 | Title: Isle of Night
Sexual Content: N/A Rating:
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31 August 2011
Posted by
Abigail
at 2:41 PM
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, Paranormal YA, Review, The Watchers, Vampires, Veronica Wolff
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, Paranormal YA, Review, The Watchers, Vampires, Veronica Wolff
There are some very interesting Omnibus covers this week, can you arrange them in the order of Most, Less, and Least like their series covers (I think our feelings on the matter are pretty clear). There’s some amazing use of fire, a few homemade covers that look great, and at least one cover that looks homemade when it shouldn’t. 
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Description: A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them. Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men. For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.
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| Julia’s Thoughts | Abigail’s Thoughts |
| This is a lovely, soft cover. I think the title font may be a little too difficult to read, but that may just be on smaller, digital images. | I agree about the title font, but otherwise, I like the soft vintage feel. |
| N/A |
Posted by
Julia
at 6:30 AM
Labels: cover art, Gail Carriger, Kristina Douglas, L. A. Banks, Lili St. Crow, Michelle Rowen, Rachel Vincent
Labels: cover art, Gail Carriger, Kristina Douglas, L. A. Banks, Lili St. Crow, Michelle Rowen, Rachel Vincent
30 August 2011
 | Title: Aftermath
Sexual Content: References and descriptions of sex, sex scenes. Rating:
Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. |
 | Title: Sweet Venom
 Sexual Content: References to sexual activity Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.
Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.
Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.
These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.
Review
When I hear the word ‘Medusa’ it immediately conjures up the famous Ray Harryhausen snake haired creature from the original Clash of the Titans movie. SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs’ version bears little resemblance. Instead, she imagines teenage monster hunters who are the only ones who can see the mythological beasties that prey on humanity. No snake hair. No serpent bodies. No turning people to stone with a glance. These descendants of Medusa have lethal venom laced fangs, the ability to hypnotize with their eyes, and three powers uniquely theirs.
Gretchen, Grace, and Greer are the three monster hunters who were separated at birth. All three do have very distinct personalities, which I appreciated, but those distinctions all kiss the cliché line more than I would like. Gretchen is the tough and jaded one who has been fighting monsters for years on her own. She’s super sarcastic and supremely unimpressed with everything. She took a long time for me to warm up to and is responsible for the less than stellar start in SWEET VENOM. Grace is the sweet, brainy sister. She’s big into computers and not so much into sticking up for herself. Greer is the sister we meet towards the end of the book. She’s the socialite snob who is more concerned with not ruining her shoes than with the monsters attacking them.
Imagine teenaged Charmed but with Greek Mythology and you get SWEET VENOM. Not all the sisters endeared themselves to me, but the mythological ride was a fun one. I also really liked the guys in this book, two of whom clearly have big secrets they are keeping. In fact, I would have loved to read a whole book just about Grace and her mysterious older brother. Fair warning about the ending. I wouldn’t even call it a cliff hanger since the story doesn’t really get started until the end. The whole book is about the sisters finding each other, accepting their fate, and deciding to work together. The rescue mission, answers, romances, and fights will all have to wait for the next book in the Medusa Girls series which will be published in 2012. I had enough fun with this debut that I’ll be looking forward to it.
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 1st in series, 1st person, 3 bats, Greek Mythology, Medusa Girls, Paranormal YA, Review, Tera Lynn Childs
Labels: 1st in series, 1st person, 3 bats, Greek Mythology, Medusa Girls, Paranormal YA, Review, Tera Lynn Childs
29 August 2011
 | Title: Succubus Revealed
Sexual Content: Several sex scenes, references to sex. Rating:
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Posted by
Julia
at 2:00 PM
Labels: 4 bats, 6th in series, Angels, Demons, Review, Richelle Mead, Succubus
Labels: 4 bats, 6th in series, Angels, Demons, Review, Richelle Mead, Succubus
Jennifer L. Armentrout is the author of the young adult urban fantasy Covenant series about the teenage decedents of gods training to fight daimons at the Covenant school. Jennifer is talking today about YA cover art and her debut HALF-BLOOD (available on October 18, 2011 from Spencer Hill Press). Our review will be up soon. In the meantime, don’t forget to follow the rest of the HALF-BLOOD book tour hosted by Teen Book Scene.
28 August 2011
Thank you all for entering this giveaway and to Farrar Straus Giroux via Zeitghost Media for providing one copy of LOCKDOWN by Alexander Gordon Smith.
The winner (chosen by Random.org) is…
 | Title: Highland Hunger
Sexual Content: See each story Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Hidden in the shadowy caves and caverns of the Scottish Highlands, secret vampire clans wage dark battles both deadly and passionate. . .
"Dark Embrace " by Hannah Howell
While searching for his clan's demon Lost Ones, Raibeart MacNachton encounters an ethereal beauty running for her life. The decision to play hero is easy; fighting the urge to ravish the enchanting Una Dunn is more difficult—especially when Raibeart learns they share a powerful connection.
"The Guardian " by Michele Sinclair
The immortal Dorian vows never to fall in love with a mere human—until he meets the beguiling, arousing, Moirae Deincourt. She stirs a longing in Dorian that he dares not quench. But when Moirae's life is put in danger, her true nature is revealed—and the lust that rages between them can no longer be controlled. . .
"A Knight Beyond Black " by Jackie Ivie
Vampire Iain Duncan MacAvee has stepped forward to claim the woman he betrothed years ago—only to learn that the tempting Lady Tira knows nothing of the engagement. Though Tira feigns disinterest, the Duke's animal-like charisma has unleashed her most carnal desires—a hunger only Iain can satisfy. . .
Review
"Dark Embrace " by Hannah Howell (MacNachton Vampires series)
A young woman manages to escape a prison where she was being kept because of her unique blood and is aided by a man who claims that she is descended from vampires. They slowly fall in love while on the run from her captors in a way that novellas rarely capture. ‘Dark Embrace’ is the clear winner in this anthology. It has the details historical fans crave, the beautiful love story for romance fans, and the vampire mythology that paranormal fans will devour. I’ve never read the MacNachton Vampire series before, but this story makes me want to.
Sexual Content: One sex scene. References to rape Rating: 4/5
"The Guardian " by Michele Sinclair (McTiernay Brothers series)
When confronted with a superior swordsman, a woman who has sworn to avenge the death of her family enlists his help to master the blade. Romance blossoms as he teaches her, but as an immortal, he is not willing to risk loving a mortal who will die, whereas she is determined never to let him go. This story had moments that reminded me of My Fair Lady, but the ending was rushed to resolve everything much too quickly for my taste. The sequel set up at the end is a good one though, and I would be interesting in reading more about this couple.
Sexual Content: One sex scene Rating: 3/5
"A Knight Beyond Black " by Jackie Ivie
On the eve of her twenty-first birthday, a spinster woman is shocked to learn that she’s been betrothed since birth to an uncivilized Scotsman, who, unbeknownst to her, is a centuries old vampire. This is one of those ‘I know you are my mate the moment I see you’ stories that I tend to have little patience with. Initially, Iain had that fun arrogance that I always fall for, but he soon turned into an emotional wreck as he constantly begged his new wife to keep her distance since he couldn’t control his desire for her. It never made sense to me since his wife was extremely happy with his desire. Tira, on the other hand, was was too schizophrenic when it came to her feeling to win me over. Plus it was really not sexy to read about her ‘woman place’ and his ‘man part’.
Sexual Content: a few sex scenes Rating: 2/5
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 3 bats, anthology, Hannah Howell, Highlanders, Jackie Ivie, Michele Sinclair, Paranormal Romance, Review, Vampires
Labels: 3 bats, anthology, Hannah Howell, Highlanders, Jackie Ivie, Michele Sinclair, Paranormal Romance, Review, Vampires
27 August 2011
 | Title: Karma Girl
Sexual Content: Several sex scenes Rating:
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Description
Investigative reporter Carmen Cole gets the surprise of her life on her wedding day when she discovers that her fiance and best friend are sleeping together – and that the two of them are her town's resident superhero and ubervillain. Shocked and hurt, Carmen reveals their secret identities and then decides to devote her life to unmasking every superhero and ubervillain who crosses her path.
A series of successful unmaskings lands Carmen a job at The Expose, one of the biggest newspapers in Bigtime, New York, a city that's full of superheroes and ubervillains. Carmen is in her element – until she gets kidnapped by the Terrible Triad, Bigtime’s most dangerous ubervillain team.
The Triad orders Carmen to uncover the secret identity of Striker, the leader of the Fearless Five, Bigtime's most popular superhero team – or else they’ll drop her in a vat of radioactive goo. With that threat hanging over her, Carmen sets out to unmask Striker, but what she doesn’t count on is falling for the sexy superhero. But with the Terrible Triad lurking around, this is one story that just might be the death of her ...
Review
A light, fun, fantastic street view of comic book heroes, I enjoyed KARMA GIRL immensely. Carmen Cole is a heroine after any bookworm's heart, leveraging her organizational skills with intuitive leaps to make one heck of a reference librarian (though no librarian would travel with garbage bags full of Xerox copies, Carmen could benefit from the data-savvy of a few actual library science classes). Ultimately, Carmen learns that even without super powers, one must be careful to work for the side of good, and I enjoyed watching this most human of characters hold her own with the superhero/ubervillain big boys.
I definitely picked the word "light" to describe KARMA GIRL for a reason, this book requires a certain amount of suspended disbelief. You will be repaid ten-fold, however, in a heroine who personifies grace under pressure (even amidst a nervous breakdown), a fun, well balanced look under the cape at some of the less convenient aspects of a world with super powers, and characters that entertain as they grow. KARMA GIRL borrows freely from common romantic and comic book tropes, but these plot elements are never an excuse to skip on character development for the heroine. While the people in her life are a little larger than life and two dimensional, Carmen has enough nuance to carry this book without a missed step.
A much simpler read than Carolyn Crane's Disillusionist Trilogy (which can be good and bad), I also found KARMA GIRL to be easier to enjoy straight out of the gate. For anyone who likes to play in the superhero sandbox but was looking for a bit more fun and romance, Estep has written a admirable Gal Friday who teeters on the line between good and bad without ever losing her cool (or my attention). I was thoroughly engaged, waiting to see if Carmen would given in to despair or step up and embrace her inner superhero, and amidst all the spandex and radioactive mutations, it was Carmen's puzzle-solving mojo that saved the day for me.
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Posted by
Julia
at 3:00 PM
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, Bigtime, Jennifer Estep, Review, Superheroes, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, Bigtime, Jennifer Estep, Review, Superheroes, Urban Fantasy
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