REVIEW: Tall, Dark and Immortal by Cat Devon

Tall, Dark and Immortal marks the fourth book in Devon's Entity series.  I haven't read the others but the basic premise seems to be that there are two rival vampire factions existing amongst the human world.  The primary setting is Chicago.

Alex Sanchez is a hot and sexy detective. He just happens to be a vampire too.  Keira Turner is a journalist who has just learned that a) vampires exist and b) she's a descendant of a long line of vampire hunters.  She's left with a load of questions and concerns after discovering her grandfather's journal.  Keira seeks out Sanchez based on blood bank related crimes threatening the people of Chicago, including that of her godson born with a rare blood condition.

True to paranormal romance formula, Alex and Keira have an instant attraction.  Alex recognizes her as "The One", which I'm assuming is an important trope within the series even if I haven't read the others. The plot develops as expected with Keira's life in peril, needing Alex's protection, knowledge, and resources to begin understanding her gifts and unravel the mystery of her past and who is responsible for the thefts and why.

What I liked...

The basic premise is fine.  The main characters have decent chemistry and in general plot works. I found some of the supporting cast of characters intriguing as well and wouldn't mind revisiting the previous books to learn more about them.

What I didn't like...

Sadly, nearly everything else. I just couldn't get into the writing style.  It felt choppy to me and I didn't love the dialog structures or pacing.  Maybe this is since I haven't read Devon's work before and I need time to acclimate to a new author.  Even so, it just wasn't for me.  I wanted more depth to the writing and therefore the plot and characters.  Events seemed to happen too quickly, emotions develop out of the blue and other instances or character developments, for example the villains, seemed to over the top and stereotypical.

Overall, Tall, Dark and Immortal is a quick paranormal romance read. If you are a fan of the genre check it out. It was not my favorite but it has its high points.  I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway, so I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Final rating 2.5 out of 5 stars



#catdevon #review #paranormal #romance #vampires

REVIEW: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows is an astonisting fourth entry in Maas' Throne of Glass series.  I'm actually having difficulty writing its perfection is mere words.  Safe to say it was perfect. I cannot think of a single detail that could be changed. It is everything I wanted, needed and then some.

We've previously known her as Celaena Sardothien, an orphaned but trained deadly assassin.  In this installment, she has now returned to Rifthold to bring down the king, save her cousin, Aedion, as well as aid Chaol in freeing Prince Dorian, and stake her claim as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. All are quite challenging feats but Aelin accomplishes them with fierce fearlessness, sarcasm, compassion, grace, trustworthy allies and a whole lot of luck. 

An interesting plot shift is the role Manon Blackbeak, Wingleader of the Ironteeth Clan's Thirteen. Deadly witch warriors summoned to Morath to do the nefarious bidding of Duke Perrington. (I won't spoil anything here but !!!! he's baaaad man!) We first met Manon in Heir of Fire and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.  Her connection to the next part of the story should prove exciting and her first encounter with Aelin is truly epic!  

Readers won't be disappointed as Maas weaves together an intricate plot with plenty of surprises and character developments which shift the story into a new phase for subsequent books. There is certainly no shortage of action, revenge, betrayal and angsty romance.  Those wishing for Aelin's relationship with Rowan to heat up won't be disappointed in the least. 

This was one of those reading experiences where I couldn't put it down but dreaded the end because then I'd have to wait longer for the next book. I laughed. I cried. I panicked and held my breath.  Maas is a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy genre, both in and out of YA circles. I really can't say enough amazing things about this. I wholeheartedly recommend it for not only teens but anyone looking to read a fantastically imaginative and well written fantasy book and series.

Now I'm going to go weep that I have to wait so long for book 5 :(

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars



#queenofshadows #throneofglass #sarahjmaas #YAlit #fantasy

REVIEW: Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

I first discovered the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine in the early 2000s. By this point, Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, and Chill Factor had all been published and I remember waiting, albeit impatiently, for the release of Windfall and the rest of the books.

This series remains unique amongst other urban fantasy reads. Caine builds a world where certain humans are gifted elementals, having power to manipulate air, water, fire, or earth.  The female protagonist, Joanne, is a powerful yet relatively new warden who has gotten herself into a heap of trouble just as the real adventure of Ill Wind gets underway.

Within this world, wardens of a certain caliber and rank receive their very own djinn--a powerful pet genie if you will. They aid a Warden in their duties; however, readers soon find out that this world is much more complicated than Joanne ever dreamed. Throw in some romance, betrayal and a wicked demon or two and readers are in store for a high octane adventure and a shocking cliffhanger that will have them aching for book 2.

I adore this series for Caine's take on the djinn, which is, in my opinion, an underused supernatural being.  The continued struggles and development of the subsequent books are thought provoking and entertaining.  I gobbled up the rest of the books save for 8 and 9 (Cape Storm and Total Eclipse) for the mere reasons that I got behind and I am reluctant for the series to end. Now that the 'great re-read' is upon me thanks to our Positively Paranormal Book Club meeting, I think I will revisit these old friends and finally get all the way through to say goodbye.

If you are a fan of the series, make sure you check out the spin off series Outcast Season.  I've read the first two but still need to revisit and finish these too.

Basically, read everything by Rachel Caine. Its all great and well written with fantastic characters and compelling plots especially Ink & Bone (my review here) and the Morganville Vampires.


#weatherwarden #outcastseason #rachelcaine #UF #review #supernatual #romance

REVIEW: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss

Expected Publication: October 20, 2015

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss might possibly be one of the funniest books I've ever read. Described as a geek-centric crime fiction, I'm choosing to post it here because while not characteristically categorized as teen, I think it is perfect for a mature YA reader.

Dahlia Moss is an unemployed, snarky twentysomething on the verge of financial ruin.  Enter Jonah, an acquaintance, who hires Dahlia as a private detective to discover who stole the Spear of Infinite Piercing.  There are two problems 1) Dahlia isn't a detective 2) the spear is from the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) Zoth. 

What follows is a hilarious, snarky and albeit geek-worthy adventure.  Dahlia's detective work leads her to build a list of suspicious characters all while being drawn into not only the quest for the spear but a murder investigation, planning an elaborate online funeral and surviving a deadly gamers convention.

I'd heard buzz about this book but didn't quite know what to expect.  I have to say that I was by no means disappointed. It's been a long time since I've sat and had laugh out loud moments while reading. This is certainly a great read for almost any age.  If for teens, I'd recommend ages 14 and up for some language and mild crude humor.  Dahlia is a hoot and I'm sure that other twenty somethings and older can relate to her real life problems.

Final rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Follow the author on Twitter: @maxwirestone   He's a librarian!!!


#review #unfortunatedecisions #dahliamoss #maxwirestone #mystery #crim #mmorpg #netgalley

REVIEW: Born of Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon

FINALLY. Dancer Hauk's book.  Fans of Kenyon's League series have been waiting for this story a long time.  They won't be disappointed.  In true author fashion, Hauk is a classic wounded warrior. Scarred in youth from an accident, he has had to deal with the shame he's brought his aristocratic Andarian family, who pride physical perfection.  Added to that is his pledge to his oldest brother's widow, Dariana, a spiteful woman who strings Hauk along with no plans to enter unification, yet harbors ill will toward him for her husband's death--which she basically caused (but I digress).

​Despite all this, Hauk is a snarky and pleasant beast of a man well loved by his chosen Sentella allies and family.  Sure, he looks scary but he's really a big softie.  

Romance blossoms when League assassin, Sumi, is sent after Hauk by supreme baddie Kyr--League commander extraordinaire. Sumi has to take out Hauk if she hope to ever see her child again.  Of course, here's when things get complicated. There's a complicated past here namely since Sumi's sister was married to Hauk's brother Faine and that didn't end well. Hauk recognizes Sumi as an assassin and despite some lies, miscommunication and some life threatening enemy attacks, these two hit it off and fall for each other.

Remember, this is a Kenyon book and nothing is ever easy. Loving Sumi is a big no-no but Hauk throws caution to the wind. I won't spoil the details but if you know Kenyon's work, there are plenty of twists and turns but you can probably guess the outcome.

My only fault with the book was a bit of rambling at times.  I think the entire plot could have been tightened a bit to be more concise. As a reader, I always appreciate Kenyon's emphasis on the importance of home and family, but it gets repetitive.​

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#bornoffury #league #sherrilynkenyon #futuristic #romance

REVIEW ROUNDUP #2: Sherrilyn Kenyon

You know how you have some many series but get behind on new titles?  That's been my problem with the past several releases of Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I adore her as an author but I fell behind with not only the League but also the Dark Hunter and Chronicles of Nick titles.  Therefore, I'm on a mission to catch up.  If you visit my teen blog, you'll find my review for Instinct, book 6 in the C of N YA series.

I've  been revisiting the Dark Hunter universe by finishing Dark Bites, Kenyon's short story collection published in 2014. This is an all-in-one collection of previously availably novellas and other stories plus a few newbies. Some are directly related to the 'verse while others have a strict realistic flare.  Nonetheless, all the titles feature Kenyon's charateristic attention to solid, detail oriented creative writing and distinct characters. There's angst. There's romance. Standouts for me were "Winter Born", "Love Bites", "Until Death Do Us Part", and perhaps my favorite, "House of the Rising Son" which reads as a standalone or as a prequel novella to Styxx.

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

#lovebites #darkhunter #sherrilynkenyon #anthology

Cloak & Silence is a novela and technically book 7 in the League series. Fans have been waiting for Maris' happily ever after for a while.  Honestly, I was rather disappointed maybe because I expected a more detailed plot. Maris is a fierce warrior but has had to face countless public humiliations since his sexual orientation goes against Phrixian custom.  There had been a big buildup to his story.  I wasn't particularly enamored with his love interest, Ture. I can' quite put my finger on one distinct reason of why I felt let down but part of methinks it is because I kept thinking of the epic story for Qhuinn and Blay in Lover at Last.  J.R. Ward spent years plotting their angsty romance and their book did the complicated romance justice.  Maris' and Ture's relationship just felt like it happened too quickly.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#league #cloack&silence #sherrilynkenyon #novella


I'm finishing up the League book 8, Born of Fury.  Look for my review in a few days.

REVIEW: Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Any reader who follows both Kenyon's Chronicles of Nick and Dark Hunters series knows how impossibly difficult it is to describe the complicated web of stories and characters.  The basic premise is that our beloved, yet epically flawed and tortured Nick Gautier from the Dark Hunters paranormal romance series has set out to manipulate the timeline, saving his mother from an ill fate as well as himself from being essentially evil incarnate aka "The Malachi" and ending the world.

Instinct is book 6 of the this YA series.  Now that young Nick has accepted the demon inside of him, he has to learn how to control his Malachi powers without losing his temper, destorying the world or accidentally hurting his friends.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to judge just who is an ally or enemy.  Just when Nick thinks he might have a "normal" day at school, shennanigans are once again afoot which push him further than ever to protect what he holds most dear.

I listened to the audiobook performed by Holter Graham. He has narrated the rest of the series as well as a good chunck of the Dark Hunter books.  Graham does a fantastic job with story emphasis, distinctive character voices and the ability to bring life to Nick's humor. I highly recommend the audio.

As a long time fan of both series, I am utterly hooked on the story but certainly wish Kenyon would move things along so that Nick can get his Dark Hunter epic we've all been clamoring to have for years.  The waiting certainly makes the anticipation bittersweet.  I found Instinct one of the strongest additions to this YA series.  It has the perfect amount of action, snark and intriguing character development. There are a lot of twists that occur in this novel that will greatly impact the subsequent books. I certainly like this teen Nick more than the broody and broken version of the adult series.  I cannot wait to finally see the transition in character once the YA arc comes to an end. 

Final rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#instinct #chroniclesofnick #sherrilynkenyon #darkhunters #YAlit #review #audiobook