Review: Onyx

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

My Thoughts: I have to say that I like “nice” Daemon a whole lot more than “douche bag” Daemon! And yes, we do get a glimpse or two of “nice” Daemon.

Lots of revelations here! A few are surprising, most you could see coming if you wanted to. The chemistry between Kat and Daemon hits stratospheric levels…but with those highs come some real tear jerking lows too.

What I love about Kat is the fact that she seems like a reasonable, normal, high school kid. I love Daemon’s snark, arrogance, and his great big squishy heart that only gets revealed in tiny bits. Armentrout creates great characters and I have no doubt I will be following them to the “ends of the Earth”

Ultimately, the story remained just as “un-put-down-able” as all the other Jennifer L. Armentrout books I’ve read, thank goodness…the only problem with that is that it always seems like an interminable wait for the next installment.




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Review: Girl of Nightmares

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



3.5 Stars

GoodReads Synopsis: It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

My Thoughts: Let me say I thought “Dressed in Blood” was a beautifully written spook-fest, Blake made evil poetically beautiful. But that beauty was missing from “Nightmares”. I’d say this installment was equally scary and spooky, but it just felt like something was missing.

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I was fascinated by the history of the knife that Cas wields…as well as the council group Cas’s Dad broke from. So much of the backstory, we were missing from the first book was revealed in “Nightmares”. I love all the Voodoo and Hoodoo and all the other creepy crawly stuff.

I really appreciated that Blake didn’t let our hero and his sidekicks escape unscathed from “Anna Dressed in Blood”. They are all suffering from PTSD and are all handling it in different ways which made the story even more engaging. Nothing worse than heroes and sidekicks that are completely unaffected by what they go through!

This book also felt like a completion to the story. Thinking about it afterwards, though, I did realize that Blake did leave the door open for another adventure, but it would have to go in a different direction.




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Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She’s wrong.

My Thoughts: HOLY HANNAH! First I would like to say that I believe I loved Evolution more than Unbecoming.

Going into Evolution I knew the story was going to be about tracking down Jude, I mean after that cliffhanger, what else could the story be about. Well, I'm here to tell you, it was about so much more than simply tracking down Jude!

I don't do spoilers, so I apologize for being vague. Hodkin took Mara in directions I never would have or could have imagined. I'm still shaking my head in amazement!

My only problem was how easily Mara's family blew off her repeated attempts to tell them Jude was still alive. But if they hadn't there wouldn't have been much of a story, and considering the traumas she went through in Unbecoming, I guess maybe I wouldn't have lent much credence to her statements.

Do yourself a favor, if you read Unbecoming, read Evolution...it was quite a roller coaster ride!



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Review: Shadow of Night

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars


GoodReads Synopsis: Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

My Thoughts: Where to start…I had a really hard time getting into this one. It seemed to me that the story really took a while to get going. I think it was all the comparisons Diana did between her present and Elizabethan England as well as getting to know all of Matthew’s “School of Night” friends. The story did finally pick up for me once Diana and Matthew decided to head to France to see Phillipe.

It amazes me how Harkness can take famous historical figures and paint them so richly and with such vivid detail! I forget that I’m reading a novel.

Diana discovers who and what she is, one of the main reasons for traveling back to begin with. She and Matthew are able to learn a great deal about the manuscript, their other reason for traveling back in time. Plus we learn a lot more about Matthew in this installment…which I loved! Matthew’s son warned he was going to be different back in Elizabethan times…and he was. How Diana managed not to kill him, at times, still amazes me. We learned so much more about Matthew in this book, which was lacking from “Discovery”.

Harkness handled the time travel aspect of this story so well, I thought. We, the reader, kept getting glimpses of the present from the viewpoint of family members waiting for them to return, which I thought was brilliant. Also, Harkness always kept the timeline in mind so disruption was kept to a minimum, but yet there were small ripples seen through the eyes of the family left waiting.

Overall, I loved the book, though not as much as “Discovery”. I was left with a nagging question, What happened to Em? Did I miss it? Or is it one of those answers I am just going to have to wait for? I just can’t wait to see how the trilogy finishes up in the next book.




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Review: The Mephisto Kiss

The Mephisto Kiss by Trinity Faegen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars!


GoodReads Synopsis: The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

My Thoughts: If you can put this book down after the first chapter, I will eat my hat. Talk about something grabbing you and not letting go?!? Holy Hannah!

I really wondered what this book was going to feature. I figured the story could go one of two ways…we could 1) Continue with Jax and Sasha or 2) Read about one of the other brothers. I can’t say that I had a preference for which way it was going to go because I enjoyed the first book, Mephisto Covenant, so much.

I’m here to tell you, it was option 2. This story centered around brother #2, Key, and it was quite a story! In learning about Key, we also learned a lot more about Eryx than we ever knew from Mephisto Covenant…and it was typical sibling stuff all of us with sibs have to deal with, just no escaping it I guess.

I dare say I enjoyed this book even more than Mephisto Covenant. Key was a total dichotomy…the person he projected was completely different than what was inside and a lot of it came from taking on the mantle of “oldest” once Eryx fell. Jordan was just what he needed and they complimented each other beautifully. Jordan was incredibly strong on the outside and made all her decisions based on the whole rather than herself. AND, Jordan and Key did not have a case of “insta-love”, which seems to be the case in the vast majority of YA books. The ending of this one was something completely unexpected as well! Hadn’t seen that one coming in a million years!

Now the question is where will the next book go? Will it follow Phoenix? Or, will it follow another brother allowing the Phoenix sub-plot a chance to grow a bit? Hmmm…can’t wait to read the next installment!




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Review: The Shadow Cats

The Shadow Cats by Rae Carson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. And it was not Alodia.

Alodia is the crown princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule, and the one who is constantly reminded that she has not been marked for a grand destiny. But Alodia has plans, and she will be the greatest queen her people have ever known. So she travels--with her hopeless, naïve, chosen sister--to a distant part of their land, to begin to secure her supporters. This region needs its princesses, for it is plagued with a curse. The crops don't grow, the spring doesn't arrive, and a fierce jaguar stalks the shadows, leaving only empty homes splashed with blood behind. If Alodia can save them, no one will be able to deny her strength and her sovereignty.

But what she discovers could change the fate of her kingdom, if not her world. And it will most certainly change her opinion of her younger sister.

My Thoughts: This was a novella that takes place before the events of “Girl of Fire and Thorns”. It was an opportunity to get to know Elisa’s sister a bit better. This also had the first chapter of the next book in the series, “The Crown of Embers”. We didn’t learn anything new or earth-shattering, but it was a quick read and a good story.




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Review: Perception

Perception by Kim Harrington

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared

My Thoughts: I love this series! It’s not a traditional mystery, it’s way more fun!

In this installment we have some common threads from the previous book, Clarity, that weave through this one. I love the subplots that continue in the background, they keep me coming back for more…kind of makes me feel like I’m part of the family.

Since “Clarity” took place during the Summer, Perception starts out shortly thereafter and Clare is in school. In previous years Clare has been perceived as an “odd ball”, but after helping to solve the murder from the Summer, the “cool” kids are paying her more attention. Clare also seems to have a secret admirer/stalker. Add to this the fact that a Senior has gone missing and Clare’s got a lot on her plate.

Maybe I was a bit slow reading Perception, but I didn’t figure it out until just before Clare did…that doesn’t happen to me very often. I find this series to be so much fun. Lots of twists and turns, very likeable, flawed, HUMAN characters, some with extraordinary gifts, all of them with great personal stories. I sincerely hope Harrington can find the creativity needed to keep this series going for a long time to come.




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Review: Timekeeper

Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.

Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.

My Thoughts: It’s been way too long since I’ve read Timeless! I’m so glad I was able to get a galley copy of Timekeeper!

Before starting Timekeeper, do yourself a favor and make sure you read the novel Monir put out called, “The Secrets of the Time Society”. If you don’t, the beginning of Timekeeper will be very confusing.

This was a sweet conclusion to Michele and Philip’s love story. We learn about how Philip is suddenly enrolled in Michele’s high school, as well as the answers to many other questions. And the story ended in such a way that there could be further time-travel adventures for Michele…but I don’t think so.




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Review: Secrets of the Time Society

Secrets of the Time Society by Alexandra Monir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



GoodReads Synopsis: There exists a secret society where one's ability to travel through time is "gifted" to members only by blood. Those who try to enter the society quickly come to realize that time is a force not to be reckoned with. Alexandra Monir's short story exclusive eBook, SECRETS OF THE TIME SOCIETY, sheds light upon the world created in her novel, TIMELESS, and forecasts the fate that lies ahead for its protagonist, Michele Windsor. Now that Michele is gifted, there are some who will do anything to take that power away.

My Thoughts: I’m so glad I had this novella on hand. When Timekeeper started out I felt like I was missing something. I remembered this novella and read it before diving back into Timekeeper. The Time Society plays a large part in Timekeeper and this provides the back story. It could have been done within Timekeeper, but this was short and read fast, answering the questions that the beginning of Timekeeper left me with. Anything to feed my time-travel addiction is a good thing.




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July Round-Up

I don't think I did a round up for June now that I think about it. It was a tough month and I completely spaced it. But here are the books I read for July: