Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A very interesting read though not quite as good as Paranormalcy...but I'll explain after this...

Synopsis:
Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Review:

The story is quite annoying in the beginning as it centres around Evie at High School doing high school things and everything that we read about in most other YA american based books. So, tedious, yes. We don't want to read about Evie at school, we want to hear about her high adventures!

Thankfully, we're saved early on as Evie finds her Normal life incredible dull and boring. So, yes, she joins IPCA again on a part time basis and this is where the fun starts.

Lend is back, albeit in small doses and he really grows as a character in this book. Gone are the early nerves of teen dating. Now Evie and Lend are in lurve! Big time.

When Jack enters the scene I shrank at the love triangle occuring. It's an overused tome and really uncreative in a story such as this. But Jack does make for an interesting character who fools around and laughs his way through the story. He reminded me of Puck from the Iron Fey series, so in the end I liked him, though I didn't love him as much as Lend.

Evie is still brilliant in her wit, and determination. Although this time she does crank up a little on the annoyance scale when she starts doing dumb things like lie to her boyfriend (and everyone else who have supported her since leaving IPCA), and randomly going off with Jack when she knows full well that he can't be trusted.

On the whole I enjoyed the story, I'm still rating it as a 4 for pure genius on White's part for creating such a readable, unique storyline. But I did feel that the story punch line was more of a 'tell' thanks to Jack in his final moments, and then a quick 'rectify-the-situation-quickly' on Evie's part. So, to summarize, lots of story and filler to get the end which wasn't as terrifying and world-ending as the first book.

Still a great read though!

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Review: Elemental: The First by Alexandra May

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
Just who is Halíka Dacomé?

To Rose Frost, moving house every six months is normal. Another new town here, another new school there, her ability to adapt is as easy as breathing. But everything changes when her parents go overseas and Rose moves in with her grandmother. She enjoys meeting new friends and catching up with old ones from her childhood holidays — except now she must hide a precious secret from everyone, a gift from birth that defies modern day science.

Her dreams become riddled with a warrior woman called Halíka Dacomé, but are they visions or messages from the future? She starts her own investigation but encounters more questions than answers. Living right on the edge of Warminster in Wiltshire doesn’t help with its folklore and myths about strange lights in the sky and ghost stories of the Salisbury Plain

Not only that, her troubles really take hold one night when the mysterious Aiden Deverill with his alluring smile, his gorgeous dark looks and hypnotising blue eyes, saves her from a freak fire. Or did he?

For Rose, her new life is beginning but she soon realises that despite assurances people are not always what they seem. What she always believed to be a happy family and a friendly town soon turns on its head when she discovers that her family secret, Aiden Deverill and the truth behind Halíka Dacomé is at the heart of the whole conspiracy.

My Review:

RECOMMENDED!!!

This is original and different and for all intents starts as a good book about a gifted girl. But nothing is as it seems!

Rose is taught from an early age not to trust anyone and also not draw any attention to her mysterious gift. With the help of her family she goes through childhood believing she's ordinary but with something extra. Her father has a dangerous job so secrecy is paramount. They often have to move home quickly, to new locations, because bad people are after him. This time her parents are moving abroad but Rose must live in the safety of her grandmothers home. A home she knows well from childhood holidays.

When Rose moves back to Warminster she meets up with two old friends and starts to fit into a new normal life. They accept her as she is and quickly she's pulled into helping out another friend who's father has gone missing. Rose starts to have feelings for Morgan, and he's perfect and clearly likes her in return but someone else occipies her thoughts. She's drawn to Aiden in a different way, almost like her gift wants to reach out to him. He's mysterious, dangerous and gorgeous but she knows that something isn't right about him. If anything he's more like her than anyone she's ever met.

But Rose must focus on the main issue and that is finding her friends father but little does she know that the mystery surrounding the missing townspeople has more to do with her, her past and the strange woman that occupies her dreams.

As the threads start to pull together there are twists and turns at every moment. Just when you think you have an idea about who is the culprit, another clue crops in and sends you into another direction.

This book is a mystery, suspense, romance with an alternative take on the conspiracies and myths surrounding Wiltshire, England. The suspense is nicely paced and the ending is a show stopper. This is the kind of book I like. For one thing while it might annoy some people, it's isn't fast and pacey to get through lots of pointless filler. In fact, the story doesn't stop from the beginning to the end. The other characters are great including Daisy (Rose's grandmother). The beautiful descriptions shouldn't be missed as you realise that clues are given to you from the beginning, you find your sense of being in the book and by the end you know your way around and don't want to leave. The area of Wiltshire sounds fascinating and May does a great job of including local myths and folklore.

I loved the romance part of it! It kicks in half way through and you are torn between Morgan and Aiden (Team Aiden). This isn't a love triangle as I originally thought. Something much deeper is going on with these two and when you find out the truth it stuns you.

This is an absolutely unique and original story and I recommend EVERYONE of all ages to read it!!

For a first novel the author's done a fantastic job. Looking forward to the second one now.
-CB

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Review - Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy 6) by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:

The astonishing final novel in Richelle Mead's epic series!

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

Review:

I read this book twice before wanting to offer a review. The first time I read it I was a little annoyed. The second time I understood.
Firstly, Rose has to clear her name for the henious crime she's been accused of. Her friends help her out and soon she's on the run with Dimitri and a surprise addition of Sydney.
The romance goes back and forth with the love triangle until Sonya Karp comes back into the story and then Rose finally has to place her pieces in order. What is most important to her - the love of Adrian, the love of Dimitri or her devotion to Lissa?
To begin with I was surprised by her rebuff of D considering how much they grew together again in the last book. But though the author didn't ever write it in Rose's narrative we hear Dimitri constantly saying words that he did when he was Strigoi. "You can't run from me, I will always find you etc". Was Rose scared of this or did she just want to get away from him? Unfortunately we don't really find the answer. While Dimitri constantly reminds her of all the horrible things he did while in his former guise, he does go on abit saying the same things over and over again in the story even until the end.
Rose seeks Lissa out in her head and figures out what exactly her friends are doing in her absence, however again, too much filler.
When the story ended (after my first read) I was disappointed that the Author had headed in this direction. The life at the Moroi Court wasn't that interesting for me. I wanted more action from the Guardians and more from the Alchemists. However after the second read I finally got it.
Rose's life has been completely dominated (and we learn this even from the first book) by her need to protect Lissa. The guardians devote their lives to the Moroi and to protect them.
I was expecting more to come from Dimitri's ability to remember the Strigoi groups scattered around the world and possibly was hoping that they would start a campaign to find them and either defeat them or turn them. 
But, the Guardians motto comes back to mind. Nothing else matters except the Moroi - they come first.
Many reviewers have mentioned Adrian. I don't think Adrian was ever deserving of Rose, and I think Adrian is so screwed up that he acted badly when he asked Rose to consider him when she came back (Blood Promise). Has he no heart? Why would he even think that she would be able to consider him when the love of her life has just been turned? Selfish? Yes, I think so.
So, Rose turns to him for affection like a comfort blanket, nothing more. At the end of Last Sacrifice he reacts badly but in my opinion he deserves it. He needs to grow a spine.
Ultimately Dimitri and Rose come together and most of the story gets sown up nicely. But a little niggle remains so this is food for thought.
They, neither of them, mention Dimitri's family who all still think he's Strigoi. Wouldn't you want to tell them straight away? Didn't they deserve that after looking after Rose so well?

Review: Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa

Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Synopsis:

A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

Review:

So, unlike many of my fellow reviewers I'm not a massive Puck fan. I mean, I get why he likes Meghan and all, what with being at school with her and guarding her in the real world. But sooner or later you have to take the hint that she likes someone else and you absolutely MUST NOT try to muscle in on a best friends romance.

So that's where I am with Puck. This story is a novella so quite short but is told from Puck's POV.
Stripped down into the barest of nutshells this book exposes Puck and all his goodness, sarcasm, and pranks. We actually get to find out about what REALLY happened between Puck and Ash and why the rivallry between the two is so intense. They don't actually hate each other. Their friendship was, just like Meghan and Ash's love, forbidden. Both from opposite sides yet they formed an unusual tie and didn't care about the consequences.

The story opens up that relationship of brotherhood like never before and it really is delightful to read a quick story like this to ready ourselves for the final book of the series.

Kudos to Kagawa for filling in the gaps and making us all want to live in Nevernever!

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Review - Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy 5) by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

My Review:

The Rose that we love has gone! We're left with a whinging girl who thinks that if she mouths off and pushes her weight around then she'll get answers. Bearing in mind that she is only eighteen and only the 'would-be' guardian for the last Dragomir descendent (nothings definite) I think she's got a little too big for her boots. Gone is the growing up phase where we hoped we would see a little more calm and rationality but I guess this is where love really hurts and affects us in different ways.

To begin with she persuades Lissa to help in getting Victor Dashkov out of prison. The very man who used Lissa in the first book for his own means and gains. Why would anyone who had been treated so unjustly agree to anything like this?
So, Adrian gets in on the action in Vegas too but really offers very little support or help in Rose's quest. A little bit disappointing.
And then Lissa and Christian begin their own little subterfuge for Rose's sake and one we know little of until they meet Dimitri finally and return him to his former self.
At this point I can only feel sorry for Rose (who is still acting irrational) as we, the reader, fear that Dimitri's affection is being transferred bizarrely to her best friend in a strange and unusual way. Dimitri emerges from his change a broken man but refuses to have anything to do with Rose. Again, thinking about his so called honour that he constantly talks about- wouldn't it be the honourable thing to openly speak to Rose and pointedly say that he's sorry instead of getting Lissa to pass on his messages?
At the end we see the former lovers finally arriving on a level ground when yet again disaster happens, but for this time its Rose.
It's a shame that this book couldn't have been wrapped up sooner. I did feel that 'filler' was the operative word in this book and more depth should have been emphasised on Dimitri and Rose's characters. They just feel a little bit shallow and not really deserving of the second chance they have both been given. Rose has no tolerance whatsoever and Dimitri has lost all value of life but instead of feeling sorry for them as a couple I just want to bang their heads together!
If you've been reading the series then you'll still love it (as I did!) but be prepared for annoyance!