Book Review- Skulk by Rosie Best

Title: Skulk

 Author: Rosie Best

Series:  Shapeshifters of London  #1

Published:  1 October 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 387 pages

Source:netgalley

Summary : When Meg witnesses the dying moments of a shapeshifting fox and is given a beautiful and powerful stone, her life changes forever. She is plunged into the dark world of the Skulk, a group of shapeshifting foxes.
As she learns about the other groups of shapeshifters that lurk around London – the Rabble, the Horde, the Cluster and the Conspiracy – she becomes aware of a deadly threat against all the shapeshifters. They must put aside all their enmity and hostility and fight together to defeat it.

Review: Meg is coming back from graffiting a wall at her school when she sees a man die. Man fox. Fox man. He curried a stone and mumbled about the fog. Then died. Later, Meg leaves a party...and then turns into a fox. Found by another fox, who wants her to run from the fog, just run, she is thrown into a world of shapeshfters. There’s groups of them- Skulk are foxes, the Rabble are butterflies, the Hoard are rats, the Cluster are spiders and the Conspiracy are ravens. And then there’s a metashifter, who can shift into any of these shapes. And now someone wants the Metashift to control the elements. And they’re willing to kill for it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this. I’m very glad I read it though. It starts off wuickly, with the first death happening at the 4% mark, so the set up for the rest of the thing happens quite early on.

Meg is an awesome protagonist. She’s size 16, something I have NEVER seen in YA) totally happy with it, a graffiti artist, takes things in her stride, and is generally great. Friendship and family is important to Meg, and I like having that come through.

Then there is TRHE MOST WONDERFULLY DIVERSE CAST EVER. It spans ages, ethnicities, social backgrounds, able bodiedness, sexualities, and genders. And none of that is the focus, it’s just who they are.

All the characters are well built up and totally varied. I’m not sure who may favourite character is- maybe James or Addie or Meg or Mo. I think maybe Addie, because of her explanation of why she likes being in her fox form is sad, but the best line in the whole book: I’m not homeless, I’m wild.

The plot moves quickly, and the book is addictive- you get through it really quickly. there isn’t a place where you want to put it down. Meg’s narration is funny, relatable, and descriptive.

The villain is well fleshed out, the end is satisfying, and hints at more to come.

If that doesn’t make you love this book, something else that’s great and new about this book-there’s evil pigeons.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea. Come for an addictive read, urban fantasy, shapeshifters and a lot more.

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

Book Review-iZombie Dead to the World by Chris Roberson & Mike Allred

Title: iZombie- Dead to the World

 Author: Chris Roberson, Mike Allred

Series:  IZombie #1

Published:  22 March 2011 by Vertigo

Length: 144 pages

Warnings: sex references, violence 13+

Source: Bought

Other info: There's two more in the series, uVampire and Six Feet Under & Rising.

Summary : Told from a female zombie’s perspective, this smart, witty detective series mixes urban fantasy and romantic dramedy.Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person – until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfi ll the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong.Our zombie girl detective is joined by a radical supporting cast: her best friend Eleanor, who happens to be a swinging ’60s ghost, a posse of paintball blasting vampires, a smitten were-dog and a hot but demented mummy.

Review: When I added this to my goodreads shelf, I didn’t realise that it was a comic. Oh well. First impressions? The blurb is really good-I love it when something like that can be taken both metaphorically and literally. And when I read it, it instantly appealed to me. A zombie, Gwen, digging up graves for a living and digging them back up to eat the brains, plus the memories, for staying in her current form of undeath? Definitely my thing. Then the latest brain she eats once belonged to a man who ended life as a murder victim, and it’s up to Gwen and her best friends (a ghost and a were-terrier) to solve it.

I love the mix of paranormals represented in iZombie. Theres one of one all the major species (zombies, lycanthropes, ghosts, vampires) and  a fair few humans in it too.  The take on the zombie is very interesting-with Gwen staying fairly intact as long as she eats a brain every so often so she can stay in her non-shambling state.

Gwen is a strong and realistic heroine, who takes her situation quite well, and does what she has to do, albeit with not much enthusiasm,  to keep herself out of a non-shambling state. I really liked her for some reason.

It gets off to a very good start, with the trick or treating. The introduction of the subplots such as the part witt the vampires and Scott the were-terrier and the monstrer hunting was done well, and all of these played out very well. Apart from the main murder mystery. Very interesting, but at the very end, confusing and anticlimactic.

The art is consistent, and I love the fact that the entire book is in full colour. It really does add something to enjoying the book. I don’t really understand why we oiccationally see just half of Gwen’s face rotting. I get that it is meant to show her as she could be, but when we do see her like that, it seems to be totally random.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a new take on an old concept, with a whole cast of paranormally inclined characters that you will definitely like.  

Links: | Goodreads | Authorwebsite | 

Book Review-Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infamous

 Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series:  The Chronicles of Nick #3

Published:  12 Mar 2012

Length:358 pages

Warnings: violence, sex references 13+

Source: Publisher for review

Other info: The other two in the series, Infinity and Infamous have been reviewed on DB&T. Currently we have a giveaway of Infinity going-click here.  Sherrilyn has also written (not for teenagers) the Dark Hunter series, the Knights of Avalon and a lot more. The Dark Hunter series has been adapted into a manga series, that is suitable for teenagers.

Summary : Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him. He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is. And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.  Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.  Even himself.

Review: I think I’ve said it before. I love this series. I read the Dark Hunter series, I read the Dark Hunter manga, it just makes sense that I read Infinity. And the next one. And the next one. Nick’s still in a bad way-finding out that your “uncle” is yourself from the future, trying to prevent you from being (like his other attempts at safeguarding you) put into mental hospitals, sucked into Nether-realms and worse. And as he learns more and more about his powers, and what he can do, he becomes closer to either saving the world or destroying it. Just what every fifteen year old needs.

If there’s one great thing about the series (and trust me, there’s more), it’s the huge mix of characters. We get gods and goddesses, familiar and unfamiliar, demons (Simi is my favourite thing about this series), Dark Hunters, vampires (current favourite is Virgil, the lawyer), shapeshifters (The bears at Sanctuary), a fair amount of humans, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. At least, I think there’ll be four. We’ve only met two. I want to meet the others. And Nick of course. The good thing is that, while there’s so many, I can still keep track of them. If I really wanted to, I could draw out a neat(-ish) map of character relationships. And all the characters have their own personalities. Individual, interesting and really good to get friendly with.

Nick is a great character. At the start, there’s a paragraph that sums up exactly why I love him “Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier-smart mouthed, streetwise kid. Typical teenager. Gaming guru. Anime and manga obsessed otaku. Socially awkward around any girl his age. Total evil.” And from there, he just keeps growing. His relationships with his mother and many other characters develop, and you see him understand and take control of his powers and general life a bit more. And his lovely little romance with Kody. Too bad she [ERASED FOR SPOILER].

As well as the demonic powers coming into play aspect, there’s also another plot running sideon. A nasty website has been started saying the worst things about almost everyone. Nick’s attempts to deal with everything being said about him and his friends are interesting, and his powers shake a couple of things up, which makes me happy for the characters involved.

 The world building is so good. No, that’s not the right word. The world should have already been built. The atmosphere. Yes, that’s it. It’s so easy for me to believe that in New Orleans, there is a set of hunters and paranormal creatures running around protecting the world from evil. Really, I want to go there. Not just the New Orleans Kenyon has created, but also New Orleans (the real one in Louisiana).

Overall:  Strength 5 to a great continuation in what is one of my favourite series. Can’t wait for book 4, Inferno. Should probably catch up with the Dark Hunter series while I’m waiting. But that’s a whole different thing entirely...

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

Book Review- The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

Title: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

 Author: Catherine Jinks

Series:  none

Published:  352 pages

Length: February 3rd 2011 by Quercus Publishing

Warnings: drug, alcohol and sex references. None of these things are graphically described. Werewolves, vampires, guns

Other info: Catherine Jinks has also written a lot of other books for adults and children, such as the Reformed Vampire Support Group, which is quite closely related to this book.

Summary : 'A werewolf? I kept stumbling over that word; it made no sense to me. How could I be a werewolf? Werewolves didn't exist.'
When Tobias Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, he is told that he was found unconscious. In a zoo pen.
The doctor rules out epilepsy and Toby's prank-loving friends are just as freaked out as he is. Then the wild-eyed Reuben turns up talking in hushed tones about Toby being a werewolf. Reuben's pale, insomniac friends seem equally convinced and offer to chain him up every full moon. They also claim to be part of some sort of vampire support group. This has to be a joke - right?
It's only when he's kidnapped, imprisoned and in desperate need of rescuing that Toby begins to believe them...
Hamster-drinking VAMPIRES, vulnerable WEREWOLVES and accidental ZOMBIES? Welcome to the bizarre world of THE ABUSED WEREWOLF RESCUE GROUP. 

Review : We start off meeting Toby, who tells us that he's the one they found naked in the dingo pen at the nature reserve. An interesting introduction. He is now in hospital and has no memory of how he ended up there. His doctor says it’s not epilepsy, and has no other suggestions, and Toby ends up a bit stuck for ideas. Then a priest comes along thinking he knows what’s going on, but he is shot down by Toby's mum. However Toby is convinced, sort of, and at some point meets with a support group of (he doesn't know it at the time) vampires. Through another set of various events he ends up in the Australian outback at a site where people bring werewolves and force them to fight each other. He then meets some more werewolves, some more vampires and eventually a few zombies as they try to escape.

The story was good. It wasn't too simple, and wasn't too complex either. Some parts seemed a little unnecessary but didn't drag it down too much.

The characters were likable with clear personalities. At the start it was hard to get a good image of each of the characters but as we learnt more about them it got clearer and easier to visualise. However, the fact it was a thirteen year old boy as the main character just made it seem like it was written for a younger audience, and therefore slightly less interesting than The Reformed Vampire Support Group

The whole thing is told from Toby's point of view. Some parts of it seemed a little too adult for a thirteen year old, like the fact he and his friends had tried smoking and drinking a bottle of port before parents came back. The writing itself was easy to understand and get through.

This is a ok-ish continuation to the Reformed Vampire Support Group. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a part of a series or not, but it works very well as a standalone novel while  the characters from the RVSG were re-introduced.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a fun quick read that  provides an interesting take on a recurring theme.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Invincible

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Chronicles of Nick #2

Published: 22 March 2011

Length: 309 pages

Warnings: demons, blood, mild rude joke x1  (the new principle: Richard Head- we can call him Dick Head and say its just his name) , what is basically vampires, shapeshifters, necromancy, a little dating which doesn’t go very far

Other info: My review of book 1, Infinity, is here and there will be a third book in the series. Sherrilyn Kenyon has also written for adults the League series and the Dark Hunter series, the latter which is also a manga for young adults. You can find Sherrilyn Kenyon on Youtube, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and at her website.

Summary  from back of book: When teenager Nick Gautier was saved from almost certain death by a mysterious warrior, he had a feeling his life was set to change. Fighting the undead has taken the place of fighting with his teachers (well...almost!) and Nick is learning to rely on his powers to protect the world from evil he could never before have imagined.
then, just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, he wakes up to find himself enslaved in a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul. But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

Review: Its the second book in the chronicles of nick series, and its jvery good, just like the first. It begins with a large dose of Nick and Kyrian's sarcasm, when Kyrian has to explain to Nick that he really isn't a vampire, just something that only can come out at night, has ridiculously long fangs, is pretty near immortal and is not a vampire. Despite Nick's overly cautious attitude, Kyrian wins, probably because Nick realises that there are even weirder things going on in life. In the form of his new football coach, who is attempting to collect personal items of everyone in the class so he can control them. And the fact someone is on a murder spree of fourteen year old boys, which Nick is. The reasons for this will become clear as you read on.

We meet a few new characters, my favourite being Death, aka Morty, a chef for Sanctuary and volunteer for the suicide helplines. We also meet Aimee and the rest of the Peltier clan, a family of shapeshifter bears who own Sanctuary, a pub and sanctuary for other paranormal types, and a few more. Again we meet Acheron and Simi and Kody and Bubba and other familiar faces.

Sherrilyn Kenyon once again brings New Orleans to life with full description, and the plot is brilliant, full of mystery, paranormal stuff and a little bit of romance.

It also leaves us expecting more-the relationship between Nick and Uncle Ambrose needs to be explored (readers of the Dark Hunter series should have worked it out) and I generally want to see what else happens to Nick that makes him into the guy we know in the DH series.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea because its great fun with a good story and something for everyone.

Book Review- Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

 Title: Paranormalcy

 Author:Kiersten White

Series:Paranormalcy #1

 Published: January 6th 2011 by HarperCollins

 Length:320 pages

Warnings:violence, a fair amount of weapons, kissing

 Other info:The second book in the series will be published later in the year and a third is planned. You can find Kiersten White on twitter and facebook, and can find her website here.

Summary :Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

 Review: The opening was brilliant, funny and different to the normal heroine-fights-paranormal books. Evie, our heroine, has been sent on a mission from the IPCA, an agency dealing with making paranormal creatures safe by doing things such as sterilising werewolves and using Faerie names to control them. Anyway, Evie  has been sent on this mission,  which is to bring in a roughe vampire. She does so with an ankle tracker, sharp retorts and a taser gun. Points earnt for the taser. After this, we meet a whole load of paranormals: Lish the mermaid, Reth the faerie, Jaques the werewolf and Lend the shapeshifter unlike anything we’re used to.  The first part of the book is us getting to know the characters pretty well, especially  Lend and Evie. Lend has broken into IPCA headquarters, earning himself a cell, which Evie visits constantly. This is where most of the romance comes from, in case your wondering.  Come on, you knew there’d be some. And the other point in the mandatory love triangle is Reth. Just needed to clear that up.  Also in the beginning of the book is…erm…yeah, it s just really character introductions.

Things get going about halfway through when someone else breaks in to IPCA, this time going on a quick killing spree. Evie and Lend escape, like Reth, and some others, who we never really see again,. Evie and Lend go back to his place, we meet some more paranormals  and also we find out who the killer is. Its Vivian, an Empty One who is scarily similar to Evie.

Anyway, things happen and it all comes down to a fairly dramatic showdown with Evia and Lend vs Vivian and an uncontrollable faerie. Then Evie finally discovers what she is exactly and the final scene is a typical boy/girl in love happy romance scenee. Fun.

I liked Evie’s world a lot.its interesting, and different to most. Everything had a reason behind it, and it was pretty believable- as believeable as a world where paranormal creatures are walking around can be.

There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns. They kept it fast flowing and action packed.

Evie’s narration was good- fully descriptive, and friendly, like any teenage girl. Especially at the start, it was witty anad funny. however, I think as she fell further in love (that the right expression? Probably not. Oh well), she lost some of the sass and sharpness that made me like her a lot. Not to say I didn’t like her at all, its just the character got weaker as the book went on.

The romance wasn’t particularly well written- from the beginning it was pretty obvious who she would end up with.  The romance scenes took up about half of the book, which I think is a bit too much for something with a blurb that promises more mystery etc. Or maybe its just me and my dislike for overly romantic stuff. I don’t know.

Overall: I give this Strength 3 tea because while it started off really well  but got a little less interesting as it went on. recommended to those who like paranormal romance a lot, and don’t care too much about the fighting-heroine side of things.