Review: Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington

Series: The Imdalind Series (Book 1)

Electronic: 374 pages

Publisher: Imdalind Press

Genre: Supernatural

Date of Publication: October 31, 2012

Synopsis: 

Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn't know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn't want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won't let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.

The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.

Review:

I love this book!

I felt the complete range of emotions with Kiss of Fire. I became invested in the characters. I wanted them to succeed. Usually I'm a sucker for the villain, but I wanted this one to just burn and die. There were some great twists and plot devices that I enjoyed. 

The entire time I kept wondering what race the characters belonged to--vampires, witches, ancient gods. I liked how they weren't what I expected. 

This novel is a page turner and will kept me enthralled until the end. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 owls

Nook | Kindle

Trailer:

Review: Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Series: Spellbound Trilogy (Book 1)

Electronic: 281 pages

Genre: Paranormal

Synopsis:

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene's body. 

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she's stuck being Charlene every twenty-four hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn't half as bad as hanging out with Charlene's snotty friends and gropey boyfriend. 

The "normals" of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead. 

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene's body before she disappears for good.

Review:

First off look at that cover. Gorgeous! 

I love this book. It is equal parts chilling, funny, and romantic. One minute you're laughing at the not-so-pleasant surprises the sisters leave each other and the next you're on the edge of your seat with suspense. At first I thought this novel would be full of trite teen drama (and there is a lot of it), but I was proved wrong. 

Raj is by far my favorite character. He is the determined suitor friend who wants to help Gray regain her body. He is definitely the typical charming bad-boy. 

Gray was annoyingly passive-aggressive at first, but she started to grow on me as she made more and more trial thrust at her. She makes some big decisions that takes a great deal of responsibility. 

Charlene is a brat. Make that a psycho brat. 

I enjoyed Jefford's magic lore. These aren't your typical witches and warlocks. I found myself surprised at every turn. There were so many twists that worked to create a seamless story that I felt thoroughly satisfied by the end. Entangled is a fast read--I read it in one sitting. I highly recommend it. 



Rating: 5 out of 5 owls

Nook | Kindle

Trailer:

Review: Promises by Amber Garr

Genre: Fantasy | Mermaids

Synopsis:

Sometimes following your heart can end up destroying the ones you love. When seventeen-year-old Eviana Dumahl is faced with the responsibility of an arranged marriage and clan leadership, she is forced to choose between the life required of a mermaid and one of a teenage girl simply infatuated with the wrong guy. 

Kain, her devoted fiance, would make a wonderful husband except that she's been in love with Brendan, a shape-shifting selkie, ever since they were kids. Choosing to abandon her family, her clan, and her life with Kain will have dire consequences far beyond anything she could have imagined. 

A war is brewing amongst the clans and Eviana unwittingly becomes a pawn in the intricate schemes of a twisted mastermind. With Brendan's life on the line, she has no choice but to involve those she once considered friends. Amidst encountering senseless tragedies and immense loss, Eviana discovers that she is more valuable as a clan leader than anyone ever suspected. Her survival is not only dependent upon the loyalty of her friends, but also on her acceptance of a life she so adamantly tried to escape. Promises is the first book of The Syrenka Series trilogy following Eviana and her friends through the perils of growing up in a discrete world that inherently threatens human society.

Review:

This novel is jam-packed with teenage angst and drama. Eviana is smitten with her childhood friend, Brendan, a handsome and smooth-talking selkie. Despite how determined Eviana is to be with Brendan, I couldn't help but hope that she would change her mind and fall for Kain. 

The selkies were probably the most exciting aspect of the novel. Every so often I will come across a novel that mentions them, but Promises really explores the mythology and makes selkies the stars. 

I enjoyed the plot, but had some issues with the characterization. Eviana is extremely immature for a seventeen-year-old. Maybe Garr did this to really emphasize how much she has to develop when leadership is thrust on her; however, her personality made her very unrealistic. She acted like she was thirteen, not a noble with an immense amount of responsibility.

Overall, I enjoyed Promises. It was a very quick read. I think it's worth checking out.

Rating: 3 out of 5 owls

Nook | Kindle

Book Trailer:

Review: My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey

Genre: Supernatural

Synopsis:

The Drakes are rather different to your usual neighbors. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solnge, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more that just friends with Nicholas. But hot does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer.

Review:

I thoroughly enjoyed My Love Lies Bleeding. This is a fast read that will keep you laughing and will leave you feeling good when you reach the end. The characters are endearing, the plot moves quickly, and there is a balance of adventure, suspense, and romance.

While I wouldn't say the plot is original, it is the epitome of the teen vampire romance. Think Twilight but with vampires who actually drink human blood. I liked that there were different types of vampires that represent a variety of mythologies from across the world. Though many of the plot twists were predictable, the plot kept moving.

Despite My Love Lies Bleeding (aka Hearts at Stake) being very entertaining, be warned that there is tons of corny moments, fluff to the extreme, and nothing special that sets it apart from YA vampire romances. I really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure that a few months from now I will remember it. This is a novel that one curls up and reads in one sitting.

Rating: 4 out of 5 owls

Nook | Kindle | Author

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Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Genre: Paranormal | Witches

Synopsis:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generation. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. 

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautifiul girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. 

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. 

Review:

My first review of the year happens to be of the last book I read last year. It is coming a month after I finished it, but here it is. I just saw the trailer for the movie again and decided it was time to stop being lazy and get this review finished. 

This novel is a delight. The majority of the novel is written in Ethan's perspective, which is a refreshing change. Lena and her family retain a level of mystery up until the very end. There is a TON of angst between the teens and pretty much everyone else. There isn't an overload of information in one single spot, but because Ethan has no idea what Casters are or what they can do, there is a lot of explaining. Still, there is enough plot movement to keep it interesting. 

One thing I absolutely loved about the setting of Beautiful Creatures (Gatlin, SC) is that it shows both the good and bad aspects of Southern culture. I'm a born and bred Southern girl who loves the South. While the people in the small town of Gatlin turn against the Ravenwoods, there is still a strong degree of loyalty and familial love that resonates throughout. I loved the descriptions of the scenery and the dreams that take place during the Civil War. 

All in all Beautiful Creatures jumped to my favorites list by the third chapter. I can see myself reading it again and again and catching something new each time. I am anxiously waiting to see the movie.

Rating: 5 out of  5 owls

Movie Trailer:

The Spanish moss is just gorgeous!

Book Trailer: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs

I saw this trailer on youtube and I am very intrigued by it. Ranson Riggs definitely knows how to entice his audience. I've read a plethora of reviews and, as typical to this genre, many hate it while others love it. From what I've gathered there is very little correlation between the cover art, the trailer, and the actual content of the book. My reply to such criticism is "we shall see." I'm seriously thinking of giving this one a try. 

Summary: 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. Fiction is based on real black and white photographs. The death of grandfather Abe sends sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and explores abandoned bedrooms and hallways. The children may still live.