I’m so pleased to be able to share another 2nd Opinion Review this time for Fallen by Lauren Kate courtesy of Alyssa from Teens Read and Write.  A 2nd Opinion Review is just what you’d expect: I reviewed a book negatively and this is an opportunity for a positive review to present another opinion or vice versa. If you’d like to find out how you can have your review posted as a 2nd Opinion Review, please click HERE.

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Fallen
by Lauren Kate
Pub: Dec 2009
464 pages

Synopsis:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce—and goes out of his way to make that very clear—she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The prologue is amazing. It really sucked me in. The premise is exciting too. People think Luce killed someone so they sent her to Sword & Cross, which is a boarding school for mentally ill teens so its more like school/prison. Some of the more dangerous students even wear shock bracelets. Yikes!

Luce has a couple guys fighting for her. And she's managed to acquire the only non-crazy student as a friend. Yay!

The book is pretty well paced, the romance fun (at times irritating because hello! Daniel wants nothing to do with her!), and the world of Sword & Cross is unique.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. I pressed on because I thought the prologue was awesome and I typically like the books from this publishing house. Not to mention I'm a huge urban fantasy lover.

Problem 1: I couldn't connect with Luce. At all. And I tried -- tried for 464 pages. Jake originally started this book and couldn't get through it -- which left the duty to me -- because he said Luce was too much of a wimp. While that is true, she does evolve somewhat but she remains wimpy and often not too bright.

She doesn't fight back physically or verbally when she is being attacked. She just takes it and then runs off and cries. At least her friend punches the nasty wench.

At one point Luce is going to break up with the violent guy (good for you, I say) but then instead she decides to go off with him to some undisclosed location, and no one knows she's gone (stupid girl! I scream). And the guy she leaves with has duct taped the security cameras. Talk about a flaming RED FLAG!

Problem 2: Luce sees shadows no one else can see. I was all excited, the paranormal element was introduced from day one! Then my hopes were dashed upon the rocky shore. What do the shadows do? Well...they don't do anything for the first two hundred-some pages. What are the shadows? You aren't going to figure that out until some time after page 350, that's when the paranormal element of the plot is introduced/ explained. Yeah, you read that right, page 350.

Problem 3: "...where two peach trees had grown together. Their trunks bowed toward each other, forming the outline of a heart in the air below them." Really?! There just happens to be trees that form a heart where they happen to be walking? Come on! This kind of thing always sticks out to me. In fact, no matter how hard I try, I can't shake this mental list of books with horridly ridiculous romantic settings that magically appear out of no where.

Problem 4: The school is supposed to be for dangerous mentally disturbed kids but I never really got that. And the supervision for this place - which has bars on the windows and barbed wire topped fences and security cameras everywhere - is non-existent. Luce doesn't show for class and no one checks on her except other students. The security cameras get duct taped over and no one cares. There is no supervision in the dorms and while there are security cameras, no one bothers when the kids put clothes over the lens or unplug them. Oh, and the dorms are co-ed, by the way.

That said, the last hundred pages were very good and there were soooo many unanswered questions. So I'm torn. I can't say if I'll pick up the sequel.

I loved the premise of the story. It's awesome! But the execution didn't work for me. I've seen lots of good reviews but...

Can someone please explain what I missing, because I really wanted to love this book! You can add the link to the bottom of this post so we can see more perspectives.

The Cover: It's beautiful. I want to have it framed and on display in my house! The blue and black hues and her dress gives off a dark Gothic appeal that I'm in love with!

Opening lines -

Prologue: Around midnight, her eyes at last took shape. The look in them was feline, half determined and half tentative - all trouble.

First Chapter: Luce barged into the fluorescent-lit lobby of the Sword & Cross School ten minutes later than she should have. A barrel-chested attendant with ruddy cheeks and a clipboard clamped under an iron bicep was already giving orders -- which meant that Luce was already behind.

I think the prologue's opening is very gripping and the first chapter's...not so much. With the prologue we get an increasing tension-- always welcomed. With the first chapter...she's late for class which really pales in comparison to the troublesome woman with a feral gaze.

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Thanks Alyssa for sharing your review! If you liked Alyssa’s review, stop by Teens Read and Write and let her know.

Click HERE to read my review of Fallen by Lauren Kate

I’m so pleased to be able to share another 2nd Opinion Review this time for Smolder by Melina Morel courtesy of my blog hero Doug aka SciFiGuy.  A 2nd Opinion Review is just what you’d expect: I reviewed a book negatively and this is an opportunity for a positive review to present another opinion or vice versa. If you’d like to find out how you can have your review posted as a 2nd Opinion Review, please click HERE.

Synopsis:
Vengeance has its price. But you pay for passion forever...
Descended from werewolf hunters, Catherine Marais has vanquished countless of their vile kind-including the one that slaughtered her father. Her debt of blood and honor was fulfilled-but her heart is empty.
The only one who ignites Catherine's passion is Ian-a handsome, elegant vampire whose seductive touch she cannot resist. But when he offers her the dark temptation of eternal commitment to each other, Catherine must look within her heart-and her truest desires-to find the answers she seeks...

Smolder is the third book in Melina Morel’s Institut Scientifique urban fantasy series. I confess that I had not read the previous books in the series, Devour (2007) and Prey (2008), but found that to be no obstacle to easily slipping into the story. Smolder and the series is set in contemporary Europe, primarily France, which presents a refreshing backdrop from the usual North American backdrops. The Institut based in Geneva, researches the secret supernatural races and funds Hunters to protect humanity from the werewolves. Vampires and other shapeshifters are allies in the defense against the predations of the werewolves.
Catherine Marais is a Hunter, one of the most successful in Europe and a member of the aristocracy of France. In fact the majority of the members of the secret Institut are from aristocratic and privileged places in society. This creates an ambience that is both elegant and reminiscent of the Bruce Wayne style of honour and dedication to the cause. The pacing of the story moves along briskly, with a number of subplots running concurrently, each contributing to the build up of intrigue and tension.
The werewolves are themselves on the hunt for Catherine after a dying wolf helps create a sketch of Catherine after his deadly encounter. This puts Catherine at risk and forces increased security measures as attacks and encounters increase. Added to this mix, Catherine’s sixteen year old niece Solange is crushing on an older boy, Luc, a family acquaintance, whose connection to the their adversaries is unclear but may put her at risk.
I laughed out loud at this thought from Catherine as she contemplates her niece’s actions –

Dear God thought Catherine. Dealing with teenagers made hunting werewolves seem easy by comparison.

We further see the humour in the generational gap when Luc has an argument with his father –

"Your whole generation is too political," Luc said with a shrug. "All you guys care about it the pecking order. Who's sucking up to the boss. Who's going to win the prize for werewolf of the year. Jesus! You might as well be the werewolf branch of the chamber of commerce."

We are introduced to Ian Morgan, a 200 year old vampire and Catherine’s lover and protector, who while not exactly pressuring her, is encouraging her to be turned. She is not averse to the idea but retains many reservations and struggles with the irreversible changes it will mean to her life and family relationships. This is definitely where the Smolder of the title enters the picture. Un-surprisingly the erotic interludes are relatively low key and intimate.
Points of view shift frequently to give us insight into Catherine, her niece, her niece’s boyfriend, the werewolf leaders and numerous skirmishes involving different werewolves and members of the Institut. As a reader, I like to see the big picture and it again is a nice change from the more restrictive first-person POV. The many threads converge as the werewolves identify Catherine, Solange becomes ensared in events and the werewolves plan an ultimate act of revenge. The concluding scenes are quite dramatic with a cinematic quality to them that would be great on the big screen.
Although Smolder does not introduce a lot of new or original world-building, its strength is the delivery of a highly enjoyable action-oriented story with interesting, eclectic characters and a little paranormal romance. Smolder is the perfect panacea for readers looking to stir and warm the blood a little in the coming winter months.

Thanks Doug for sharing your review! If you liked Doug’s review, stop by SciFiGuy.ca and let him know.

Click HERE to read my review of Smolder by Melina Morel

I’m so pleased to be able to share the first 2nd Opinion Review for Touch the Dark by Karen Chance, courtesy of Danielle from Alpha Reads. If you’d like to find out how you can have your review posted as a 2nd Opinion Review, please click HERE.

 2nd Opinion Review: When we meet Cassie in ‘Touch the Dark’ she has been in hiding for 3 years from the vampire master who kept her under lock and key throughout her childhood. The vampire used her ‘seer’ gifts for his own financial gains, and since running away and hiding from him, Cassie is sure that when he finds her he will kill her. As readers we are thrown right into the thick of the action – just like Cassie herself as an ordinary day turns into her worst nightmare when a mysterious message arrives telling her she has been found. From that moment on the pace of each book is high-speed, as Cassie’s magic matures and strengthens and more people become interested in owning her powers.

Cassie is a great character. Reading her adventures and near-misses you get the impression that she is holding onto her sanity by a string – juggling all of the curve balls life is throwing at her, hoping to hell she can just get through the day without a major catastrophe. She isn’t your typical kick-ass female lead. She’s clumsy, scared, a little bit naïve, and utterly ill-equipped to deal with her newfound powers. But she’s also determined to put on a brave face and ‘fake it till she makes it’. It’s great to read Cassie’s inner doubts in contrast to her ballsy attitude when dealing with the vampire community. Best of all she also enjoys a good whinge now and again. Cassie is at her funniest when she is fed-up and cursing lady fate – and it’s refreshing to read a powerful UF protagonist have a minor melt down; it humanizes and endears them to me.

This UF series also has one steamy love triangle at its centre. First, there’s Mircea – brother to the infamous Vlad Tepes (Dracula) who is also one of the most powerful masters in the vampire senate. Cassie has known Mircea (and had a crush on him) since she was a little girl.

Then there’s Mage (magician) Pritkin – initially sworn to kill Cassie for her affiliation with the vampires, he eventually (luke)warms to her and begrudgingly agrees to teach her to use her newfound powers.

Both romances are extremely sparky – and fans of the series are divided on who is more deserving of Cassie’s affections. Karen Chance clearly loves toying with her readers when it comes to writing ‘will they or won’t they’ for Cassie’s men – and it is great fun to get sucked into the triangle.

Warm lips found my neck. “The only humans here tonight are entertainment and food,” he murmured, a husky whisper in the dark. “Which are you?”

At first glance the Cassandra Palmer series isn’t that much different from lots of other Urban Fantasies currently knocking around. The ingredients may be similar, but it’s how Chance mixes it all together that makes this series so worthwhile. The added element of ‘time travel’ to a vampire-heavy story is also really fascinating to read. The time travel aspects gets a little more complicated as the books progress, but it’s clear that Chance knows where her series is going and the overall story arc for Cassie – so you don’t mind tagging along for the sometimes bumpy ride.

I love this series; it is one of my favourites. Chance started a spin-off in 2008 called ‘Dorina Basarab, Dhampir’ which is a bit darker and a great read for Mircea fans. Highly recommend if you are a lover of urban fantasy (with a dash of paranormal romance). 5/5

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Thanks Danielle for sharing your review! If you liked Danielle’s review, stop by Alpha Reads and let her know.

Click here to read my review of Touch the Dark by Karen Chance