Tuesday, February 26, 2013

4 STARS | Food for a Hungry Ghost by Becky M. Pourchot

Title: Food for a Hungry Ghost
Series: Hungry Ghost #1
Author: Becky M. Pourchot
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal
Elements: Ghosts, Psychic Abilities
Setting Location: Flagler Beach, Florida
Publisher: Laughing Tiger Publications
Format: PDF
ASIN: B0088FCKD4
Published: June 1st, 2012
Source: Promotional Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★





Life was pleasantly normal for Gala Rhyce...

...that is, until her mom moved the family to Flagler Beach, Florida. Now despite the palm trees, ocean breezes, and cute surfer guys, Gala is miserable until she meets Trista.

Trista makes a great friend, except there's a snag: she's a ghost. The girls learn to communicate, and through Gala, Trista finds a way to experience the world again.

Even as Gala’s romance with a heart throb poet begins to bloom, she enjoys her unlikely friendship with Trista—that is until the ghost wants more than Gala can give and things go horribly wrong. Filled with humor, romance, and horror, Food for a Hungry Ghost is about friendship, jealousy, and boundaries that get pushed too far. How much can Gala endure?

Will she survive the clutches of the Hungry Ghost?
Food for a Hungry Ghost was a really fun book to read! It made me laugh while giving me chills the next moment. The bird poop moment was so hilarious, and Trista's moods and tantrums can get downright spooky.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more romance between Gala and Cy. We get little teaser moments that suggest the beginnings of a relationship, but by the end there isn't really anything concrete in that area.

It is hinted that Gala has great power and it seems by the end of the book she has some kind of psychic ability. That would definitely explain why Gala was such a great source of power and strength for Trista. But is also seems that Gala's interactions with Trista opened some kind of gateway, since she's seeing a shadowy figure. There is a sense of foreboding at the end of the book. I can't wait for the next book in the Hungry Ghost series.

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Becky Pourchot is the author of two books: I Look Better in Binary and Food for a Hungry Ghost and had published over one hundred articles ranging in topic from haunted museums to burlesque dancers. Ms. Pourchot grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, but has spent her last year and a half enjoying the sand and surf in Flagler Beach, Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, and a grouchy parrot named Zoey.





Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

4 STARS | Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2 by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2
Series: The Darkest Powers Trilogy #3.5, #3.6
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Elements: Sorcerers, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches, Ghosts
Setting Location: Unknown (they've gone incognito, remember?)
Publisher: Traverse Press
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B009H6XPV4
Published: September 25th, 2012
Source: Amazon
Events: Kelley Armstrong YA Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Series Reviews: The Summoning | The Awakening | The Reckoning | Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1
Purchase: Amazon




In Facing Facts (a short story set after The Reckoning) Tori discovers who her father is, and Chloe deals with a vengeful ghost. Narrated by Chloe. This was previously published in Enthralled.

In Belonging (a novella set after The Reckoning) Derek's werewolf family comes to claim him. Narrated by Derek.
This Bonus Pack has a short story from Chloe's POV that was originally published in the Enthralled anthology, and a novella from Derek's POV. Both take place after The Reckoning. So we get to see how their life is after the series main story ended.

Facing Facts - Chloe's POV

In Facing Facts, it's been a month since they were reunited with Kit and Lauren. Kit feels this is the time to inform Tori that she's his biological daughter. She doesn't take the news well and storms out of the house. Chloe volunteers to talk to her, but Tori is hurt that Chloe suspected the truth a didn't say anything to her. That friends don't keep that kind of thing from each other. She runs away from Chloe, but Chloe gives chase. Tori runs toward the one place she knows Chloe can't follow her: an abandoned house.

Derek tracks Chloe to the mall where she saw Tori run, but it turns out that Tori really did go into the abandoned house and it was the ghost of her mother, Diane, that lead Chloe to the mall.

Diane is still trying to control Chloe and knows that she still feels guilty for killing her and then using her zombified body to kill Dr. Davidoff.

What I loved most about this short story was how Chloe stood up to Diane, declaring that she will not be controlled and that she's not going to feel guilty anymore for killing her, because it had to be done and Chloe wouldn't want anyone else to shoulder the guilt that came with it. Then she gives Diane a big mental shove, sending her back to the other side. That moment was just really awesome and I liked seeing how strong Chloe's becoming.

Belonging - Derek's POV

In Belonging, we learn that Derek really is Zachary Cain's son and the Cain clan intends to claim Derek as he should have been when he was young. But their motives aren't all for Derek's benefit. They've been told how smart Derek is and how fast he is coming into his powers. If the Cain's have Derek, it would make them a serious threat to the Pack.

Back at the escapee camp, Derek and Chloe's three month anniversary is coming up! Chloe's off at the mall with Tori and Derek is feeling the anxiety of not being there to watch over her. And his anxiety isn't unwarranted this time, Carter Cain is moving in on Chloe!

Once a week, Derek and Chloe go into the woods so he can work on Changing on command. While he's trying to Change, Derek thinks back to the first time Chloe stayed with him when he first started Changing behind Lyle House. It was the first time he saw someone he could imagine as a friend, besides Simon. Now, though he's Changed around others before, it's never as comfortable as it is when it's only him and Chloe. Derek manages to Change, but it's during their hide and seek game that the Cains make their move.

In this novella we see how strong Derek and Chloe's relationship has become. I loved how Chloe didn't let the Cains take Derek without following them back to where they were staying. The only backup she had was Liz, and she's a ghost, although a pretty dangerous one. Derek and Chloe will do anything to protect each other. I was worried for a bit that Derek would want to stay with the Cains, but I was relieved to be wrong. I loved the anniversary gift Derek got for Chloe, although it was kind of disappointing that we weren't told what she got for him.

What I like about both Facing Facts and Belonging is that they take place after the end of the main story. We get to see what's going on with everyone after they escape together. I can only hope that Kelley Armstrong chooses to write novellas like these for the Darkness Rising series too.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

4 STARS | Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1 by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 1
Series: The Darkest Powers Trilogy #0.5, #1.5, #2.5
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Romance
Elements: Sorcerers, Werewolves, Necromancers, Witches
Setting Location: Buffalo, New York
Publisher: Traverse Press
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00686HQKW
Published: November 15th, 2011
Source: Amazon
Events: Kelley Armstrong YA Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Series Reviews: The Summoning | The Awakening | The Reckoning
Purchase: Amazon




Contains three companion stories to the #1 NYT bestselling Darkest Powers trilogy.

Dangerous (prequel to The Summoning) The story of how Derek and Simon came to Lyle House, told from Derek's point of view.

Divided (set between The Summoning and The Awakening) Derek and Simon's adventures while separated from Chloe and Rae in the factory. Also told from Derek's point of view.

Disenchanted (overlaps part of The Awakening) Simon and Tori continue their journey after Chloe and Derek are left at the truck stop. Told from Tori's point of view.
What I love about some novellas is that they can be from the POV of a character that you're just dying to know what they are thinking while you're reading the main storyline. In the Darkest Powers, Derek is that character for me, and most of the novellas are from his POV.

Dangerous - Derek's POV

This novella is the prequel to the main series and it starts 10 years before, when Derek was 5 years old and living in the lab with the other werewolf pups. I really liked being able to read about what Derek's life was like before Simon's dad took him. And even at 5 years old, Derek felt better being around Simon and was just as protective of him.

We read about why Simon and Derek ended up at Lyle House, but it was just a vague explanation given to Chloe. But in Dangerous, we get to read about what really happened. We see how Derek protected Simon from a bully with a knife, which resulted in that bully being put into a coma. We see how people judged Derek by how he looked, assuming he was up to no good. Then we see what happened when they arrived home one day to their dad missing and what they went through to try to find him. Which then led to them being caught an sent to Lyle House. I felt this was a pretty good lead up to the main story when Chloe arrives at Lyle House and meets Simon and Derek.

Divided - Derek's POV

This novella takes place between The Summoning and The Awakening when Derek, Simon, Chloe, and Rae escaped Lyle House and were being pursued in the factory. This is Derek and Simon's side of the story when they end up separated.

Derek is really not happy with Chloe not following the plan and having stayed with him while his Change began. We learn why Derek used Chloe to escape Lyle House: Simon had withdrawn into himself and Chloe was bringing him back to himself. Chloe needed their help and Derek used that to get Simon to leave Lyle House. It wasn't until Chloe confronted Derek about using her and still staying with the plan that he started seeing her as a person and feeling responsible for her.

So when he realizes that Chloe and Rae are nowhere in the factory and that she called her aunt, he begins to feel anxious. Derek and Simon go from library to library trying to find information on where Chloe could be, while still trying to find their dad. It's during this that he notices a paper with the reward notice of $500,000 that her dad is offering for her return. You can imagine this doesn't make Derek very happy. You can also imagine Derek's relief and annoyance when they return to the factory and Chloe's there, but with Tori in tow.

I really liked reading this novella because while Chloe and Rae are hiding in the warehouse and eventually recaptured, we get to see what is happening with the other half of their group. Derek is almost desperate to get to Chloe and you can see small changes in the way he sees and feels about her. While I believe that the true changing point in his feeling for Chloe was when she stayed with him when he started Changing again at the truck stop, I think the beginning of those changes started here.

Disenchanted - Tori's POV, partially Simon's

Now Disenchanted takes place during the time that Chloe and Derek were left behind at the truck stop, but this is the story of Tori and Simon's continued journey to Andrew's.

Simon wants to go back for Derek and Chloe, while Tori wants to continue on to Andrew's place. Tori gets her way and they eventually make it to Andrew's. But along the way, Simon doesn't bother to hide his dislike for her and Tori knows that they don't want her there. When they get to Andrew's house, he's just gone, like Simon's dad was just gone. It's while they are hiding out in the pool house waiting for Derek and Chloe to arrive that Simon tells Tori why he doesn't like her. She's inconsiderate and selfish, only thinking of herself.

I think the moment that really got Tori thinking was when Simon protected her from a perceived threat, someone he doesn't even like. It's after this point that Tori slowly begins to change. Although she can still be a brat sometimes.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Monday, February 18, 2013

3 STARS | The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

Title: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles #0.5
Author: Kady Cross
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal, Mystery
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B004WEKR1W
Published: May 1st, 2011
Source: Amazon
Events: Get Steampunk'd 2013 Reading Challenge
Rating: 3/5 STARS
Purchase: Amazon




Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal.' Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined....
Finley Jayne has just been fired for punching the governess, who slapped the young son of the house and made him cry. She returns home feeling down until she is approached by Lady Morton with a job offer--be a companion for her daughter, Phoebe. Finley was suspicious and reluctant at first, but accepted the offer. She becomes friends with Phoebe and everything seems normal until the night of Phoebe's engagement party. There, Finley meets Lord Vincent, Phoebe's much older fiance. She felt suspicious about him before, but when she learns that she was hired to protect Phoebe from him, she realizes how serious things have become. Finley just needs to learn what he's up to before it's too late for Phoebe.

When reading The Girl in the Steel Corset, we know that Finley was working for Lady August-Raynes. This job with Lady Morton leads Finley to working there. She even warns Finley about Lord Felix. Which makes sense since this is the prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

One thing I really liked about The Strange Case of Finley Jayne was the Phoebe and Lady Morton were really accepting of Finley and her strange abilities. I bet it felt real good to be accepted like that. Lord Vincent's little scheme and reasoning for marrying Phoebe were totally creepy--in an obsessive, drowning in grief and guilt way.

It was kind of funny how Griffin, or Lord Greythorne as he's known in this novella, is like this elusive person. Every time he's around, Finley completely misses him, except the time she saw his backside as he was walking out of the chocolate shop. "I don't have a chance with him, either. All I'll have is the memory of his backside." It's almost ironic considering what happens in The Girl in the Steel Corset.

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Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Friday, February 15, 2013

4 STARS | Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs

Title: Alpha and Omega
Series: Alpha and Omega #0.5
Author: Patricia Briggs
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Elements: Werewolves
Publisher: Berkley
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B001IZC3LU
Published: October 20th, 2008
Source: Amazon
Events: 2012 Patricia Briggs Werewolf Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Purchase: Amazon




Anna Latham never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the Chicago pack, she's learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But when she discovers wrongdoing in her pack, she has to go above her Alpha's head to ask for help.

Charles Cornick is the son--and enforcer--of the leader of the North American werewolves. Now his father has sent him to Chicago to clean up a problem there. Charles never expected to find Anna, a rare Omega wolf--and he certainly never expected to recognize her as his mate...
Alpha and Omega takes place during the Moon Called storyline in Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. Alpha and Omega shows us what happens when Charles is sent to Chicago. Anna calls the Marrok about Alan Mackenzie Frazier, a young boy who has been reported missing. Only he's not missing--Anna has seen him in a cage for new werewolves in her Alpha's home.

When Charles arrives in Chicago and meets Anna, he realizes right away that she's not a submissive but a rare Omega. By the way that her pack treats her though, Charles knows that something isn't right within her pack. What he never expected though, was to find his mate. Now he'll do anything to protect Anna.

I absolutely loved Anna. She acts submissive because that's what she's been told she is, but she's got fire inside her, and Charles sees it. He has shown more emotion in this novella than in any of his appearances in the Mercy Thompson series. I'm really happy to see him with someone. He always seemed so alone and Anna brings Charles alive. I hated the way Anna's pack treated her. They made her think and feel that she was less than she is, and that's just not right. With Anna headed to Montana with Charles, I'm really excited to see what happens next for these two.

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Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

4 STARS | Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Speak Books
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0142412213
Published: August 14, 2008
Source: Library
Events: Book Twirps 2013 Read Along Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Purchase: Amazon




Before.

Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (Francois Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After.

Nothing is ever the same.
Looking for Alaska was POWERFUL. That is the first word that pops into my head when I think about this book. There are messages within messages that you could totally miss if you're not really thinking about what you're reading, they are so seamlessly written into all the other aspects of the story. Everyone will come away with something different by the time they finish reading.

The next words I can come up with are EMOTIONALLY CHARGED. You will laugh, you will get upset, and you will cry. Pudge goes through a lot in his short time at Culver Creek--and although the other characters have pretty big emotional points, because Pudge is our narrator, readers will feel more connected to his feelings than the others.

And finally, Looking for Alaska is THOUGHT PROVOKING. I still don't have any definite answers to these questions myself, but there are three questions in Looking for Alaska that I feel deserve some thought:

  1. Pudge goes to Culver Creek to search for a Great Perhaps. What is your Great Perhaps?
  2. Alaska's favorite last words were Simon Bolivar's when he said, "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" She comes to the conclusion that the labyrinth is not life or death, but suffering--so she asks, How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?
  3. Their Religion teacher, Dr. Hyde, tells them about their final exam and that each of the religions they studied brings a message of radical hope, so the question he leaves them with is, What is your cause for hope?

These are all very important questions that are difficult to answer, but Looking for Alaska makes you think about your own answers to these questions.

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John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.

In 2007, John and his brother Hank were the hosts of a popular internet blog, "Brotherhood 2.0," where they discussed their lives, books and current events every day for a year except for weekends and holidays. They still keep a video blog, now called "The Vlog Brothers," which can be found on the Nerdfighters website, or a direct link here.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

4 STARS | Full Moon Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Full Moon Kisses
Series: Full Moon #3
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Elements: Werewolves
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0061986536
Published: December 26th, 2012
Source: Library
Events: Wicked Valentine's Read-A-Thon | Review Copy Cleanup Challenge
Rating: 4/5 STARS
Series Reviews: Magic of the Moonlight
Purchase: Amazon




Beware of the full moon. A werewolf wants to take you into his world. Forever.

Celeste and Brandon know that Nash in werewolf form is bad news. But a new prediction from psychic Dr. Meadows has Celeste wondering: Which of them wants to turn her into a werewolf?

Still on Celeste's and Brandon's minds is the "cure" from Brandon's father. Brandon must face one dilemma he hadn't anticipated—if his dad's serum really does work, is he willing to give up being a werewolf for good? Is Celeste willing to give up her heroic werewolf boyfriend? And when Nash finds out there's a cure, will he try to take it from Brandon as they continue to deal with their rivalry, their competing affections for Celeste, and their struggles with their werewolf identities?

Then things grow still more complicated when a gang of sketchy guys from a neigh-boring town comes to Legend's Run just before the big Werewolf Festival. What, or whom, are they looking for?

The third installment in the sumptuous series about werewolves and the popular girl who loves one is full of danger, mystery, and undeniably romantic full moon kisses.
In the previous book, Magic of the Moonlight, Nash was turned into a werewolf. Now Legend's Run has two werewolves in town. Nash is desperate for a cure--so desperate that he asks Celeste to go with him to see Dr. Meadows. While Nash receives the answer he was seeking, Celeste is given yet another warning: Beware of the full moon. A werewolf want to take you into his world. Forever.

Every ten years, Legend's run hosts a Werewolf Festival and while everyone is excitedly anticipating the Fest, Brandon, Celeste, and Nash have real werewolf problems to agonize over. Brandon is being pressured by his father to take the cure, but he's not 100% sure he wants to. Nash wants a cure so badly that he's becoming reckless in his search for it. And Celeste has Dr. Meadows's warning hanging over her head and fears she'll be turned against her will into a werewolf. To make matters worse, there seems to be a pack of werewolves from a neighboring town that has come to Legend's Run for more than visiting the Werewolf Festival.

Full Moon Kisses is the final book in the Full Moon series. I have really enjoyed reading this series, and I'm kind of disappointed to see it ending after only three books. There is so much more that could be added to the story. And by the end I felt that there were some loose ends that weren't tied up. While the beginning and middle of the book were great with all the romance, hope, fear and danger, the conclusion felt kind of anti-climatic. There have been many series finales that had blown me away, but the ending to the Full Moon series just had me thinking, "Well, okay then, that's it."

So I'd say that readers will either love or hate Full Moon Kisses. I'm not going to say that it will be loved, because there were parts that I loved and parts that I didn't. And while, in the end, I ended up loving Full Moon Kisses, readers may not. It's a love/hate relationship with this one. Full Moon Kisses, by itself, is a great book, but as a series finale, it was just okay.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Ellen Schreiber was an actress and a stand-up comedian before becoming an author; she was also a real-estate agent. She studied Shakespearean theater at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and comedy at The Second City of Chicago, which is where she lived for five years. As a novelist she has had several works published in Europe and America. Her brother, Mark Schreiber, is also an author. He helped her start her writing career. The Vampire Kisses series was her real break. The "VK" series stars Raven, a unique goth girl who has wanted to be a vampire since she was little and Alexander Sterling, the vampire that loves to paint. Ellen says that "Raven is a blast to write for, because when I'm writing about her rebellious exploits, I feel the excitement of the rebellion too."

Recently Ellen announced an new series called Once in a Full Moon about "romantic werewolf!" The first book in the series was released December 28, 2010.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Friday, February 8, 2013

5 STARS | Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Spell Bound
Series: Women of the Otherworld #12
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Elements: Witches, Demons, Necromancers, Sorcerers, Ghosts, Shamans, Zombies, Vampires
Setting Location: Columbus, Washington | Los Angeles, California | Miami, Florida
Publisher: Dutton
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0525952206
Published: July 26th, 2011
Source: Library
Events: Women of the Otherworld Series Challenge
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Series Reviews: Bitten | Stolen | Dime Store Magic | Industrial Magic | Haunted | Broken | No Humans Involved | Personal Demon | Living with the Dead | Frostbitten | Waking the Witch
Purchase: Amazon




Savannah Levine has grown up to become a paranormal-investigating knockout. As a witch endowed with an array of spells, she is a force to be reckoned with. But, in her last case, innocent lives were lost and a family was torn apart. To put right the mess she helped create, she swears she would give anything...even her powers. Little does she know that someone or something has taken her up on that.

Defenseless and on the run from the witch-hunting assassins who are following her every move, Savannah soon stumbles upon a gathering storm that may tear her entire world apart. The danger is real. The whole Otherworld will have to come together to fight the dark force that threatens its very existence.

Savannah has no idea how to restore her powers just when she needs them the most, facing a host of deadly enemies bent on destroying not only her, but the very fabric of the supernatural world. As dark forces gather, Savannah isn't just fighting for her life, but for everything and everyone she loves....
In Waking the Witch, Savannah lost her powers due to a poison that inhibits spell power, but she got them back after taking an antidote. In her grief and guilt over what happened to Paula and Kayla, she made a wish that she would gladly give up her powers if everything was put right again. Well, someone or something heard her, granted that wish, and Savannah is left without her powers once again. And it couldn't be a worse time to be powerless. Being hunted by a witch-hunter and trying to stop a supernatural rebellion are not easy when you can barely defend yourself. But Savannah needs to learn how...and fast.

Without her powers, Savannah feels useless and out of her element. This keeps her from doing what she actually can do, like when Clay came to help her and ended up having to fight a demon. She just stood there and watched! This upset Clay and Savannah knew she lost any respect he may have had for her. Clay gives her this advice: Grow up. She needs to grow up and be respectful and considerate to those she claims to care about. Because behavior that was okay at 16 is not okay at 21.

This is especially important where Adam is concerned. Everyone knows that Savannah has been in love with Adam since she was twelve years old, except Adam himself. Her lack of respect and consideration for Adam, according to Clay, is going to keep him from ever seeing her as anything more than a friend. I have to agree. The way she treated Adam in L.A. was horrible and it's understandable that he would want some space and take a step back. I'm glad that they were able to work out their differences, and I absolutely loved their little moment at the end of the book.

Savannah's power loss has drawn the attention of both the celestial and demonic. The Fates have Eve investigating who took Savannah's powers. Adam's father, Asmondai, and Savannah's grandfather, Balaam, are on opposing sides on the reveal issue of Savannah's missing powers. What she does learn is that powerful forces are behind what's happening and Savannah is a target. A powerful ally, a tool to be used. And immortality is only a part of a much bigger plan.

"If you want to find your spells, dig deeper. Too much power has made you lazy. Complacent. Dig deeper. Work harder. Fight smarter. A war is coming. Wars need champions."

There are many who believe that the events of the past 10 years are sign and portents of the Phalegian Prophecy coming true. Kate and Logan, Hope and her unborn baby, Jaz and Larsen (Adele's son), Savannah and another witch-sorcerer just coming into her powers (who I believe is Tori from the Darkest Powers) are the signs of something big coming. And the Supernatural Liberation Movement is trying to gather them all together.

Savannah has a lot of growing up to do in a very short amount of time. Will she be able to find her powers in time? With the build up over the past two books, Waking the Witch and Spell Bound, I sure hope she does, because what's coming isn't going to wait for her to be ready. The "end" is coming and it's bound to be explosive. I can't wait to read Thirteen, the conclusion of the Women of the Otherworld series, and see how it all ends.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

5 STARS | Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Waking the Witch
Series: Women of the Otherworld #11
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery
Elements: Demons, Witches, Angels, Ghosts, Necromancers
Publisher: Dutton
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0525951780
Published: July 27th, 2010
Source: Library
Events: Women of the Otherworld Series Challenge
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Series Reviews: Bitten | Stolen | Dime Store Magic | Industrial Magic | Haunted | Broken | No Humans Involved | Personal Demon | Living with the Dead | Frostbitten
Purchase: Amazon




At twenty-one, Savannah Levine-orphaned daughter of a notorious dark witch and an equally notorious cutthroat sorcerer-considers herself a full-fledged member of the otherworld. The once rebellious teen has grown into a six-foot-tall, motorcycle-riding jaw-dropper, with a full arsenal of spells that she's not afraid to use when she gets caught in a bind. There's only one small problem--her adoptive parents, Paige and Lucas, don't always trust her. Of course, she's given them plenty of reasons...but those are in the past. People can change, right?

When Paige and Lucas take off on a romantic vacation alone, leaving her in charge of their detective agency, Savannah is presented with a case that she can't turn down, and one she can finally call her own. Recruited by another supernatural detective, she travels to Columbus, Washington--a small, almost shell of a town. Two troubled young women have been found in an abandoned warehouse, murdered. Now a third woman is dead, and darker forces seem to be at play.

Savannah feels certain she can handle the case, but with supernatural activity appearing at every turn, things quickly become more serious--and far more dangerous--than she realizes. Caught up in a web of lust, false identities, and lies, Savannah must summon strength from her depths and fight like she's never fought before.
Our favorite pre-teen sorcerer-witch is now a powerful 21-year-old knockout. Savannah Levine has grown into a gorgeous, kick butt member of the Otherworld, and it's finally her turn to take center stage. In Waking the Witch, Savannah is brought a case that she can't turn down. Determined to prove that she can handle a case solo, she travels to Columbus, Washington where three young women have been found murdered. But what should have been a simple case soon becomes deadly when an old enemy returns. Savannah will need to find the strength to overcome a potentially deadly poison inhibiting her spell power if she wants to make it out alive.

Before Waking the Witch, we only got to see small moments of Savannah growing up in the 10 years since she became Paige's ward. We knew her as a young girl who did what she wanted whenever she wanted, no matter how much trouble she caused. Now Savannah has grown into a clever and cunning investigator. She's still sassy and sarcastic, but it's more tempered now. As we find while reading Waking the Witch, the deaths of her parents, Eve and Kristoff, have left their mark.

When Savannah meets Kayla Thompson, the daughter of one of the murdered women, she feels an instant connection with the young girl. Savannah can understand what Kayla is going through and how important it is for her to have her grandmother, Paula, in her life, just as Savannah has Paige and Lucas. As the case progresses and Savannah gets to know Kayla better, she begins to feels obligated and responsible for her, so when something happens to tear Kayla's family apart, Savannah feels at fault. And Savannah will do anything, give up anything, to fix what happened.

As Savannah is investigating, she meets Michael Kennedy, a Dallas detective who came to Columbus to investigate his sister, Claire's, death. Though Savannah has, and probably always will, feelings for Adam Vasic, she takes a chance on Michael. I feel that Michael will have a lasting effect on Savannah. Their short and tragic beginning is really heartbreaking, and he is someone Savannah will likely never forget.

Savannah's magic seems to be failing just when she needs it the most. With Adam's help, she learns that a witch-hunter may be after her. The Benandanti started as demon-hunters, hunting down anything evil, but were wiped out by a group of priestesses claiming they were the very evil they hunted. These priestesses then took the Benandanti's place and switched their focus to hunting witches. No one believes these witch-hunters to still exist, but there is one in Columbus, and she's after Savannah. This is a storyline that continues in Spell Bound. And it's not as simple as this young woman being a witch-hunter. It's much, much more dangerous. This is definitely something to look out for in the next book.

The small town of Columbus, Washington started out with three deaths upon Savannah's arrival. Upon her departure, Columbus is left with five additional deaths, bringing the total to eight people dead. This town has seen a lot of tragedy that could have been avoided had Savannah never gone there, because with her arrival she lead an old enemy with a dangerous and obsessive connection to her into the lives of the people of Columbus. People who would have otherwise lived, ended up dead at the hand of this enemy. But the blame can't be put totally, if at all, on Savannah's shoulders, because the appearance of this person was only the beginning of an even more dangerous plan.

The ending of Waking the Witch will continue right off in the beginning of Spell Bound. If you thought Savannah had it tough in Waking the Witch, her trials don't even compare to what she'll face in Spell Bound. This is the beginning of the exciting conclusion to the Women of the Otherworld series.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.