loves to blow stuff up.
With the bankruptcy vultures circling, Homeland Security throws her a high-paying, short-term contract even the Zero Dogs can’t screw up: destroy a capitalist necromancer bent on dominating the gelatin industry with an all-zombie workforce. The catch? She has to take on Special Forces Captain Jake Sanders, a man who threatens both the existence of the team and Andrea’s deliberate avoidance of romantic entanglements.
As Andrea strains to hold her dysfunctional team together long enough to derail the corporate zombie apocalypse, the prospect of getting her heart run over by a tank tread is the least of her worries. The government never does anything without an ulterior motive. Jake could be the key to success…or just another bad day at the office for the Zeroes.
Product Warnings
Contains explicit language, intense action and violence, rampaging zombie hordes, a heroine with an attitude and flamethrower, Special Forces commandos, ninjas, apocalyptic necromancer capitalist machinations, absurd parody and mayhem, self-deluded humor, irreverence, geek humor, mutant cats, low-brow comedy, and banana-kiwi-flavored gelatin

Review: Captain Andrea Walker, pyromancer, heads the Zero Dogs, a team of mercenaries made up of a werewolf, a succubus, a vampire, a creature summoner, a demon, a failing novelist, and a fake ninja, who run around and destroy things. Unfortunately, their latest act of destruction was not what was required of them, and now they’re further in the red than before. Luckily, they’re offered $25million  by the government if they complete this job-take out a necromancer with  a horde of zombies at his disposal. Only one problem- they’re forced to take Captain Jake Sanders their team. As the inter-team dynamics change and the UST between Andrea and Jake grows, all of them must focus their efforts on stopping the zombie takeover of the gelatin market.

Read the official summary. You will see why I really wanted to read this. And I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while (I think this was the first thing ever on my goodreads to-read), but never got round to reading it. But now I have, and I’m really glad I did.

It starts off with a typical mission, which results showing the personalities of most of the team really well, and their ability to mess things up. It soon gets into the contract for the zombie-necromancer mission, and is set up from there.

I love all the characters. Andrea is tough talking and stands up for herself  a lot, and the fact that she is a pyromancer  raises the awesomeness levels by about a million times. All the supernatural creatures are the opposite of their stereotypes, and they’re all totally different characters. Jake, when he first gets in, is very overwhelmed by them and their banter, as is evidenced by when he tried to give a briefing (that scene reminded me of a class playing up for a supply teacher who ends up either terrified, traumatised or highly concerned for the students’ sanity), but once we know him more, compliments them well. They all work together as a close team, and it’s nice seeing the bonds they have. The necromancer, Jeremiah Hansen, is an amusing antagonist, doing all he does for financial profit in the gelatin industry.

Andrea narrates with  a fair bit of sass, and in conversation comes up with more. The plot happens quickly, instantly pulling you in with an action scene and getting to know the characters, and moving on to the main plotline. I like the shifts to third person narration to follow Jeramiah and his adventures with the zombies.

I laughed my way through this book. The events that happen, the characters reactions and interactions and the general way this book is written what with parodying tropes of supernatural mercenaries and just being totally unexpected. The Zero Dog War cannot fail to brighten your day.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a really fun paranormal investigation with a cast full of lovable characters. Really hoping there’ll be a second coming soon.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Mini reviews-Guy Adams

Guy Adams in an author who does many things in sci-fi/fantasy etc. He's written Torchwood novels, the Sherlock Holmes casebook, the World House series and some other things.
Today, I'm reviewing The Good, the Bad and the Infernal and Deadbeat:Makes You Stronger.

Title:  The Good, the Bad and the Infernal

 Author: Guy Adams

Series:  Heaven's Gate #1

Published:  11 April 2013 by Solaris

Source: Publisher

Review: There’s talk of a town that only appears once every hundred years, in totally different forms. But some things stay the same-it’s always called Wormwood, and  it provides a gate to the afterlife. This book follows a group of people aiming to get to it when it appears this time in the Midwest of America, and as they travel,  they face many many challenges.

I was sold this as western steampunk. Sounds awesome, right?

We start by following one character, who gets saved by an old guy, and dragged along the trip. We then meet some other people, and folilow them on their travels, and then they meet up towards the end of the book. this makes The Good, The Bad and the Infernal seem more like a collection of stories about characters, a bit less of a novel. However, this is the first of a trilogy, so maybe it’ll pick up.

The characters are an interesting lot, but I don’t remember very much about any of them. There’s a freak show lot, an old guy, a religious person, and some others.

Imaginative things happen to the characters on the way along. Snakes! It felt a bit slow and confusing to me in places, but at other times, you’re really pulled in.  The travels along America are good, and I liked the setting.

I think that it probably will pick up later on in the series, because the ending is a definite “something big happens next”.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a Western Steampunk book that’s totally different, but didn’t keep me entirely.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads |

Title: Makes You Stronger

 Author: Guy Adams

Series:  Deadbeat #1

Published:  11 June 2013 by Titan

Source: publisher

Review: Max and Tom are two good friends who are in the graveyard one night when they see a coffin being today. With a girl in it. who is breathing. Drawn into the shady world of health insurance and dealing in other things, they’ve uncovered a mystery, and they are going to try and solve it.

I quite like Adams’ other stories-works on Torchwood and he also did the Sherlock casebook. I was looking forwards to reading this.

Max and Tom have an easy friendship, with other like minds, and it’s nice seeing them work together and play off each other. I really enjoyed the random side stories.

The twist, I didn’t see coming, but it made a few things make a bit more sense. Protagonists of this nature always cheer me up, and the events surrounding it for Max are interesting.

Plotwise, there’s a lot of intrigue, with different trails and backstories regarding players.

There’s dual narration, and I liked reading from both Max and Tom’s perspectives. There’s some more perspectives too when the plot calls for it.

The antagonists were hilarious in parts, as were the situaitons that Max and Tom found themselves in.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a darkly funny mystery with a supernatural twist.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | 

Audiobook Review-Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares

 Author: Kendare Blake

Series:   Anna #2

Narrator: August Ross

Published:  7 March 2013 by Orchard, 16 October 2012 by Audiogo

Length: 10hrs 4mins, 384 pages

Warnings: graphic gore

Source: audiobook publishers

Other info: I really loved book one in the series, Anna Dressed in Blood. Kendare has also written Antigoddess.

Summary : Cas Lowood is no ordinary ghost hunter - he's in love with a dead girl. Her name is Anna Korlov. Anna Dressed in Blood. The girl who sacrificed herself to save his life. Racked with guilt, Cas sets out to do what he does best - hunt a ghost. But this time his aim is not to kill. He must rescue Anna from the depths of Hell. But Hell is also home to a creature Cas has battled before...Just your average boy meets girl, girls gets sucked into hell story.

Review: Remember Anna Dressed in Blood? Well,  *SPOILER FOR DRESSED IN BLOOD* she’s in a realm with the Obemann. Cas gets haunted by the ghost of his ghost girlfriend. With the help of Thomas and Carmel  and a new girl, Jestine , he gets information about Anna from the Order and tries to find her, before she suffers a fate worse than death.

I really liked Anna Dressed in Blood. Gory, great characters, ghost hunting and fun. I was  looking forwards to this one.

I don’t normally listen to actual audiobooks read by a person (I normally just let kindle text-to-speech read aloud to me on walks). When I started this, I listened to the narrator’s voice and just thought “8 hours with this guy. Damn. His voice is annoying”. It grew on me after a bit, but it isn’t the way I imagined Cas to sound.

There’s a distinct lack of Anna, despite the fact that she’s in Hell. For a series named after her, you’d expect to see a bit more of her, and I hoped there’d be a bit more because she’s really really cool. She was very save-me when she was here, not quite as...Anna as she was in Dressed in Blood. I also missed the focus on ghost hunting.

Cas wallows in pity about the lack of Anna a lot in this one. It gets  a little annoying. Thomas and Carmel add a bit more realisticness, and add a bit of depth. Jury’s out on Jestine-to start with, she’s a bit unlikable, but I think you warm up to her in time. I liked seeing more of Thomas.

It did the creepy thing a bit better in this one. There’s a scene where the team are  going through a forest with a lot of bodies of those who have commited suicide. DON’T TURN YOUR BACK DON’T LOOK AWAY DON’T BLINK GOOD LUCK.  Quantum locked corpses chasing teens through a forest. Fun times.  (Ok, they’re not officially quantum locked, but that’s the vibe I got from them)

The climax added to the intensity, with powerful forces at play and a lot at stake here.

The resolution, I have mixed feelings about. From an in-book, plotty way, it’s perfect-it concludes nicely but not in a particularly good way, reflecting that sometimes things don’t turn out the way you expect.  From a reader’s point of view,it’s all “no why did you do that???”

Overall: Strength 2.5, more a  3 tea to a disappointing end to a a duology that I loved the first part to.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Mini-reviews- Ghost busting and vampire hunting!

Today, quick reviews of Hamlet II-Ophelia's Revenge by David Bergantino, Butterfly vol 1 by Yu Aikawa and Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis.

Title: Hamlet II-Ophelia's Revenge
Author: David Bergantino

Series:  Bard's Blood

Published:  4 February 2003 by Pocket Books

Warnings: sex and gore

Source: bought

Review: Cameron’s father was murdered, his ghost tells him his aunt did it, and he randomly inherits Elsinore Castle, which he’ll get control of when he turns 21. He and his friends go to Elsinoret o celebrate. So, bunch of young adults, alcohol, and fun times. But there’s a problem-the ghost of a girl who drowned centuries ago is back, and she wants her Hamlet.

I love Hamlet so much. This was an impulse buy because it was Hamlet and it was cheap. I wasn’t really expecting much.

Part of this is a straight adaptation of Hamlet shoved into a modern day setting, which I am not against in the slightest. The names got adapted ok (Laertes becomes Larry, Gertrude becomes Geri, the theatre players become rock band The Playaz) apart from Cameron, which is seriously random compared to Hamlet.

Ophelia in this, is a  ghost who leads to some very big things happening. She’s interesting as ever, and is the one who develops most as she possesses various people.

The writing isn’t amazing, and some parts of the book seem a bit forced.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to a quick, spooky redo of Hamlet.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Title:  Butterfly

 Author: Yu Aikawa

Series:   Butterfly #1

Published:  1 March 2011 by Tokyopop

Warnings: suicide, violence

Source: bought

Review: Ginji is highly against anything to do with the occult, due to the fact that he is haunted by the ghost of his brother, who killed himself. When he gets into an fight at a haunted mansion, which leads to them demanding bills and reparations, he has no way to pay up. Until a child called Ahega shows up and asks him to help out. Ginji can earn 20000 Yen a job-with the job being ghostbusting!

 This was  cheap at the Tokyopop stall. I got it not knowing what to expect. It was better than I thought it would be. There’s some humour from the awkward train of thought that Ginji has when wondering about the job,  and other little spots here and then. Ginji and Ahega complement each other well in terms of abilities (destroying and creating illusions respectively). Ginji shows more depth now, but I’d like Ahega to have more development later-there’s an interesting backstory coming. The characters in the short-bit-mystery (the swimming chapter) were also well developed.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a supernatural manga with promise.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Title:  Hard Spell

 Author: Justin Gustainis 

Series:  Occult Crimes Unit Investigation #1

Published:  26 July 2011 by angry Robot 

Warnings: violence, suggestive situations, 

Source: bought

Review: Detective Stan Markowzi is on the Scranton’s Police Department’s Occult Crimes Unit. He does exactly what you’d expect him to do-run around dealing with it when vampires, werewolves, faeries and the like mess up. The main plot starts when someone gets killed with mysteriokus symbols carved on him. That someone is a vampire. As more killings happen and some guy shows up claiming to be able to tell them everything, Max 

 I remember trawling round the internet and finding someone describing this as pararnormal investigations taken to the extreme end of fun. definitely my thing.

Rachel was my favourite character-she was sensible, and did a bit for plot development (pace advancement really). Stan was a good narrator and had a tragic backstory that motivates him.

It’s definitely fun, though maybe not my kind of fun. it takes a lot of cliches, like lesbian vampires and the white witch, which I like in moderation but got a bit overdone in parts.

The writing  plays with sarcastic humour in places. I have huge love for the hellhound on the police team. Called Daisy.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea  to a... unique pararnormal investigation. I’ll definitely read on in the series.

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 |

Book Review- Department 19: Battle Lines by Will Hill

Title: Department 19: Battle Lines

 Author: Will Hill

Series:  Department 19 #3

Published:  28 March 2013 by Harpercollins

Warnings: a LOT of Graphic Violence

Source: netgalley

Other info: Book one, Department 19 was reviewed here and book two, Department 19:The Rising was reviewed here. Book four should exist some day. There’s a set of novellas.

Summary : It's always darkest before dawn.
Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming.
The timing couldn’t be worse for a coordinated, global attack on a number of maximum security prisons and hospitals—with the already-dangerous inmates now on the loose and turned into vampires. One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. And with each day that passes, the regenerated Dracula gets stronger, bringing Zero Hour closer.

Review:  The book begins with a load of prisoners and mental patients becoming vampires and breaking free. Of these newly made vampires, Albert Harker, enlists the help of some journalists to expose the world of Vampires. Also, there is a traitor within the department, and Kate and Paul have the task of finding them. Also, there are 52 days to Zero Hour.

I love this series. There’s so much happening, so many characters  to take into account of. Also, the stakes (no pun intended) are always so so high that you can’t stop reading. There’s quite a few subplots woven into this that contribute to the panic of the Department.

The characters, both new and recurring, ware continually well developed. I liked meeting the new vampires, and seeing how their existence affects the Department.  Albert and Mckenna were very interesting. I really liked seeing Larissa on her own, growing even more and finding new things and being independent and such. The splitting up of the main teens lets them develop really well.

It’s really fast paced. Like in the Rising, the action changes settings and focus often, keeping you both engaged and on your toes and reminding you that the situation is crazy for everyone. The action doesn’t stop for one moment, which is amazing for 700 pages of it and the action literally beginning on page one.

I love the length of this series. But I am thinking... how  long is this series going to be? Somewhere it said four books, but I really can’t see that happening. Not without skipping a whole load of stuff. Or letting book 4 qualify as a murder weapon.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to another great instalment in one of my favourite series.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review-Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

Title: Devil’s Bargain

 Author: Rachel Caine

Series:  Red Letter Days

Published:  5 October 2012 by Mira

Length:331 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: Rachel is best known for The Morganville Vampires, and has also written Weather Warden, Outcast Season and Revivalist series.                                                                         

Summary :  Jasmine "Jazz" Callender is on the downhill slide to ruin. Once a decorated homicide detective, she's lost it all: her former partner's been convicted of murder, she's been cashiered out, and she's drinking away what little self-respect she's got left.
But Jazz has a talent for trouble, and somebody knows it. When a mysterious, sexy stranger comes looking for her with a fateful red envelope in his hand, she's about to make the deal of her life...for good or bad.
The deal requires her to enter into a partnership with a stranger and investigate cases that arrive in special red envelopes...which is odd enough, but gets weirder as she and her new partner Lucia realize that they may be working for someone with supernatural abilities.
And maybe they're not on the side of the angels anymore.

Review: Jazz Callender isn’t doing well. Having lost her job as a homicide detective when her partner gets convicted of homicide, she has nowhere to go. So, one day, James turns up. He’s a lawyer and comes with an offer- to save her Ben, she’ll have to work for a strange society which may or may not have psychic powers.

It started kind of well. There’s a lot of mystery when James shows up and you get quite intrigued as to what will be required of Jazz. The mystery builds when Jazz and her assigned partner Lucia do things which they weren’t really expecting, such as observing ordinary going ons. The action doesn’t really kick in until just over halfway, when someone gets killed.

The psychic element, in my opinion, should have been more prevalent if you were going to market it as a psychic paranormal book. It just didn’t seem like much of a threat, even when we met XXX and understood how things were playing out and why. For a romance, there wasn’t that much of it either. It did work really well as a thriller, with intriguing trails, action of realistic physical fights, and the mysterious red envelopes.

The characters are good. Jazz and Lucia are both independent, strong and intelligent, and work really well together. Manny, the tech guy, was a little bit of comic relief, as well as providing useful things.  Borden isn’t that interesting in terms of character, but in terms of what he does plotwise, I liked it. Lucia was my favourite.

The world, the society, didn’t really captivate me that much. The writing, Jazz was a good narrator but there wasn’t anything particularly special about it. The pacing, I would have liked a few more big important things to come along a bit earlier, as you wait a long time for things to happen.

Overall: Strength 3 to a mystery thriller with good characters but not so much plot.  

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Ferryman by Claire McFall

Title: Ferryman

 Author: Claire McFall

Series:  N/A

Published:  1 March 2013

Length:334 pages

Source: publisher

Summary : When Dylan emerges from the wreckage of a train crash onto a bleak Scottish hillside, she meets a strange boy who seems to be waiting for her.
But Tristan is no ordinary teenage boy, and the journey across the desolate, wraith infested wasteland is no ordinary journey.
Life, death, love-which will Dylan choose?

Review: Dylan is on her way to meet her father that she’s never really known. Unfortunately, the train she’s on crashes. She thinks she’s the only survivor. She’s the only one who died. Once out of the tunnel, she ifnds Tristan-her ferryman, her guide through the wasteland towards the next part of the afterlife. On  their journey together through the wasteland, a harsh environment filled with wraiths waiting to drag her down, Tristan and Dylan soon fall in love, and Dylan needs to decide what she’ll choose.

I’m always on the look out for new afterlives. The idea of a ferryman is not new, but Claire has made it a very personal affair, with the ferryman being there every step of the journey.

This wasn’t what I expected. I was expecting something a bit more romancy or a bit more actiony. Yes, there’s romance, but it’s less romance more forming a really really deep bond. There’s tension and moments of danger, but you can’t really call it action. Instead, it’s calmer, but at the same time, moving.

Aside from the first thirty pages or so, the first two thirds are very insular. There’s only Tristan and Dylan.  You get really close to both of them, and see their relationship progress from the normal, a bit detached,one that’s expected to one that’s a lot closer than is good for them. I’m glad that the last third brings in a few more people to get to know for a short time anyway.

It’s a very quick read. There’s all sort of things going on in the wasteland, with all the wraiths trying to stop you and  the general danger of not getting across. Either because of the writing or the attachment to the characters of both you get invested in the story, you do get a bit worried for them at certain points, you get emotionally pulled in.

The descriptions are really really vivid. You have the picture of the wasteland, both the one that you normally see plus the one that Dylan sees without her ferryman, really clear, and the setting comes alive.

Also, generally irrelevant,, just want to say that quite a few of us loved the shininess of the cover.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to an beautiful  take on the Afterlife.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Title: Witch Eyes

 Author: Scott Tracey

Series:  Witch Eyes #1

Published:  8 September 2011 by Flux

Length: 322 pages

Source: bought

Summary : Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.
After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.
To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.

Review: Braden has Witch Eyes-he is able to see all the magic, feelings, and generally everything in the world. After hearing Uncle John talk about Belle Dam, he is drawn there, to find out about the family he's not known. There, he finds two feuding families, the Lansings and the Thorpes, who both want him.

I've heard lots about this, and I probably got a bit hyped up over it. I like LGBT fantasy because then, sexuality isn't the focus of the story. There's some references to homophobia, but Braden and Trey are both comfortable with being gay, so there's more focus on the story.

It's a very Romeo and Juliet-y set up, with two young people from separate sides falling in love (though happily without the same ending). The romance is quite rushed, and I didn't understand the conenction between Trey and Braden. Braden should go for someone else.

The characters on their own, are good. Braden is on the very long list of characters who really needs hugs. Trey, he is very moodswingy. And quite annoying at times. Jade and Riley are really cool. Lucien, you can tell he's hiding something and  it comes to a good end. Catherine and Jason, I'd like to get to know a bit more. I didn't understand Gregory.

Plotwise, it was a bit too jumpy for me to get into it. Lots of things happen, but they don't seem to connect. It's also quite open ended, finishing off the bit with Lucien but leaving a lot of questions unanswered, and a lot of areas with more to explore.

The magic. The idea of the eyes is really cool, and quite original. This leads to some beautiful passages where we get the description of what Braden sees without his eyes being shielded. There's a lot of rich history and mystery in Belle Dam, to do with Grace, and her legacy.

Aside from the whole Romeo Juliet family feud fall in love  thing, it's definitely  original.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that I was expecting more for, but I enjoyed what I could get out of it. I'll read the sequel.

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

Book Review-The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys

 Author: Maggie Steifvater

Series:  The Raven Cycle #1

Published:  18 September 2012 by Scholastic

Length: 409 pages

Source: Publisher

Other info:  Maggie has also written the Wolves of Mercy Falls and Books of Faerie series, as well as the Scorpio Races.

Summary : Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Review: Blue is the only non-psychic in a house of psychics. This is not a problem. They all tell her that if she kisses her true love, he’ll die. This is. One night, she’s with her mother, watching spirits of the dead-in-a-year-people pass by. And she sees Gansey. This means she either murders him, or he’s her true love. She decides to stay away away. Soon, Gansey shows up. He wants to know where all these leylines are, as he wants to find more about the Welsh king, Glendower, who disappeared. With Adam, Ronan and Noah, boys from Aglionby Acadamy and the titular raven boys, they investigate.

I have Shiver on audiobook, and never got through it. I have gotten Scorpio Races from the Library and I quite enjoyed it.

The Raven Boys starts quite quickly. We get the gist of Blue’s situation  the Raven Boys, their quest, and what Whelk, the antagonist, wants. Then it slows down. A lot. Not just because of all the detail, but because there was so much going on, that I didn't really care about. The first threequarters or so, I was vaguely sure of what was happening, but not so much about the direction we were going in, or when it might come to a nice end. Then there’s a big reveal at the end of chapter 28, that was a little bit predictable, where it picks up majorly, and everything comes together and things start happening.

All the characters were nice enough, apart from Whelk, who was a downright......*self censors*...... I didn't connect to any of them though. They all have rich backstories, especially Noah. Blue is a good protagonist, but not that standout. All the Raven Boys were sweet. The psychic women were all quite similar. There’s a lot of characters involved in The Raven Boys.

The plot, I didn’t really care for much of it until the reveal. It’s annoying that we don’t find out if Gansey actually is Blue’s true love, or whether she murders him, or whether she murders him because he’s her true love and they kiss. I suppose it would cut the story a bit short if either of the latter two happened, but still.    

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that I couldn’t really get into. I probably won’t read the next in the series.

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

Book Review- Broken Illusions by Ellie James

Title: Broken Illusions

 Author: Ellie James

Series:  Midnight Dragonfly #2

Published:  8 May 2012 in America. 3 January 2013 by Quercus in the UK.

Length: 340 pages

Source: Publisher

Other info: My review of book one, Shattered Dreams, is here.

Summary : It’s Mardi Gras, but for 16 year-old psychic Trinity Monsour this is no time for celebration. Another girl is missing. Haunted by visions she doesn’t understand—of an empty street lined by crumbling old buildings, a terrified voice warning her to be careful, and a body lying motionless in the grass--Trinity embarks upon a dark odyssey she could never have imagined. She'll stop at nothing to better understand her abilities, convinced that doing so is the only way she can make sure the terrifying images she sees never actually happen. 

But it seems everyone wants to stop her. Her aunt is worried Trinity might discover secrets best left in the past. Her best friend, Victoria, is afraid Trinity is slipping away, her boyfriend, Chase, fears she’s taking too many chances, and the lead detective will barely let her out of his sight. Only one person stands by her side, and in doing so, he slips deeper and deeper into her heart--and her dreams--blurring the lines of reality and illusion. 

When the dust settles, one of them will be dead.

Review:  Once again, Trinity and her psychic powers are used to solve a mystery. This time, she gets the first clues via a Ouija board. The visions come, and Trinity knows that if she doesn’t do anything about it, then that girl might die. But there’s a lot of opposition from all sides.

I kind of enjoyed the first one, but didn’t really get into the characters. Apart from Trinity, who just about copes with all the things she sees.  The others, I found boring again. Some were intriguing, but not hugely so.

When I started this book, and Trinity and Victoria started playing with the Ouija board, I was just “oh please why?”. Ouija boards are one of the few things that I really really try to stay away from, and you’d think that in a psychic-y world with different planes they’d know better.

I like the tone of this book. there’s a lot of mystery, and a sense of threat and always being careful. Sadly I didn’t get a really really creeped out feeling like in the first half of Shattered Dreams, but I still enjoyed the air of mystery in Broken Illusions.

Chase gets a bit more interesting in this instalment, but in a negative way in parts. Chase, can’t you trust your girlfriend?. Dylan, who I didn’t really care for in the first book, was a bit more prominent in this, making me wish I had paid a bit more attention to him in the first one.

I liked Trinity’s development, the way she deals with her visions, seeing her understand it all a bit more. There’s also a bit of family history, which is nice.

The mystery was built up really well. Lots of twists and turns,very gripping, and a satisfying conclusion.

The ending was just NO DON’T DO THAT. I think that Fragile Darkness will be interesting just because you’ve lost that major person and it’ll be intriguing to see how Trinity copes.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea. Really good plot, but I’m not as into the characters as I’d like to be.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |