Book Review-Dawn of Darkness by Daniel A Kaine

Title: Dawn of Darkness

 Author: Daniel A. Kaine

Series:  Daeva #1

Published:  October 20^th 2011 by Smashwords

Length:290 pages

Warnings: drunk sex, dubious content, attempted rape, sex scenes, violence

Source: bought

Summary : Unburdened by the pain of loss and heartbreak, Mikhail is content with his life of solitude. But everything began to change the day he realised he has a psychic ability — the power to alter the emotions of those around him.
Ushered into the Military Academy with others like him — other Daevas — Mikhail does his part to help tip the scales of war against the vampires that destroyed the world and plague what remains of humanity. But after going up against his first vampire, Mikhail starts to question everything he thought to be true.
To discover the truth and expose the lies he once believed, Mikhail will set out on a journey of discovery, and learn some things about himself in the process.

Review: Many years ago: vampires come out of hiding. Some people like them, some don’t. Few years later: plague comes, as those who don’t like vampires said it would come. People stop liking vampires. Also, many people die (see plague). Setting of story: Mikhail is a Daeva, a supernaturally enhanced human. In service at the Military Acadamny, he and his squadron keep the city safe from vampires. Until one day when things happen and he ends up in a group of resistance fighters, learning new things about his powers, the government, and himself,

Mikhael, also known as Mik, starts off as someone with attachment issues. He then (after drunk sex) falls in love with Ash, opening up. I both liked and disliked Mik. He’s driven throughout the novel, and I liked watching him experiment with his powers. what I didn’t like about him was the fact that he was annoying at times and went on and on about Ash at times.

My favourite character was either Daniel, the werewolf, or Violet, the vampire. Daniel would be an awesome friend and Violet was quite memorable. Russel was a creepy antagonist. The squadron I didn’t really care for. Marcus is a very intriguing character.
The world is different. I like the backstory and the closed offness of the city,  and I liked the travelling between France and London, which is randomly renamed Aldar and strangely un-post-apocalyptic for reasons unknown.

The plot and the romance are ok, the friendships were better, the twists were good, the final one was great. The first almost half is romance and action, the rest is more action. the vampires are totally unsparkly, as shown by the very gory results of their actions.

Overall:  Strength 3.5, very slightly more a 3, to a fantasy post-apocalyptic novel with many good and bad points/

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 |

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!

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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- The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules

 Author: Julie Kagawa

Series:  Blood of Eden #1

Published:  24 April 2012 by Mira

Length: 480 pages

Warnings: violence and romance, 13+

Source: Netgalley

Other info: Julie has also written the Iron Fey series.  

Summary : In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Review: Allison was once an Unregistered-refusing to accept food and healthcare so she would not have to feed the vampire masters that rule the city. But, after an attack on her home, she has a choice-to die as a human, or to live as one of the creatures she spent her life trying to avoid. Choosing the latter, Kanin changes her and trains her-how to live, how to fight. And then they get split up. Allison is on her own, until she come across a band of humans searching for Eden. A place free of vampire control. Under the pretense of being a human, allie goes along with them. But for how long can she pose as one of the creatures that they are trying to escape? Especially when she’s falling in love with Zeke-the son of the man who everyone’s trusting to guide them.

I’ve never read any of Julie’s books before, but I’d heard good things about them. And after reading this, I’ll try and get hold of them.

Allie was a really strong main character. As well as being a vampire, she has many other facets to her personality. It’s nice having a girl being a vampire who has to control her urges for a change. The thing I liked best about her was the fact that she’s always thinking about when she was human, of what she left behind, and such. It added depth to Allie, and changes the way she thinks. Coming a close second is the way she handles a katana.

I lov e the variety of characters that she meets after leaving Kanin. Zeke is really nice, the romance is sweet, and there’s a refreshing lack of a love triangle. It was nice how not all the characters liked Allison straight away-it made it seem more real. I also liked Caleb, Darren and Ruth, for various reasons.

The communities that you come across are well structured, and the writing made you feel as thorugh you were there. The dystopian world before Allison got changed, whcich as well as being interesting, gave context to Zeke’s group.

The very ending was predictable, but good. It’s so open ended, that anything could happen-I’d really like to see the sequel.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a really good vampire novel that makes a change to the kind we normally see-this has action and romance in perfect proportions. 

Book Review- Crave by Melissa Darnell

Title: Crave

 Author:  Melissa Darnell

Series:  The Clann #1

Published:  6 April 2012 by Mira

Length: 416 pages

Warnings: 12+

Source: Publisher

Summary : When Savannah Colbert returns to school after a mystery illness, the fact that she has changed is clear to everyone. None more so than every school girls golden boy Tristan Coleman. Ever since their first kiss in fourth grade, Savannah and Tristan have been cruelly and inexplicably banned from associating with each other. Now, as the pair navigate the tricky social life of high school, the truth is about to be revealed. As Savannah learns of their paranormal ancestry and Tristan deals with the repercussions of her new powers, the relationship they have been denied for so long becomes utterly irresistible and all consuming. Like Romeo and Juliet centuries before them, Savannah and Tristan’s love is destined to fail; and Tristan’s powerful magical family, the Clann, are watching.

Review: In the wake of Twilight, forbidden romance boomed in popularity. And another crops up on the market? Let’s go for it. Savannah Colbert learns that her father is a vampire, making herself a dhamphir (half vampire). And then she finds that she’s becoming even mor9e attracted to her fourth grade boyfriend, Tristan Coleman. But this time, they’re being watched. Both the Clann, a powerful group of witches, and the vampire council are making sure they don’t endanger the peace between the species. But to do that, they can’t be in love...

In the interview at the back, it says that Melissa wanted a female vampire at the heart of the book. Good. she thought it would be cool if her hero was a witch. I like. The species being mortal enemies...a little overdone, but can be done well. So a good premises.

It starts off well, introducing the Colberts and the Colemans quite soon, and filling in the background. There are a lot of sideplots in this that get kicked off soon, such as Savannah’s longing to dance with her school.

It’s quite a relatable novel.  With Savannah not getting everything to work her way all the time, being bullied and having another boyfriend before settling down with Tristan, it’s a bit more believable and adds depth to her character.

I would have liked to see a bit more of the vampires and magic. It get that this is a paranormal romance orientated novel, and don’t mind that. But the vamps and witches are important to this and should get a little more significance. Oh, and I approve of the lack of lycanthropes.

Tristan and Savannah work well together and make a good couple. Their powers develop along with their relationship, and the backstory between them is really nice. A note for Tristan-your grounding was funny. *casually steams up tap* My favourite character was Emily, Tristan’s sister. She’s smart, she’s funny, and a much more relaxed Hermione Granger.

I liked the dual narration, because we saw a lot of scenes from two perspectives. However, some things did seem drawn out, and important events came quite slowly. The book could easily have been shorter without losing any of the plot.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a nice romance with side elements of magic, that just doesn’t leave me craving more.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- The Rising by Will Hill

Title: The Rising

 Author: Will Hill

Series:  Department 19 #2

Published:   29 March 2012 by Harper Collins

Length: 701 pages

Warnings: strong violence 13+

Source: Publisher

Other info: I read book one sometime ago and reviewed it here.

Summary : Sixteen-year-old Jamie Carpenter’s life was violently upended when he was brought into Department 19, a classified government agency of vampire hunters that was formed to deal with a little problem . . . known as Dracula.
But being the new recruit at the Department isn’t all weapons training and covert missions. Jamie’s own mother has been turned into a vampire—and now Jamie will stop at nothing to wreak revenge on her captors. Even if that means facing down Dracula himself.

Review: As soon as I finished Department 19, I knew I ahd to read the next one and see how it carried on. So I was really looking forwards to this one. It picks up where book one left off with Jamie, Larissa and Kate recovering at HQ.  And soon, they receive news about Dracula’s ashes. Old vampires are preparing  , and it’s time that Department 19 do too-Dracula is getting ready to rise.

I essentially fangirled throughout Department 19. It was amazing (see my review) And Department 19-The Rising is just as worthy of this praise.

It doesn’t just focus on the three young operators. You get a lot of background information on Frankenstein and the Rusmanovs and Dracula himself. So although it wasn’t just the present day, everything moves us closer to the Rising and builds up character depth, making the present day action more relevant and more exciting.

Plot-there’s quite a few plotlines threading their way through this, as well as the obvious.  For reasons that I shouldn’t say, Jamie leads a party to France to find him. Along the way, he also meets the “King of Parisian Vampires, and we get a little side story with him. And so on with many others.

My favourite character was Valentin. He does many completely unexpected things, and gives us a very different perspective of him to what we had had before reading this book. And the whole brotherly love thing with Valeri, well, it’s kind of non-existent. It’s really interesting seeing how the two brothers, the second and fourth oldest vampires ever, interact.

There’s a lot of character development from our main characters. Already with huge responsibilities, they have to be even more mature in this book. I liked the return of matt, the boy who was featured in the first novel but not too much, and his integration with the Lazarus plotline was really interesting. I hope we get to see even more of him someday soon.

There’s no waffling, just words to further the plot or our understanding of the characters. The action scenes were frequent and really well written, and all 700 pages were necessary. And the ending...don’t just leave it there! Now we have to wait (most likely) a year for the next one...but that cliffhanger....amazing.

The only reason this is getting 4.5 tea not full 5 is that it just missed a little something compared to book one. That said, it is an amazing book that any vampire addict should read. 

Overall Strength 4.5 tea rounded up to a 5 to a really strong vampire novel, with a little something for everyone.:  

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- The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt

 Author: Andrew Fukuda

Series:  The Hunt #1

Published: 8 May 2012 by St Martin’s Griffin in the USA. Simon and Schuster in the UK

Length: 293 pages

Warnings:  violence 13+

Source: Netgalley

Summary : Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.  Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.  When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?
 

Review: Gene is not like the rest of the population. He smiles instead of scratches when he finds something funny, sweats, and doesn’t have a taste for flesh and blood. Being exposed as a human, or in the terms of this society, a heper, could get him ripped to pieces. And so he pretends he is one of them, something he is actually quite good at-at least until he’s chosen to take part in the Hunt. A small amount of hepers are being kept at an institute, and a few lucky winners get to hunt them down. It’s a chance that all of society would literally kill for. But this game could soon become deadlier than Gene imagined as the hunter becomes the hunted.

At first, it’s confusing. Very confusing, at least until you decide to be sensible and remind yourself of the summary. It’s easy to infer that the narrator is human-that’s easy enough to guess. But the details of the society takes quite a bit of time to get the basics of. I spent ages wondering “So, he’s human. right. What’s everyone else?” Once we work out the basics though, its easy to imagine the rest of it.

Vampire society is something that seems to be getting a bit more of attention, after the surge of dystopian (thinks of Immortal Rules and other things) where humans are enslaved, the minority, or both. The idea of a human protagonist passing himself off as a vampire was interesting though,  original, and done quite well in The Hunt.

There are definitely influences from other books that are really noticeable. 1984, with the government layout and a slight extent, the Big Brother thing with having to be on his guard. Also, we see a fair bit of the Hunger Games-a random lottery, training sessions, no tying, and an inevitable bloodbath.

It’s really awkward when you’re halfway through a novel and you suddenly remember you don’t know the main character’s name. And then, 51% through, you find out. It’s an interesting technique that I didn’t really like.

 Gene and Ashley Jane (we get told her name at the start) are believable and work well together. It may be because it’s written by a male author, but I’m glad the romance didn’t take over the book. And I’m immensely glad that Gene didn’t fall for Sissy, the sole female heper who he is meant to be hunting.

The best thing bout this was the fullness of the society that they live in. They’re not refered to as vampires, because in this society, they’re the norm. The fact they see humans simply as food is very clear from the attributes from obvious things like what they say to subtle things like referring to humans as “it”.

The other great ting about The Hunt was the detail in the action. It picks up towards the end and is fast, thrilling and totally pulls you in.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that’s really good as long as you can get over the highly confusing start. I would like to read the next book in the series though.

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

Book Tour Review-The Hunted by Kristy Berridge

Title: The Hunted

 Author: Kristy Berridge

Series:  The Hunted #1

Published:  April 2011

Length: 582 pages

Warnings: profanity, drinking, sexual innuendo 14+

Source: Author for blog tour

Summary : Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a Vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age.
It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals.
As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.

Review: It’s (relatively) not often that you see vampire girls. It’s often the boys, and then the girl gets turned if she’s lucky. It’s quite nice seeing the girl born a vampire for once. Elena knows that she will become a vampire some day, but she doesn’t know everything else about herself. Which is quite a lot, and quite major to how she’ll turn out. She’s living with a family of Protectors-kind of like slayers, but magical versions. Then she meets William Granville, a vampire, and a lot of things happen. She gets pulled into a Vanator hunt (a Vanator is essentially a werewolf that drinks blood. And the a’s should have hats on them. Whatever they’re called in punctuation terms.), she learns the truth about her parentage, she learns she’s even further than normal than she thought she was, and she finds herself falling in love with a 400+ year old vampire. Yay!

So, it starts really quickly with Will out hunting Vanators. We soon get to the main bit-Elena’s life. To be honest, the first bit wasn’t amazing. The first third (about that much, well, until she meets Will) is nice to read, but lacking on the paranormal side, and edging towards teen girl-y problems-sneaking out for parties and such. Not really what I was expecting, and really not my thing. I suppose it was useful for character building, especially around Elena’s family.

Then we met Will and it all picked up. Hunts are fairly frequent in this, and there’s quite a bit of blood and guts at various points in the story.

Elena, once we’d got over the first part, is really really cool. Her parentage is just one of the many things that gives her an edge-her general attitude and her development are two others. I love the way she speaks-always speaking her mind and consistently sassy and strong. She definitely develops-how could she not after learning all of THAT about herself?  Will, I quite liked. Even if it was creepy how he always turned up.

There’s some very realistic seeming dialogue, especially in the family scenes. I can guess that everything that happened between Elena and her “mother” would have happened anyway, even if they weren’t a vampire and a magical protector. And the bits with Lucas, the brother. Aww. Lucas is a very sweet, if sometimes annoyingly, protective brother that makes having siblings not seem so bad.

The best thing about this book is the description in the action scenes. Well, the description throughout. But in the action scenes especially. Paranormal Australia is easily imagined, and I felt like I was right there in all of it.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a great start to a paranormal series that I definitely want to carry on with.

Links: Amazon| Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Title: Intertwined

 Author: Gena Showalter

Series:  Intertwined #1

Published:  1 September 2009 by Mira Ink

Length: 440 pages

Warnings: 13+ paranormal stuff and violence

Source: library

Other info: Gena also writes for adults. There are two more in the series.

Summary : Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him: One can time travel. One can raise the dead. One can possess another human. One can tell the future. Everyone thinks he's crazy, which is why he's spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him. Together they'll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger…but not everyone will come out alive.

Review: Aden’s spent his life going from house to house, due to his being “crazy”. But the actual reason is because he has four souls inside his head, constantly talking to him, making him possess someone else, making him raise the dead, making him timetravel and predicting his death. When he gets to Crossroads, he meets Mary Anne who quiets the voices, and vampire princess  Victoria who’s been haunting his dreams.  From this, Aden learns of many other paranormal creatures that somehow are attracted to him, and he’ll have to learn how to use his supernatural abilities in order to stay alive.

The first chapter definitely pulls you in, with the souls inside Aden being introduced an interesting, and quite funny, way. The other major characters also get neat introductions, and I liked them all from the start.

The main plot didn’t take too long to establish, but from then on, it was quite drawn out. Not in a bad way. Just carrying on and on throughout the novel. The subplots don’t distract too much from the main plot either. This really wasn’t explained very well. Sorry.

I like the way almost all the major charcters are introduced quickly. I was slightly disappointed Aden and Mary Anne didn’t get together, because I think they would have made a good couple. However, Victoria and Riley turn up and they pair up with Aden and Mary Anne respectively and it all works out ok.

The huge mix of creatures that crop up was amazing. I’d definitely like to see if there’ll be any more, unusual and unconventional creatures coming in in later books.

Why isn’t this getting strength 5 tea? There’s just a little something missing. I’m not entirely sure what that is, but there’s something. Hopefully we’ll find it in book two.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a great start to a paranormal series I can’t wait to see more of. And seeing as the book’s already out, then I don’t think I’ll have long. As long as I can find it.

Links: | Goodreads