by Kay | Jul 7, 2011 | Reviews |
Exile by Rebecca Lim
Series: Mercy #2
Published by HarperCollins
Pages: 304
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: MercyMercy is an angel with a shattered memory, exiled from heaven for a crime she can’t remember committing. So when she ‘wakes’ inside the body and life of eighteen-year-old Lela Neill, Mercy has only limited recall of her past life. Her strongest memories are of Ryan, the mortal boy who’d begun to fall for her – and she for him.
Mercy soon discovers that circumstances have forced Lela into waitressing at the Green Lantern, a busy city café frequented by suits, cab drivers, strippers, backpackers and the homeless, while caring for her terminally ill mother.
Just as Mercy is adjusting to Lela’s life, her beloved, Luc, reappears in her dreams, and she begins to glimpse her true nature and true feelings for Ryan. What she does not know is that her attempts to contact Ryan may have explosive consequences for everyone around her. Meanwhile, ‘the Eight’ — the angelic beings responsible for her banishment — remain determined to keep Mercy and Luc apart, forever...
Thoughts: Wow, this book was just… lovely. Just as ethereal and otherworldly as the first book in the series, Mercy, albeit not quite on the same epic scale. But even still, it was fantastic. Beautiful and just… lovely.
OK, specifics. Our amnesiac heroine, Mercy, is as tough as ever. This is an angel who may not have any idea who she is, but that hasn’t made her weak. She’s fearless and strong – she can do anything, except, well, escape her body. She’s a protector, not the protectee. Mercy is one of my very favourite YA heroines and she deserves more fans!
While I can still call her an amnesiac, she actually grows a lot more aware of her powers, her history, and her relationships with Luc and Ryan. She becomes more “awake”, looking at her situation without the love-spectacles forced on her by Luc. Suddenly things she had never been capable of thinking about – the circumstances that led to her being trapped in mortal bodies, the reasons why Luc actually wants to find her, and her growing feelings for Ryan – become all she can think about.
And while we are only the subject… Ryan. I am so glad Rebecca Lim brought him back for Exile! I fell for him as slowly as Mercy did – it took me up until the last page of Mercy to really start to feel for him. But by the time Exile came around, he was the highlight. This is a guy that fell in love with a body-snatcher while she was wearing the body of an underdeveloped, acne-ridden teen. In other words, he’s a diamond in the friggin’ rough.
Bottom line? You have to read this series. If you’ve been let down by other Angel YA, this will restore your faith… literally.
by Kay | Jun 30, 2011 | Reviews |
Brother/Sister by Sean Olin
Librarything / Goodreads
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Received for review from Puffin
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 256
Summary: Will and Asheley have a troubled past. Their father left them when they were little, and their mother has just been carted off to an alcohol treatment center. Now, they have the house to themselves, and an endless California summer stretching out before them. Through alternating perspectives, they tell the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control – right up to the impossibly shocking conclusion you’ll have to read for yourself to believe.
Thoughts: I really really enjoyed this book. I mean, really enjoyed it. Or maybe I loved it. Now that I think about it, I think I did kind of love it. Loved it like you love your best friend even after they’ve killed their father…
Where was I? Oh yes, Brother/Sister.
This book is dark – very dark. It has the magical trio that would make it great source material for an HBO show: great characters, bloody deaths and incest (albeit, there’s not that much incest). The novel jumps between two main characters, siblings Will and Asheley, as they recount their story to the police. Even though they were telling the same story, the differences between their accounts were fantastic. You know how they say no two people see the same thing? Well, that is exactly what Brother/Sister plays on. I was never sure which of them was the stable one…
Neither of the siblings have had any stability outside each other. Their father abandoned them, their mother is a violent alcoholic, and their school mates are all self-centred, abusive and petty children. That this turned Will and Asheley into less-than-stable individuals is not surprising. That I liked them and rooted for them anyways, well, that was rather surprising.
But while the characters and their ultra-realistic world were excellent, it was the mystery and suspense kept me reading. I thought I knew where the book was going, but half way through Olin took it to a whole new level. Most novels have 1 twist, Brother/Sister must have had 50. Hell, there were twists within the twists.
And the ending… just, wow. The ending made this book for me. Just when I thought things were winding down, BAM. Olin brings in yet another plot twist out of left field.
Bottom line? Brother/Sister is unexpected. Unexpectedly good, thrilling, disturbing… just unexpected. Read it if you’re starting to tire of the cookie-cutter YA that has been clogging the shelves.
Regarding release dates: This book is currently out in hardback in the US, but UK readers will have to wait until August 4th to get their paperback copy.
by Kay | Jun 23, 2011 | Reviews |
Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge
Series: Nocturne City #1
Published by Gollancz
Pages: 352
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating: Nocturne City could be any big city in the US. Poor areas, rampant drugs and violent crime, witches, demons and were creatures. Homicide detective Luna Wilder is investigating the death of a drug addict and comes across a drug that is more a spell than a chemical. A drug that leads her to the centre of a vicious war being fought between witches, a war that threatens to unleash hell on Nocturne City. Backed by a gritty take on crime and a vivid look inside a police department leading a fight against crime out of our worst nightmares the nocturne city novels bring crime to Dark Fantasy.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the protagonist, Luna, with her impulsive, kick-ass ways; the universe with its out-but-not-accepted!supernaturals; the bloody, complicated magic that actually made sense; and, of course, the love interest Dmitri, who was such a bad catch, it’s ridiculous.
And yet, there are a number of reasons why I shouldn’t have enjoyed Night Life. For starters, a lot of Luna’s erratic, stupidly fearless behaviour was blamed on her being a were. Same went for her love interest Dmitri. One minute they are getting on just fine, the next they have nearly come to blows, and then they are jumping each other’s bones. Unbelievable would be putting it lightly… or so one would think. It worked in Night Life – and so did a number of other things you’d think would have me rolling my eyes. For example, the book centres around an open-and-shut criminal case. I don’t tend to like my Urban Fantasy overlapping too heavily with a criminal procedure novel – mostly because I think it illogical to have a character chose to risk their life (and the lives of their loved ones) for a stranger. And yet Night Life, for all its criminal fantasy elements, made it work.
I was also surprised by how much I liked Luna. Although she was erratic and had no sense of self-preservation, she was an enjoyable narrator that I could completely root for. Luna’s fierce pursuit for justice, as well as her troubled past (which involves attempted rape and an evil grandmother), made her all the more admirable. And then there was love interest Dmitri… actually, I’m not sure I should call him a love interest. The guy is Bad. News. He has an extremely sordid criminal record and really should be everything I hate. And yet, he proves himself worth his weight more than once… and, well, everyone loves a proper bad boy now and again. Especially when partnered with a heroine who can more than take care of herself.
The only character I was less than fond of was Luna’s cousin – and supposedly her best friend – Sunny. God, did I ever want to show her off a cliff. How could this woman profess to care for Luna whilst defending the man that attacked her and the woman that had kicked her out of her home? *makes stabbing gestures*
Bottom line? Night Life was a welcome respite from the mundane UF I’ve been reading lately. If you want a bit of a rough-and-tumble in your next fantasy, pick this up!
by Kay | Apr 16, 2011 | Reviews |
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #4
Published by Razorbill on August 25th 2009
Pages: 503
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Source: Purchased myself
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Also in this series: Vampire Academy, FrostbiteHow far will Rose go to keep her promise?
The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them. . . including Dimitri.
He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?
Thoughts: Richelle Mead is one of those authors that makes you desperate for a conclusion. So, I’ll just come out and admit it… I read spoilers for Blood Promise before I’d even read Shadow Kissed (which, FYI, broke my heart into so many ickle pieces, I couldn’t deal enough to write a review). I knew what was going to happen before I picked up both books – and I have a pretty clear idea about the last two books in the series as well. I just had to know. Emotionally, I just wouldn’t have made it through this series without some warning of what was ahead.
So, despite having a pretty fair idea what would happen in this book, it still blew me away. I wondered how far Mead could take vigilante!Rose. I mean, the book is over 400 pages long and there’s only so much angst a girl can handle. But as Rose makes her way through Russia, Mead takes the opportunity to introduce some fabulous new characters: including Sydney, who will be the star of the spin-off series.
Along with the painful Dimitri/Rose action – which kept a lump in my throat the whole time – there are about a dozen new plot lines that pop up in Blood Promise. For one thing, we got a look at a very different Moroi/Dhamphir society – the one Dimitri was raised in, and boy does that ever explain him. We also got a whole new insight into the twisted world of Strigolis, and introduced to a whole new branch of supernatural none of us had even known about. I adored all the new intrigue. When it really comes down to it, the Vampire Academy is all plot plot plot and it’s fantastic.
On top of that, Rose went through some extraordinarily terrifying things in this book. Seriously, there’s death and torture and blood and prostitutes. It’s not stuff for weaklings, and even knowing how everything could turn out did not comfort me! Rose proved to be stronger than I think humanly possible. I couldn’t help but be proud of this girl for keeping herself together, both physically and mentally.
On the less-positive side… I still don’t see what Rose sees in Lissa. I find her rather bland and continue to only be interested in her because of her friendship with our leading lady. I also don’t get the fuss over Adrian. He seems a perfectly all right guy, but that’s it. I guess he’s a great rebound… but I found his woe-is-me business is extremely unattractive.
Bottom line? I loved this book for its angsty, plotty goodness. In case you haven’t heard, the Vampire Academy series is a Must. Read.
by Kay | Apr 9, 2011 | Reviews |
Soulless (Soulless #1) by Gail Carriger
Librarything / Goodreads
Genre: Steampunk/Urban Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 256
Summary: Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
Soulless is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
Thoughts: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of no soul must be in want of a werewolf.
I’ve read dozens of great reviews for Soulless – they’re not hard to find. Rapturous, joyful reviews about a book about proudly claims to be about “Vampires, Werewolves and Parasols”. And yet I never picked it up – nor did I want to. Something about the premise – a girl with no soul, a Scottish werewolf, and steampunk Victorian London – just put me off. I recognise that most people would have exactly the opposite response, but not me. It wasn’t until I saw Jenny’s (Wondrous Reads) ludicrously positive review that I considered changing my mind. If Carriger could convince this hardcore YA fan of her awesomeness, she must be pretty damn talented.
She is – this book was fabulous! Soulless is the steampunk, urban fantasy version of a Jane Austen novel – the literary equivalent of a cotton-candy crumpet – Lord of Scoundrels pimped out with vampires. Loved. It.
It took me a little while to get used to Carriger’s tongue-in-cheek yet formal style, but once I did, I absolutely adored it. Both her writing and her plot made me giggle like a mad woman, she’s witty but with a slight edge. I made not of quite a few lines that stood out for me, here are some of my favourites:
“How ghastly for her,” said Alexia, driven beyond endurance into comment. “People actually thinking, with their brains, and right next door. Oh, the travesty of it all.” – p.27
‘Highland werewolves had a reputation for doing atrocious and highly unwarranted things, like wearing smoking jackets to the dinner table. Lyall shivered at the delicious horror of the very idea.’ – p.108
‘Cats were not, in her experience, an animal with much soul. Prosaic, practical little creatures as a general rule. It would suit her very well to be thought catlike.’ – p. 130
Soulless is one of those rare books that consumes you. You try to set it down for the night, but you just can’t. It had fantastic world building, a unique take on the whole vampire/werewolf business, and some characters to die for. Lord Maccoon was utterly swoon-worthy and his snarky interactions with Alexia were just fabulous. He’s a perfectly reasonable werewolf who turns rather intolerable when dealing with Alexia’s rather infuriating disposition. Alexia, as you might have gathered, is extremely independent yet very proper. Always up to date with the latest science and fashion news – she’s a lady with a brain who shall hit you over the head with a parasol if you get cheeky.
But, most of all, I loved Macoon’s Beta Lyall. Despite seeming rather aloof, he always had his eye on the ball. He’s the exasperated aunt who manages to guide you through life by the nose without offending your ego. I’d say “I completely agree, that’s a lovely idea… but perhaps…” is Lyall’s most commonly used phrase. It worked like a charm on every character – myself included.
However, there were a few things I rather disliked. For one, at times the novel seemed a bit too much like a romance. It was almost as if it couldn’t decide what it was, so settled somewhere half-way between full-out romance and full-out fantasy. Basically, this amounted to crude references instead of full-frontal scenes. It just completely threw me off and was rather inappropriate. I am in no ways a prude but the “sexy” references just weren’t meant for this book.
I also took issue with the depiction of scientists in this novel. On the one hand, Alexia is a huge fan of the sciences and the new-fangled technology it produces. Yet, the average “scientist” is presented as a logical-and-intelligent madman. My problem with this? A) Somewhat offensive – you never see evil gardeners killing in search of the greatest pesticide. B) Very cliche. I’ve seen, read, and sat next to these villains on the bus. It was an exciting concept when Mary Shelley wrote it, but it got old fast.
Even still, Soulless was a fab read that I devoured in just over a day.
Bottom line? If you’re looking for a twist on your paranormal, look no further. Soulless has unforgettable character and will make even the most devoted coffee-lover brew a cup of tea.
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