ARC Review: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deity

(Covenant 3)

by Jennifer Armentrout

DEITY is book three in the Covenant series and Armentrout saves all the heartbreak, all the drama, all the romance and the betrayal for this one book. As Alex’s birthday draws near, becoming the Apollyon is evitable. She continues to train with Seth and even as those sessions become hot and steamy, her heart still lies with someone else. Readers will be pleased to see that major advancements happen between Aiden and Alex. Though I wasn’t completely engrossed by those scenes, there is still no denying that Aiden and Alex do share something that is greater than Fate. I can’t wait to see how Armentrout further explores this.

However, Armentrout takes a different route in this book that completely blindsided me and I DID NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT! In previous reviews I have not so eloquently expressed my love for all things Seth and the route Armentrout takes in this book breaks my heart into tiny little pieces. Though a master at weaving scenes that will hook you right in, I found myself dragging my feet through some scenes because I couldn’t bear to find out what happens to Seth! However, this is not to say that I disliked the book. I loved it, but I think it’s always tough to read your favorite characters go through tough times. Armentrout puts her characters through the wringer and I am desperate to find out what happens on the other end.

I am keeping this review intentionally vague because I cannot bear to release a detail that may be considered to be spoilery to some. Instead, just be prepared for the wild ride that Ms. Armentrout will take you on. The events of this book will break your heart, but like Alex, you just have to keep your faith.

 I just realized that this is going to be the last Convenant book released this year. APOLLYON and SENTINEL will release in 2013. That leaves only Aiden’s novella, ELIXIR to be devoured. Oh how this series tortures me! With that ending, you can be sure I’ll be all over Seth – er, the book when it comes out!

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Mystic City

by Theo Lawrence

(Mystic City # 1)

I want to start this review with the reason I picked up the book.  And that would be the author.  I was sitting at NY Comic Con last Saturday at a panel called "Myth Mixology: How Urban Fantasists Create the Perfect Cocktail" and to be honest the main reason I sat at the panel to begin with was to be in that room already and get good seats for the next panel "Hocus Pocus: Magic & Monsters in Science Fiction and Fantasy".  So I knew who Allison Pang, Faith Hunter and Nicole Peeler were (panelists for Myth and Mixology) but I've never read ANY of their books.  Have them though.  But through that panel only two jumped out at me that I had to read their books right away: Theo Lawrence and Faith Hunter.  As you can see Theo has been crossed off the to-read list within a week.  Why?

First was the fact that I really thought he was a sweet person, very friendly, making jokes even when a bit intimidated being the new kid on the block, but not scared to jump right in along with the other more known authors.  But then it was how he talked about his book and I'll share with you what sold it for me.   This story is post-apocalyptic, dystopian if you will, and with paranormal elements set in New York if after global warming New York was turned into a place like Venice with canals and gondolas.  There's a corrupt government and a lot of stuff happening but throughout all that there's a love story that the author wanted to draw on from Romeo and Juliet in a way.

So, I'm sold!  That was just too interesting to pass and after finishing this book today I can say it delivered.  I got the audiobook because I know normally I do better listening to stories of teenagers than "reading" them.  The narration was excellent!  Truly brought the characters to life.

But enough of that and lets talk about the story.  Aria Rose, the daughter of one of the rulers of Mystic City, wakes up without memories.  Her family tells her she OD'd and that she is lucky to be alive.  Oh yeah, and she's engaged to marry the son of one of their political enemy.  But things don't feel right and as Aria starts exploring she finds Hunter.  Hunter is a rebel mystic with the special power of walking through walls/floors (I can't even tell you how cool that is!!!) as well as healing.  He lives underground where mystics (people with powers, and they each have different powers) hide so they are not drained of their power by the government.  And with Hunter she feels things she doesn't understand but that feel right.  But Hunter is also not what he seems, and not a simple mystic.

While uncovering what was done to her, regaining her memory, and figuring out who is right and who is wrong, Aria and Hunter will have to go through EVERYTHING to be together.  Like the author said, at the core of this book there is a love story.  And the characters have to work hard to get their HEA.  But it's so worth it in the end.

The twists and turns of the story kept me interested, the world the author created has me enthralled.  Even though this story was a bit slow to start, once things got going they kept a good pace.  The last few chapters were just explosive!  The bad guys are bad, the good guys are strong and amazing.  And others are just not what they seem.  Action packed, heart racing and satisfying!

I am anxiously awaiting the next book!!!

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

(more like 4.5 feathers!)

Pure

(Covenant #2)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I never should have doubted Armentrout! After reading HALF-BLOOD and seeing all the uncanny resemblances to Vampire Academy, I found that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did DAIMON, the prequel novella. However, reading PURE brought back the spark that I knew Armentrout possesses in her writing. Her books are like crack and I simply devoured PURE as if it were a cake and I was a fat kid abstaining from sweets. PURE was completely satisfying and thrilling!

Alex is continuing her training at the Covenant with hottie, Aiden. As attraction continues to sizzle between them and they battle against their feelings for one another, Seth strides in with his cocky persona and shakes things up in a way that leaves all parties dizzy. Naturally, I am Team Seth because, really, who isn’t? The bad boy persona always gets me and if I were Alex, I would be taking advantage of that connection that Seth and Alex share.

Meanwhile, daimon attacks have been circulating around the Covenant and things are slowly getting out of hand. New rules are being implemented that are meant to keep both the Pures and the Half-Bloods safe, however, they are more confining and degrading than simply safety precautions.

Armentrout breaks reader’s hearts with one particular scene in this book. Even though I predicted this would happen in HALF-BLOOD, it didn’t lessen the impact of emotions that rolled through me as I read. Armentrout has a very unique voice. Her writing is very strong and she carries the Young Adult voice as if she is a teenager herself. It seems as if it’s effortless for her, yet I know a lot of work goes into her books. Because of her strong writing voice, she has the unique talent of grasping readers by the collars of their shirts and reeling them in until they are helpless but to obey. Her books are always a thrill-ride and I willing step into her world knowing that I’m in for a treat.

At first, I worried that Alex seemed a little too impulsive and irrational. She can be a little bit of drama queen sometimes and that bugged me for literally a second. But it’s as if Armentrout was reading my thoughts because I flipped the page and read this passage next:

“Rational is mundane and uninteresting. Why would you want to be that?” –Seth 

My reaction? Oh.My.God. Seth’s right! No, she’s right! How could I ever think for one second that being rational was what Alex needed to be. Part of the reason why readers enjoy her narrative is because she’s wild and impulsive and speaks her mind. It’s why Seth and Aiden love her and it’s why readers live vicariously through her.

 PURE turned out to be exactly what I was expecting from Jennifer Armentrout – a fun-filled, heartbreaking, scorching hot read! DEITY is staring me in the face, begging to be open and read and who am I to refuse? It’s next to my TBR list!

*Review Copy provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess

(Arcana Chronicles #1)

by Kresley Cole

I should never have doubted Kresley Cole. To tell you the truth, I was worried in the beginning. I adore Cole’s Immortals After Dark series so I wondered how she would fare writing a YA novel. The opening chapter had me lost because it is a complete 360 to what I am used to from her. But I kept with it and found that KC puts a lot of effort into her debut YA novel. She makes use of the frame narrative where there is a story within a story and I found that it works very well with this book. It opens up with Arthur’s POV, which you will learn more about him as you read, and then it goes into Evie’s POV who is our protagonist.

Evie Greene is snatched out of her perfect life. Her designer clothes, lavish mansion and preppy boyfriend are useless when it comes to her hallucinations. Evie has been hearing voices and having visions for awhile now and she just came back from a trip to the crazy house. Now, as school is starting up again, a new crew of troublemakers are making their way into their school and Evie and her friends are not happy about it. The leader of the group is Jackson Deveaux and he is a Cajun hottie. With an accent that is to die for and a motorcycle that makes him a badass, Jack is the hottest thing that has come to Sterling in a long while.

It’s too bad that right off the bat Evie and Jack hate each other. They are from opposite ends of the spectrum – Evie is rich while Jackson is not. And that causes some problems for them. However, there is also this undeniable spark between the two that happens when they first meet each other. I have to say that I was impressed by KC’s ability to straddle the line between love and hate between Evie and Jackson. One moment their hatred for each other is so potent and the next, they are hot and heavy. I wasn’t sure how I would like Jack, but in the end, I found that there were great qualities in him as a character that I had to admire.

The first half of the book explores Evie’s confusion. She has several warnings and visions, yet she doesn’t know what they mean. KC keeps readers in the dark for the first half of the book so that you are as confused but determined to find out what it all means as Evie.

It isn’t until the latter half of the book where I felt all the pieces finally clicked into place. KC does a spectacular job of plotting out this book so that every little detail matches up. I especially loved Arthur’s perspective later on because it only added more excitement to the storyline.

There were parts in this book that were jaw-dropping. Like, I literally stopped and had to pick up my jaw from the floor. The word “shocking” doesn’t seem to cover it. I have to commend KC for being able to pull a fast one on me. It was fantastic.

Many of you are probably wondering about the level of sexiness in this book. As I said earlier, Jackson is a hottie. But I have also read a few YA books and have to say that this one is a little more sexier than previous YA novels. There’s great sexual tension, there’s some angst, some juicy jealously and some heated moments.

I loved the idea of the Arcana and how KC integrated that idea into this series. It’s smart and fun and refreshing because it takes the whole apocalypse idea and gives it a nice spin on it. And also, with an ending like that, I definitely need my hands on the next book! I need to know what happens next!

*ARC provided by publisher

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Death and the Girl Next Door

by Darynda Jones

(Darklight # 1)

Darynda Jones is an automatic follow for me since reading the fantastic Charlie Davidson series.  I am not much of a Young Adult reader but I am glad I gave this book a try because I absolutely enjoyed it. 

Lorelei McAllister is a 16year old very quirky, very sarcastic and an independent girl with the ability to see visions with a mere touch.  With her BFFs Glitch and Brooke, they try to unveil the mystery of the two very hot boys who suddenly became interested in Lorelei…in a stalker kind of way.  She also discovers a few more things, such as her parents’ disappearance, her grandparents secret and the history of her ancestors that makes the very being that she is now…the history goes way back.

Lorelei reminded me of a young Charlie, both having natural abilities that goes hand in hand with death, sort of.  Jared aka Azriel as a young Reyes aka Rey’aziel also have some similarities.  Reyes comes from evil and Jared doesn't, but both are very mysterious and their main goal is their heroines' safety and protection.   I almost expected to find out that they were somehow connected.  Lorelei and Jared were great together but you can see that there will be a complicated relationship between them.  The steam factor between them is very mild but the attraction is definitely palpable.

Lorelei’s BFFs, Glitch, Brooklyn and friend Cameron definitely have some kind of love triangle there. And there is a big mystery between the tree boys that kept the mystery going through out the book.  The mystery goes on with the disappearance of Lorelei’s parents and the connection between the boys and the local town’s people. 

Darynda covers a good amount of Paranormal and bit of Christian mythology/biblical history in this book.  There are also demons, ghosts, and angels that kept me wanting to read more.  But what I loved most was that she kept the Charlie Davidson element in this book.  The humor, sarcastic banter, suspense and mystery was very similar but in a low tone, surely appropriate for the Young Adult audience.

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland

by Gena Showalter

(White Rabbit Chronicles # 1)

You have no idea how happy I am that I don't have to start this review saying "I AM IN LOVE WITH A ZOMBIE" because if there's an author out there that can make me say that, that would be Gena Showalter. I have read most of her adult books, but this is my first YA book by her that I've read and I can just say one thing about that...I love how much of her fun personality come through in this book.

This was such a fun and original read because her zombies are not just regular zombies...And, oh yeah: "I AM IN LOVE WITH A ZOMBIE KILLER". I might feel like a bit of a cougar right now because I have the hots for Cole.

I was captivated and enthralled from the first line:

"Had anyone told me that my entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, I would have laughed."

Alice Bell has grown up thinking her dad was crazy and that all she wanted was a normal life. She always talked about the monsters in the night and they all had to stay in at night and learn self-defense. She resented that until the night both her parents and her little sister died...because they've gone out at night on her request.

She realized then the monsters were real and she didn't understand any of it until she found a group of kids at her new school that were already fighting them. Fighting helped her cope with her loss.

No sweet sixteen for Ali. Except some good came from all that. She met good friends, true friends. Kat is one in particular I want to fold in my pocket and carry around with me to take her out when I need a pick me up. She is so funny, so supportive and such a loyal friend. I <3 her!

Then there's Cole and the rest of his group of zombie killers. Cole and Ali share a special and unique connection, they are literally drawn to each other like moths and I was drawn right along with them.

Ali is strong and kick ass and everything I want a sixteen year old heroine to be. But she is still a normal teenager, wanting to have friends and be normal and crushing on a hot guy. She's got balls to confront people threatening her and not to be scared of her bad boy crush but embrace him and fight right along side him.

The story was great with a bit of a twist and a sad at the end. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series. Congrats to Gena Showalter on another story very well written, totally captivating and originally HERS.

Quote:

No way did I want to be known as Pinot Grigio. (That's what my my parents had called me anytime I'd gotten my whine on. They'd called Em Pinot Noir.) 

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Review: Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose

Sovereign Hope

by Frankie Rose

(The Hope Series # 1)

Farley Hope has been trying to get by with her life since her Mother turned up missing six months ago. But things are seeming hopeless especially with her hallucinations getting worse and now people are following her. When a stranger helps her, he turns her whole world upside down.

This is an interesting spin on immortals and a prophecy. You quickly find out that there is a prophecy regarding Farley but you never really know what else is going on. As frustrating as it was, it's also what kept me interested.

Farley just wants a normal life but unfortunately that is not what she is getting. She also wants to find out where her Mom is and what happened...that is her main driving force. It was hard watching her whole life get turned upside down. And then having to deal with Daniel on top of it.

Daniel...he is definitely interesting but he is so mean to Farley. As things progress, you get a sense of why he does what he does. But the problem is that Daniel isn't totally human either and it takes awhile to find out what he is.

There is a whole community that lives below ground in what's called the Four Quarters. Many of them are against The Reavers, who are the immortals and the ones that Farley is prophesied to kill. You get to meet a few of the them and they are some great characters.

The story really reminded me of The Mortal Instruments. Daniel is a great Jace and there are many similarities between Clary and Farley. Even their "romance" is strikingly similar and definitely YA.

I really enjoyed the ending and while the main problem is somewhat resolved, it does leave some things open for the next book in the series, Eternal Hope, which is suppose to come out September 2012.

Favorite quote:

♥ "It's a beautiful dream, love. But some dreams just cost too much."

*Review copy provided by author

Purchase Links: Amazon