5 STARS | Wanted by Amanda Lance

Title: Wanted
Series: Wanted #1
Author: Amanda Lance
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Dark, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00CJ178Z8
Published: April 25th, 2013
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★★

Considering she’s a girl who calculates everything, Addie Battes knew the statistical probability of being abducted in her lifetime—too bad she never analyzed the odds of falling in love with her captor.

While stopping at a crowded rest area one summer night, seventeen-year-old Addie accidentally catches a truck hijacking in progress. Desperate to rid the crime of its only witness, one of the thieves kidnaps Addie. Yet surprisingly, when a renegade thief attempts to silence her for good, Addie is saved by the very man who abducted her. Now, forced on board a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean, Addie finds herself surrounded by international smugglers who want nothing more than to throw her overboard.

All except the artistic and intriguing Charlie Hays, whose strange protectiveness convinces Addie to trust him, even when common sense tells her otherwise. Yet, despite her doubt, and his unrelenting temper, their relationship develops into something much more. But, Charlie’s scorned colleague has stowed away, and as he seeks revenge against his coworker, Addie and Charlie are forced to put their new love—and lives—at risk.

I really loved Wanted. It was a strange situation that Addie--she was kidnapped and then fell in love with her captor. I was stuck between screaming that Addie and Charlie needed to be together and that they shouldn't because it was just weird to fall in love with the man who kidnapped you. But in the end, I fell just as much in love with Charlie as Addie did. I really wish that there were more to this book. I loved all the characters, even Reid, who wasn't very nice. And Polo was just so adorable. I would love to read more about the other characters. Ben is an interesting character, he's kind of enigmatic. But yeah, I love love LOVED this book!

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A native of New Jersey and lifelong nerd, Amanda Lance recently completed her Master in Liberal Arts at Thomas Edison State College after her BA in English Literature and AFA in creative writing. As an avid reader of all genres, some of her favorite authors include Hemingway, Marquis de Sade, Stevenson, Bukowski and Radcliffe.

When she isn’t writing or reading, Amanda can found indulging in film noir or hiking with her other half and their extremely spoiled dog. She is obsessively working on her next book and trying to tame her caffeine addiction.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2013 to my book blog, A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

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4.5 STARS | Dark Nebula by W.J. May

Title: Dark Nebula
Series: The Chronicles of Kerrigan #2
Author: W.J. May
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Setting Location: English Countryside
Publisher: W.J. May
Format: PDF
ASIN: B00B46UWNO
Published: January 21st, 2013
Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★.5
Series Reviews: Rae of Hope

Nothing is as it seems anymore.

Leery from the horrifying incident at the end of her first year at Guilder Boarding School, Rae Kerrigan is determined to learn more about her new tattoo. Her expectations are high, an easy senior year and a happy reunion with Devon, the boy she’s not supposed to date. All hopes of happiness turn into shattered dreams the moment she steps back on campus.

Lies and secrets are everywhere, and a betrayal cuts Rae deeply. Among her conflicts and enemies, it appears as if her father is reaching out from beyond the grave to ruin her life. With no one to trust, Rae doesn’t know where or who to turn to for help.

Has her destiny been written? Or will she become the one thing she hates the most—her father’s prodigy.

I loved Dark Nebula! It was great seeing all my favorite characters again, plus some new ones. I was shocked at some revelations that I won't speak of, so I don't give anything away, but I was definitely not expecting what was revealed about a certain new student. Rae is always getting beaten up! I was cringing with each hit she took. I mean, is she ever going to get a break? And I hated how Devon's father kept judging her because of her father. And the ending left me excited for the next book. I can't wait!

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Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario - St.Catharines. Crazy-happy childhood, she always has had a vivid imagination and loads of energy.

The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and a sister -- taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.

At sixteen, she began competing in athletics (track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada in high jump. She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record (1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged). She attented University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - winning CIAU's and becoming All-American 6x - NCAA Indoors Runner Up + more.

Life continued with her husband (a distance runner from Liverpool, UK, who she met at KSU) and then their first, then second and finally third child. Their house became full of more imagination and stories.

After her father passed away in 2009, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.

Her first book, Rae of Hope - from the Chronicles of Kerrigan - will be available October 2011 by kNight Romance Publishing.

She is currently represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.


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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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5 STARS | Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Halfway to the Grave
Series: Night Huntress #1, Night Huntress World Reading Order
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery, Urban Fantasy
Elements: Vampires, Ghosts, Ghouls
Publisher: Avon
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0061245084
Published: October 30th, 2007
Source: Library
Events: 2013 Jeaniene Frost Reading Challenge | A Winter's Respite Read-A-Thon
Rating: 5/5 STARS
Purchase: Amazon

Flirting with the Grave...

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father - the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner - are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

Cat has been told that all vampires are evil. After all, her mother was sexually assaulted by one, resulting in Cat's birth. Being a half-vampire gives her abilities perfect for seeking revenge against the creatures that once hurt her mother. So every night Cat goes out hunting...and on one such night she meets a vampire that changes everything she thought she knew about the undead she's been killing.

You would think right away that any relationship between Cat and Bones would be doomed from the start. Although she's half-vampire, Cat hates vampires with a passion. There isn't a vampire she's met that she hasn't tried staking before anything else, and that includes Bones. But being a Master vampire, Bones is a lot stronger than any of the others Cat has met before him. Cat's attempted staking of Bones is how their working and personal relationships began.

Though their working relationship starts before their personal one, I'll talk about their personal relationship first. We know that Cat hates vampires, so how could she possibly fall in love with one, right? Well, it definitely wasn't simple or easy. As Cat and Bones work together and she learns more about vampires, Cat comes to respect and admire Bones. That respect and admiration--slowly--becomes more. But there are namely three things driving a wedge between them--Bones being a vampire, Cat's own half-undead state, and her mother. While Cat comes to terms and accepts the first two, her mother is not so easily won over (in fact, she can't and won't be won over). Cat and Bones's relationship definitely has its bittersweet moments. "If you run from me, I'll chase you. And I'll find you."

Now back to their working relationship. When Cat tried to stake Bones, being the Master vampire that he is, he knocks her about the noggin and chains her up at him place. At first he doesn't believe her claims of being a half-vampire, but then she flashes her green eyes, a trait all vampires have, and after they tussle a bit, a partnership is struck. In exchange for helping Cat find her father, Bones wants her help with a bounty he's currently hunting. Being a half-vampire has given Cat a natural beauty that humans have to work hard for and the strength to take on the undead. Her human side gives her the beating heart and pulse to fool vampires into complacency. In other words, she's the perfect bait, while Bones is the extra muscle.

Which brings us to our villain. Bones has been tracking a vampire named Hennessey that he believes is behind hundreds of girls going missing--from Maine to Mexico, the Great Lakes area to now Ohio. He's running a kind of Meals on Wheels operation and he's got help in high places among the humans. Cat feels a personal need to take Hennessey down since she almost became one of those missing girls, and he took her mother hostage. "We're going to get him. We're going to stand over him on the ground, and every greedy bastard on his team, too, and then they'll know they were taken down by you...and your little Grim Reaper, who hasn't met a vampire she didn't try to kill first." Cat was amazingly awesome during their assault on Hennessey's hideout. Those vampires (and some humans) were just dropping like flies!

While the first battle against the "bad" vampires was a success, the war is just beginning.

Cat is approached by a special branch of the FBI called the Paranormal Behavior Division. Don William, the head of the division, claims that they've been looking for someone like Cat, and offers her a job. She knows that taking the job is the best way to protect both her mother and Bones. But accepting the job offer comes with sacrifices.

I loved everything about this book and I can't wait to read the next one!

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Jeaniene Frost is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series and the Night Huntress World novels. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to nineteen different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her.


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

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3.5 STARS | Dancing with Death by Andrea Heltsley

Title: Dancing with Death
Series: Dancing #1
Author: Andrea Heltsley
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Horror
Elements: Demons, Succubi
Publisher: Andrea Heltsley
Format: PDF
ISBN-13: 978-1478204183
Published: August 10th, 2012
Source: Andrea Heltsley
Events: Book Tour
Rating: 3.5/5 STARS
Purchase: Amazon

Death is coming and he's coming for me.

Murders have plagued the woods in the past, making them a place of fear. Eighteen year old Wendy and her friends become worried when a new string of murders come to their high school. After a horrible car accident, Wendy returns to school, going from wallflower to popular overnight. As the murderer edges closer to Wendy she realizes things are changing. She is afflicted with nightmares that are all too real and she herself is undergoing unnatural changes. Learning the truth about her past, could be the key to saving her future.

In Dancing with Death, Wendy is a senior in high school, living in a town plagued by murder after murder. The "Witchy Woods" where the murders took place is a place of fear, so when Wendy is hit by an oncoming car on a road alongside the woods, left in the ditch in her mangled car, she fears that that is how she will die. But before her car can explode she's saved by a stranger who pulls her out and takes her to the hospital. This car accident is only the beginning as Wendy's life changes forever.

There is a very good reason why I gave Dancing with Death only a 3.5. More than half of the book is just intense makeout scenes and finding the perfect outfit. I started to wonder if that was all this story was going to be about. What saved this book was the strange nightmares and messages from beyond the grave. This piqued my curiosity enough to find out what was really going on. Don't get me wrong, I like action but not when all of it is in the romantic sense. The story really picked up when Wendy and Halle found the locked chest in the attic filled with her family's secrets. Then there were the multiple murder attempts against Wendy's life. Basically I'm saying that, even if they are small, I would have liked more events to add suspense and intrigue within the first half.

I definitely wasn't expecting Wendy's secret family history to be what it was, though. I don't want to say too much about it since I want to leave that part for readers to find out, but I will say that she is a demon and the type of demon she is really explains the changes she undergoes. I thought the story would have had something to do with Death himself from looking at the title, Dancing with Death, but it really only refers to death itself.

I mentioned intense makeout scenes and, boy, are the INTENSE. Wendy finds herself with two guys vying for her attention--Brandt Summers, the new guy from California and Matt Geyer, the new school librarian. Maybe it's my bookish ways, but I loved Matt from the very beginning. Now that is perfect--a smokin' hot male librarian. But he's also genuine, loving, and respectful. I never really liked Brandt. That's all I can really say about him--I just didn't like him at all.

The conclusion was a little anti-climatic, but the question of whether Wendy will live to see the next year leaves me wanting for the next book, Dancing with Demons.

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I am a biology nerd who decided it was more fun writing than dissecting. I have written two novels and my third will be out this summer. I live on coffee and read like a robot. My husband and two italian greyhounds usually have to tear me away from the computer...imagine that. :).


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

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4.5 STARS | The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper

Title: The Dream Slayer
Series: Dream Slayer #1
Author: Jill Cooper
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Elements: Demons, Dreamers, Paladins, Magicians, Vampires
Publisher: Jill Cooper
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B007ZRYPV6
Published: May 1st, 2012
Source: SupaGurl Tours
Events: Book Tour | Once Upon a Read-A-Thon
Rating: 4.5/5 STARS
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback

When your dreams come true, sometimes you get more than you bargained for...

Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart.

Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.

Natalie Johnson is a girl tormented by a bully at school and her alcoholic father at home, but when she dreams Natalie is the Slayer. Strong, beautiful, and completely in control, the Slayer is everything that Natalie isn't but desperately wishes she was. When the Real World and the Dream World begin merging together, Natalie will need to find the strength hidden deep inside herself to claim her destiny and save both worlds from destruction.

When I first started reading The Dream Slayer I was a little confused. The book starts with Natalie (the Slayer) trying to stop a runaway school bus. She succeeds and proceeds to chase her arch nemesis, Morach, behind the school where she loses him. Shortly thereafter, the story moves to Natalie being beaten up by her bully at school, Sarah, on the bus to school. I couldn't tell which world was supposed to be the real one, but as I kept reading it all began to make sense and I really started enjoying the book.

We have the Real World and the Dream World. In the Real World Natalie is a shy girl who is the target for bullies; whereas in the Dream World Natalie is the Slayer, kicking demon butt and looking good while doing it. In the Real World Natalie's enemy is the Patricians--magicians with the power to manipulate dreams for their own purposes--and in the Dream World Natalie's enemy is Morach the Great, a demon master of great power. And in the Real World Natalie's love interest is her best friend, Tristan; and in the Dream World Natalie is deeply in love with Damien, a half-demon warrior. Though there are similarities between the two worlds there are also a lot of differences to look out for.

There were two things that I thought were pretty cool:

1) Natalie may not be a Slayer, but she has a role just as important.

2) Natalie created a growing, thinking world that is more than just a dream. What was not real before may very well be real now.

I would very much like to learn more about WOMP (World Organization of Magical Protection) and about who Marcus is. He just shows up one day and all of a sudden is pretty chummy with Natalie and her friends. He's not even surprised by the mention of demon slaying. Just who is he??

I loved seeing Natalie finally stand up and fight. I could picture the battle in my head and it was just amazing!

I can't wait to read the sequel, Demon Royale, and see how Natalie has changed, what's going on with the Slayer, and what new adventure there is to be had!

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Author of the YA Dream Slayer series, Jill loves to blend horror, comedy, the supernatural, and love, through her novels. A fan of genre blending, her work strives to cross boundries, but most of all strives to entertain.

She loves soft cuddly cats, warm blankets, and paranormal romances.

Jill resides in Massachusetts, is constantly renovating her home that she shares with her husband, young daughter, and two skittish cats.


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

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4.5 STARS | Echo Falls by Jaime McDougall + Excerpt

Title: Echo Falls
Series: Echo Falls #1
Author: Jaime McDougall
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Urban Fantasy
Elements: Werewolves
Publisher: InkyBlots
Format: PDF
ASIN: B005FQN2A4
Published: July 15th, 2011
Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Events: Book Tour | Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon
Rating: 4.5/5 STARS
Purchase: Kindle | Paperback

Running from a nightmare stalking her every move, Phoebe Martin arrives in Echo Falls hoping she has finally found a safe place to stop. But trouble has a way of catching up and soon the signs are there.

After a vicious attack in an alley, policeman Aidan O'Bryan is left with Phoebe as his only path to understanding why the Echo Falls werewolf pack - his pack - is being attacked. When another pack member is killed, Phoebe is forced to confront her past before she loses Aidan and everything she has come to love.

Love and duty become one as Aidan strives to prevent Phoebe from becoming the next victim. But with Phoebe just as determined to protect Aidan and her new home, secrets from her past threaten to tear them apart. Will love give Phoebe the strength to trust Aidan and face her fears, or will her past destroy her future?

Phoebe Martin has been running from her brother's murderer ever since the night it happened. She moves from town to town trying to find a safe place to settle down and live without fear. She thinks she's found that place when she arrives in Echo Falls. Phoebe has found an apartment, is looking for an office to rent for her photography business, she's making friends and generally beginning to call Echo Falls home. But then the murders begin and the gifts start arriving on her doorstep.

Policeman and werewolf Alpha, Aidan O'Bryan has a murderer in his town. Three werewolves outside of his pack have been murdered; and then there's the young woman who was attacked in an alley that he was able to save just in time. Being the only one who survived, Phoebe Martin has information that could help solve the case before more innocent werewolves are killed. But she refuses to talk about the attack.

As Phoebe and Aidan grow closer and the murderer closes in on Phoebe and her new pack, Phoebe will need to find the strength to face her past and open her heart to love, trust, friendship, the pack, and Aidan if she hopes to protect herself and her pack.

I loved how Echo Falls starts off right away with a high tension situation. Phoebe is being chased by an assailant who then shifts into a werewolf and manages to do quite a bit of injury to her before she's saved by a man (or was it a wolf?). This kind of situation grabs readers attention right from the beginning. Then there's the awkward morning after when she wakes up to find a strange man in her apartment cooking breakfast. I think anyone would freak out waking up to that, which is why she goes straight for the knife.

I thought it interesting that the werewolves in this book can only shift at night and are forced to return to humanity during the day. In all the books I've read with werewolves or shifters, they could all shift whenever they wanted, day or night. And I really like the story or legend behind the reasoning for the night shift only. It's romantic, but also bittersweet, which usually goes hand-in-hand with an origin story like this one.

The mystery of who the Hunter and traitor are was even more gripping with how tight-lipped Phoebe is about her past. By the time she decides to open up it's almost too late. I did have an inkling about who the traitor was though. The green-eyed monster is hard to hide and is usually a reason behind treason. I did find it kind of annoying that Phoebe wouldn't ask for help from Aidan and her new pack. Hadn't she ever heard of strength in numbers? I did admire her protectiveness though. But the question at the very heart of the tale is, will Phoebe find the strength to fight or will she continue to run?

Keep running, keep running, keep running. Phoebe’s lungs burned as her mind screamed the mantra. Keep running, keep running.

How many steps can there be?

She should know. She lived in this apartment building.

Tears ran down her cheeks and her lungs burned for air. Only the random irrational thought broke through the panic keeping her feet moving down the steps. Keep running. Keep running. The light of the emergency exit came into view. Almost there…

The door to the stairwell slammed open with a hollow boom. She tripped and clung to the railing to steady herself.

Keep running.

The shock of the cool night air sent a shiver of relief through her body. She’d come out a side exit into an alley. If she could just get to the front –

Suddenly she was thrown to the ground from behind. She hit the concrete, what little breath she had knocked from her lungs. Blood began flowing from where her head hit the ground, and small sparks of light floated into her vision.

How did he catch up so fast?

Desperately she tried to gulp down as much air as she could, willing her lungs to cooperate. Instinct kicked in as the attacker slashed at her, and she curled into fetal position.

A dog. He’d turned into a dog. A big dog with vicious claws and teeth he used to tear into her exposed back, thigh and shoulder. She slowly regained her breath but could only use it to scream her throat raw.

Her vision faded, taking the small sparks of light with it. Searing pain ripped through her shoulder as a claw dug down against her bone. One last, long scream tore from her lungs before she was left gasping and sobbing, her fear slowly smoldering into rage.

Things can’t end like this.

She opened her eyes as the dog stood over her, trying to get to her throat. A paw came into her line of vision and she saw her chance. She reached out, grabbed it and squeezed with all the strength she had.

The dog yelped and tried to twist away, but she held on with all the strength she had. She knew she’d only bought herself time. She couldn’t move the dog off her and she couldn’t squeeze his paw all night. He tried uselessly to bite her, his jaws having no strength so long as she squeezed his paw. But she could already feel her strength waning.

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Jaime McDougall is a citizen of the world, currently loving life in beautiful country Victoria in Australia. She loves eating sushi, kidnapping her husband and naming her pets in honour of science fiction authors.

A love of fiction has always coursed through her veins and she told stories as a child even before she knew how to write them. Settling into one genre was never her style and she has plans for novels in women’s fiction, urban fantasy and more – all with a touch of romance.

She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: High School: The Real Deal and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles. She has also enjoyed writing the So You Want ebook series for authors looking to establish their names online.

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

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3.5 STARS | xxxHOLiC Volume 19 by CLAMP

Title: xxxHOLiC, Volume 19
Series: xxxHOLiC #19
Author: CLAMP
Age Group: Young Adult
Genres: Japanese Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Paranormal, Mystery
Publisher: Del Rey
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0345531261
Published: February 21st, 2012
Source: Library
Rating: 3.5/5 STARS
Purchase: Paperback

FINAL VOLUME

Kimihiro Watanuki has passed through many trails by fire. Once an indentured servant, he has matured and become the poised and skilled keeper of the shop that grants wishes. But Watanuki's final wish is for himself: to meet the witch Yûko one more time. With Yûko long vanished from our world, is it even possible? That question and others are answered now in the concluding volume of the bestselling manga xxxHOLiC!

xxxHOLiC crosses over with Tsubasa, also by CLAMP. Don't miss it!

Everyone has something they desire. The shop that grants wishes is there to grant those desires--whether they be a blessing or a curse to the wisher. Not every wish has a pleasant outcome and it's up to the customer to heed the warnings and advise of the shopkeeper.

The first story is about the five seasonal festivals, most importantly the Chrysanthemum Festival. This festival was created to eliminate bad luck. When "light" is strongest is when the worst disasters occur. The Ame-Warashi talks about what happens when those who go by the old calender (magical beings) get fed up when people change things according to the new calender without taking notice of the old. Eventually humans pay the price, sooner or later.

Then Watanuki meets a young woman waiting under an umbrella. She says that "He...never seems to come. But he promised. He said, 'If it's under this umbrella,' and held my hand as he promised." Her wish is to be reunited with her young man. But a "Serpent's Eye" talisman that wards against voyeurism is preventing him from meeting her. The fact that they could only meet under the umbrella suggests they have a relationship they want no one to see. Watanuki quotes the saying "At night, from a distance, or under an umbrella," which are all the ways a woman looks more beautiful, but they are all ways in which you can't see them very well.

In the third story we learn that Himawari is married and we see how beautiful Kohane has grown up to be. And Domeki is just Domeki. Domeki brings an artifact to Watanuki that his professor wanted him to look at and identify. Watanuki speaks to the spirit of the artifact and discovers that it is a Hei-Gushi. A Hei-Gushi is a decoration put on a house's main support beam to celebrate the completion of the framework of the house. It's used as a charm to ward off evil and help ensure the happiness of the family that will live in the house.

And finally, in the last and final chapter of the xxxHOLiC series, Watanuki dreams of a butterfly. After the fourth night of dreaming of the butterfly, Watanuki sees Yûko for the first time. During the sixth night, Watanuki sees Yûko for the second time. This time she's holding a cage with a bird in it. She releases the bird and Watanuki says, "That's what it is. So that much time has passed since I inherited the shop." It was a dream Yûko had a long time ago and sent to Watanuki to tell him that he's strong enough and there is no need to hide himself away in the shop anymore. When asked if he'd like to forget about Yûko, Watanuki says no and commits to continuing as the keeper of the shop. So he can wait for Yûko. Domeki remarks that, "For him, even now, forgetting Yûko-san seems like it would be more painful than not forgetting."

This finale to xxxHOLiC is more somber than most of the series finales by CLAMP. Because of this it didn't have as big of an impact on me like some of their more explosive or emotional finales. So I was just a teeny bit disappointed.

Although I wasn't happy with the conclusion, it did make sense. When Yûko disappeared and Watanuki inherited the shop, it was revealed that Syaoran (Tsubasa) and Watanuki are the same person, but they were split when Syaoran made his wish. In order for Syaoran to move forward to look for Sakura, Watanuki had to remain in the shop to wait for Yûko. In the final chapter, Watanuki sees a dream Yûko left for him, showing the release of a bird, which is Watanuki's signature and symbolic of him, signifying that Watanuki is now strong enough to move forward on his own and leave the shop. Though he is now free, he chooses to remain as the shopkeeper and continue waiting for Yûko (talk about dedication!).

One thing about the conclusion that left me a little confused was when Watanuki mentioned that he's been the shopkeeper for more than a hundred years. Like I mentioned before, in order for Syaoran's time to move forward, Watanuki's needed to stop, so Watanuki still looks the way her did when he was in high school, while all his friends are growing older. What confused me about the more than a hundred years as shopkeeper part is that, how could that much time go by and all his friends still be alive? The only thing I could think of was that time moves differently in the shop than outside the shop.

In a previous volume, Yûko had given to Domeki an egg-like item that he could use to protect Watanuki, and that he would know the right time to use it. He still has not used it and says, "I guess it still isn't the time to use this." I mean, what was the point of the egg-like object if it's not even going to be used? Yûko made it sound like something very important, and by the end of the series it's still not even been used. Talk about waste!

I really like the final line of the series, though. Domeki says, "For him, even now, forgetting Yûko-san seems like it would be more painful than not forgetting." And the final image is of a bird flying free, representing Watanuki's freedom to move forward if he chooses. For Watanuki's story, that is the perfect image to end the series with.

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Ookawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Oosaka-metropolis, Kyouto; bloodtype: A]

CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.


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

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