ARC Review: The Morning Star (Katerina #3) by Robin Bridges

The Morning Star (Katerina #3) by Robin Bridges 

Publishers: Random House
Published Date:  August 27th 2013
From: Publisher
My rating: 5 out of 5

A huge thank you to Nicole of Random House for
letting me review this book to give my honest opinion.

Synopsis:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890

Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, wants to be known as a doctor, not a necromancer. But Tsar Alexander III forbids women to attend medical school; his interest in Katerina extends only to her ability to raise the dead. Twice now, Katerina has helped him by using her power to thwart the forces of darkness—vampires bent on resurrecting the lich tsar Konstantin Pavlovich so that he can take what he sees as his rightful place on the throne. Katerina thought she had bound Konstantin to the Greylands, the realm of the dead, but he has found a way out. Now he is searching for the Morning Star, a sword that will allow him to command a legion of supernatural warriors.

Katerina must find the sword before Konstantin does—and she must travel to Egypt to do so. Along the way, she puts up with unwanted attention from her former fiancé, the nefarious Prince Danilo, and struggles with her feelings for her true love, George Alexandrovich. But with the looming threat from Konstantin, Katerina's focus remains on the sword. Russia's fate will be determined by whoever wields the Morning Star—and delivers the final blow.

Previous Reviews of The Katerina Trilogy

The Gathering Story (#1)

The Unfailing Light (#2)

Review:
It's such a happy and sad moment when you reach the end of such an exciting series. The Katerina Trilogy is one of my all time favourite reads and I've read the first two books many times in eagerness, quietly waiting for the third and last book. I had so many expectations of what would happen. Would George be cured of his mystery illness? Would Katiya and George finally be able to marry? What would happen with the Lich Tsar and would they be able to finally get rid of his evilness from the face of the earth to let everyone live in peace at last? And what of Danilo, evil Crown Prince that he is. His plans may have been scuppered for now but he was surely going to make a return to finish off Grand Duke George for good. Now that Katiya's secret is out what would happen when the rest of her close family knew of her secret, being a necromancer would never be a story for the relations to discuss over afternoon tea.

What I truly loved about this series was the extensive research that Robin Bridges must be commended for. Anything to do with the Imperial family of Russia intrigues me, and Robin has had me researching the true stories of the family for my own personal pleasure. It was clear from the outset after reading The Gathering Storm that this series would be exquisitely represented as the characters deserved--in their true proper, elegant, and magnificent manner.

So, if you enjoy tales of intrigue wrapped around evenings of dinners, dances, with a bit of paranormal romance and mystery, then I must urge you to pick up this series.

In the final chapter of the Trilogy we are brought into a scene with Katiya doing what she wants to do most, and that is to study medicine to become a Doctor. I really loved her ambitiousness even when faced with such close relatives who would try and talk her out of it. At one point she even contemplated breaking off her arrangement with George to further her studies and her heart broke as did mine. They're meant to be together after all!

But even in the face of danger, Katiya and George decide to forego all the family's wishes to get married in secret. Once they're married then no one can interfere with their livelihoods any longer. George agrees that he might be struck off by his father, Tsar Alexander III, but he's willing to move to Zurich to enable Katiya to study at the University.

However, the past never stays away for long and disaster happens shortly after they leave. The evil Lich Tsar is looking for the one true Morning Star which will enable him to take control of the Grigori and using the Talisman of Isis (which is permanently around Katiya's neck) he can have what he believes is rightfully his--the throne of Russia.

Once again the story becomes a battle of Light against the Dark. The two Russian courts are involved, the Order of Lazarus (the revenants), Princess Alix and her werewolves, the Montenegran Vampires, Katiya's own Mother (who is now the Striga) and the Bogatyr. If ever there was a story that included all these magical creatures to their fullest it was this one! The only thing missing was unicorns!

We're taken on a thrilling journey of capture and conquest through Ancient Egypt and meet up with new and old friends. With magic now such a huge part of George's life I was never in any doubt that he would find Katiya eventually.

The final chapter was a heart in mouth moment. And a surprising gesture saved the day. I loved how it ended with all loose ends nicely tied up, and once finished I had to read the whole book again just to enjoy it one more time.

I really hope the author can bring us more from her wonderful world she's created using the historical people and sumptuous scenery. I feel like I'm waving goodbye as I finish this review but I'm so glad I read this series. And I can't not mention the wonderful Family Tree of all the characters on Robin Bridges website!

If you like historical books especially ones to do with royalty mixed with the paranormal and things that go bump in the night then this series is a must.
-CB x

You can reach Robin Bridges here:
Web  Goodreads

Blog Tour In depth Review: My Wolf's Bane by Veronica Blade

My Wolf's Bane by Veronica Blade 

Publishers: Crush Publishing, Inc
Published Date: January 28th 2013
From: Publisher
My rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

Different species. Mortal enemies. It'll never work, but they'll die trying.Autumn Rossi thought she was a normal teenager. Suddenly, she can outrun every critter in the forest, making her wonder if she’s even human.

When the new guy at school, Zack de Luca, witnesses a questionable scene, he unfairly pins her as stuck-up. He acts like he hates her, yet he keeps bailing her out of trouble. Not only is Zack both insufferable and irresistible, he seems to sniff her anytime he gets close.

As passion flares between them, Autumn isn’t sure which is more dangerous: her psycho ex-boyfriend, or falling for Zack — who’s risking his life just by being near her.

Review:
It's been a long while since I've read a Werewolf story. You remember when these supernatural creatures became all the rage, along with vampires and suddenly everyone and their dogs were writing about them. All the story-lines drifted along becoming very samey. The thrill of the story got lost and I refused to read any more.

So when Courtney from Crush Publishing contacted me, I admit, I was hesitant. The thing that really pulled me in was the first few lines of the Goodreads synopsis:

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: As with any Veronica Blade book, this is a ROMANCE NOVEL, meaning it's romance FIRST and everything else is secondary. Rated PG-13 for sexual situations and mild profanity.

Intriguing, I thought. The one thing that stories tend to lose is the personal element of the story. Most lose their way overcompensating with graphical descriptions while balancing a convoluted love story and don't quite pull it off leaving you either frustrated or nonchalant.

So, here's the thing. My Wolf's Bane took me less than a day to read. I literally couldn't it down. The story sucked me in from the first page and I just had to continue reading, and reading, and reading. Once I reached the final few pages I had that wonderful satisfied feeling you get when you finish a great book and enjoyed it.

So the questions that followed (and there weren't many) were:-
a) Why was this any different to what I'd read before?
b) What made the story interesting enough?
c) Was there anything new and original I learned that prompted me to keep going?

Well, the answers are simple. No, The characters, and No. But surprisingly I wasn't bothered by that.

Here's the thing. The story is a school story. You know the ones where you meet all the characters, some are bitchy, some are stereotypical, there's always the nerds and dweebs vs the cool jocks/cheerleaders (although there were no jocks or cheerleaders in this one).

What interested me was, going against stereotype, the main protag isn't allowed all comforts under the sun, isn't rich, isn't given much freedom, and is basically coddled by doting parents who won't leave her alone. Some of her friends are good with this, some shun her because of this.

Anything new in the story line, anything original? Well, not really but when you're reading the story you realise that that isn't the point. The story is about a relationship, and coming of age, of love, and romance, and someone denying and suppressing their own feelings to such extreme's because they want to protect you. Pretty heavy, strong emotions ripple through this book and everyone somewhere can relate to at least one aspect that happens here.

So, lets go back to the beginning. I loved Autumn. I thought she started out as a shy girl, afraid of her exuberant best friend, worried about splitting up with her boyfriend even though he's a jerk, and allowing her parents to walk all over her.
Then she slammed into Zack (literally) and everything started to change. That and her 18th birthday is coming up, and she begins to feel different. More energized, slightly warmer, a little bit more impatient.
She's going through changes that she doesn't understand. But for some unknown reason Zack keeps getting thrown in her direction. Now she finally gets rid of the sleazeball boyfriend and has to suffer the shame afterwards of finding him with her exuberant best friend making out, AND they were at it before she dumped him.

But, and this is what held my interest, Zack doesn't seem that into Autumn. He's rude, obnoxious, a little bit callous. But on the other hand he seems to always turn up at the right time, he helps her with her car situation, and fills her flat tyre then invites her round to his Aunts house for dinner.

So then the ex boyfriend decides he's sorry and will stop at nothing to try and get Autumn back in his life because he LOVES her. Yeah, right! Yay for Zack though, he really does go out of his way to protect Autumn. I know what they are but it really was like watching two rutting reindeer. I kept wanting to shout Fight! Fight! Fight! But I braced myself and continued reading.

Curiously, there were tell tale signs along the way implying the hidden story that wasn't being told, easy to pick up on but it was honestly so much fun riding out the story, waiting to reach the confession page because the angst, anger and guilt had reached such a high with our two main characters that I thought they would spontaneously combust.

Yes, at the end there are questions that have no answers to them. Not everything is revealed in the final pages but I can wait for the next book for that!

Suffice to say that the author was dead-on with the synopsis. This is a romance book first, and its good. Really good. Bittersweet and tender in all the right places. Heartwarming at other times. It really did have you hating the right people and severely wanting to maim others (like Gina! Boy, I want to sock her in the face!)

Apparently this is the first in the series which I'm mighty glad about and I absolutely will be reading the next one.

Check it out now if you love Maggie Stiefvater, Twilight and basically anything werewolfish! Go Zack!

-CB x

Here's the book trailer!
Enjoy!

You can reach Veronica Blade here:

Web

 Goodreads

Review: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Calla has always welcomed war.
But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all.
And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

My Review:

At last, the Saga draws to a conclusion, and will they all make it out alive? Hmm, maybe not.
Some of you who've read the first two will no doubt have read reviews giving most of the plot away. Key characters kick the proverbial bucket, and the adventure closes on a suitable ending. This, for me, was much better that the Shiver series which I found a little too bland. The Nightshade series offers nastier characters, lots of history and enough paranormal oddities to shake a stick at. But lets start at the beginning...

In Wolfsbane, Book 2, we learned that Shay is the Scion. The only person who can wield the Elemental Sword and defeat the bad guy, Bosque Mar. But Shay needs the help of the Searchers, the Guardians and a rogue Keeper who may or may not be playing both sides of the field.
In this book the search for the missing parts of the cross lead the characters on an adventure around the globe, fighting the defenders of the hidden pieces. There's loss all the way through, and not necessarily in a deadly way.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. So far, all the 'series' books I've read have drawn to a thrilling conclusion but this one just seemed to lack, for want of a better word, atmosphere.

Calla as a lead role continued to flit between Ren and Shay, at an alarming rate. She's consumated her new Alpha but still leads the other on. Even at the beginning when she finds Ren to bring him over to the other side I found her motives lacked honesty. Ren was promised more than he got and I didn't like Calla for deceiving him all the way through. She constantly implied that she loved Shay, he was The one, but then flipped her decision whenever Ren was in the same room. As role models go I didn't think her Alpha moniker held up to much. She didn't seem to be able to lead any of her pack very well. Mostly they made decisions without her say so and she just went with it.

Shay, who I loved in the first book, was a little disorientating. His quirky demeanour didn't shine like I expected. As a character he was flawed and only seemed to find himself when he was in wolf mode. As a human I didn't think he held the charisma for being the chosen one, the Scion, he just came across as a very arrogant boy.

I had a lot more respect for Ren. His own flaws were redeemed countless times and his superiority was deserved as he began to be accepted into the world of the Searchers. He held more power and deserved to be Alpha once again but Calla dealt with him wrongly time and time again.

Again, the Searchers were all over this book and again they would have come across as nicer people if the characters had a little more flare rather than the bickering that we saw in Wolfsbane. Yes, they all live together and take each day as it comes and as warriors they rock, but as people I just wouldn't want to be in the same room as them for very long.

It was nice to have the pack back together, even if it was a little disjointed. Each pack member had their own role. I would have liked more of their wolf sides to come into the story more than they did.

And in the end, I couldn't get to grips with the final battle scenes. It wasn't an epic ending by any means. If I wrote down what I thought would happen before the ending, it would have appeared exactly as I'd written. There weren't that many twists and turns as promised. It all just fell away towards the end to tie up all the loose ends and let the story filter out. The epilogue was horrible. Once again, several pages of random chit-chat that could have been so much more.

Final conclusions: As a trilogy I have to say that my favourite book was Nightshade. It had spark and fire that the next two seemed to lack. The characters were all gutsy and had attitude. All was a little lost when the human side of the Paranormal world took over. I'm glad I read the trilogy to the end and didn't give up. As wolf books go it is a much better series than I'd hoped.
But in the end I can't help feeling that the it was too safe and Calla got her perfect ending without too much of a battle.
If you like love triangles and wolf-shifter stories then you'll love this series.

CBx

Book1, Nightshade Review

Book2, Wolfsbane Review

You can reach Andrea Cremer here:
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Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

Review: Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

3 out of 5

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended. Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered.

But then the Searchers make her an offer,one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack and the man she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

My Review:

I must admit, at the end of Nightshade I really didn't like Ren. I knew Calla wanted to be with Shay so it all seemed like alls fair in love and war. I'm not sure whether I liked Wolfsbane as much. For one thing there was an awful lot of info-dump. Every other page felt like someone was churning out some more history of this and that and why and when. I know most of this will be because Bloodrose is the last in the series so I stuck with it nonetheless!

At the end of Nightshade Calla made the choice to rescue Shay leaving Ren to create a diversion, giving them time to escape. However since then things have changed. The Searchers found Calla and Shay and have now promised to rescue the rest of the pack.

In Wolfsbane both these lead characters annoyed me immensely. Shay, who I wanted to like, came over as caveman Alpha whenever Calla was concerned. Whenever a discussion was being had, Shay would jump in unnecessarily to protect her. Lets remember that Calla is a seasoned wolf, a warrior and an Alpha herself. I understand that Shay is new to the idea of a wolf pack, he's known as a lone wolf, but I just wanted him to cool it a little and stop trying to defend her the whole time.

So to Calla. First she likes Shay, then she's wants Ren, then she's back to Shay, then she's thinking about Ren...the whole mental picture got exhausting. Calla is an extremely brilliant character, I loved her in Nightshade, I understand that love triangles are all the rage, and that she's a wolf underneath her own skin, but did the author have to give the impression that she was constantly on heat! For both boys! Ren features very little in this book, something I was glad for, but this isn't going to bode well for the next installment, Bloodrose.

The Searchers were an interesting concept and gave something different to the story.. They're the good guys who know their weapons and history, more than the Guardians do. I liked that they wanted to help the Guardians and was cheering as they retrieved them from the holding cells. Monroe was a true hero and a great character. The other Searchers? I liked Adne but the rest blended into the pages. The constant bickering and chit-chat got boring and annoying too. I skipped a few pages just to get to the action.

Overall, I still liked the story and must admit that this is one of the best wolf series I've read in a while. I hope Bloodrose meets my expectations now that I know the full history. All in all, its the middle book and met my middle book standards of great but not as good as the first.

Book1, Nightshade Review

You can reach Andrea Cremer here:
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Here's Andrea Cremer talking about Wolfsbane! Enjoy!

Dusty Reads #3 - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile.

~

This week:

This has been in my Dusty Reads pile forever! Mainly because of the subject of wolves. I went through a phase of reading so many werewolf books I just didn't want to pick another one up!

But I finally read it and finished it today, and I'm so pleased I did. I loved the simplified unit of wolf packs in this story. It isn't all about packs reading each others minds or snarling and growling between pack members. There is a sense of unity as the two main packs merge to become the new unique pack. The Banes and the Nightshades become the Haldis pack.

I felt a little bit sorry for Ren at times, other times I think he deserved it. Calla was a great female lead although again at times I just wanted to scream at her about the way Ren treated her. He was all over the women at the first few chapters in this book, and Calla let it go. But then he got the hump when Calla paid any attention to Shay. 

Shay was an intriging character who showed a lot of courage right up until the end. I'm still amazed that in about a ten minute timeframe he turned into a wolf for the first time and was completely unphased by it. Even changed back and forth into human fom with no trouble at all. I thought the process was supposed to hurt considering bones get longer and shorter etc.

All in all the story is amazing and well thought out. I can't wait to read Wolfsbane and Bloodrose now! 

~

You can reach Andrea Cremer here:

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Here's the Book Trailer! Enjoy!

Waiting on Wednesday (#2) by Bookworm Blogger

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Week:

Endure by Carrie Jones

So we've had Need, Captivate and Entice - one of my favourite Paranormal series so far. I loved the different and totally awesome idea of Pixies. Not the little creatures we thought they were. Oh no! These are full size, human looklike (when glamoured) Pixies. Most are bad but some turn out to be good.
Astley is one of the good ones. He's featured in Captivate and Entice.

I really hope that there's love between Zara and Astley at the end.

~

Here's the Goodreads synopsis on Endure:

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

I can't wait to read it.
Zara is the Pixie Queen now and leader of the Shifter humans,
and ordinary humans willing to put their lives on the line.
She is a true hero!

Expected publication:  May 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Join in with Waiting on Wednesday! Grab the button and follow the link!

What book are you waiting for?

So many books for 2012...

2012 is going to be sooo exciting! With so many books coming out this year plus new and exciting author debuts, we've updated our Most Wanted books page and added more.

Check it to see if we've missed any...!!

What is your 'Most Wanted' book of 2012? We'd loved to know!

Review: Captivate by Carrie Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

Review:
This book is so much better than the first! I read it in a day and would not put it down. For me, the new character of Astley absolutely blew me away. He's a new King in town, kind, sensitive with an eye always on Zara in case she gets into trouble. He understands her dilemmas in the world, that she hates killing and wants to see the best in people. He acts selflessly every time and he made me root for him from near the beginning.

Again, this is a story of Pixies, leadership, trying to solve hidden clues, getting rid of the bad guys, love for friends, family, people in need but most of all this is a story about prejudice

Zara discovers that her prejudices towards Pixies is based on ignorance. Everyone tells her that Pixies are evil, except Astley isn't. He is the exception to the rule and Zara wants to believe him because she believes that not everyone is born evil.

When one of her friends is badly injured Zara feels his loss so great that she's willing to go against all the rules to save him. She sheds her prejudices and does the unthinkable.

This is definitely a great sequel and overshadows all the shortcomings of the first. A must read!

Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

You can reach Carrie Jones here:

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View all my reviews

Review: Need by Carrie Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear

Review:
Despite thinking that the evil in this book sounded a little too stupid - yes we're talking pixies that are like faeries but not faeries, they're pixies! - I really enjoyed this book.

From the beginning, the story starts in a nice quirky way that grabs your attention. Zara is hung up about phobias, she knows most of them, and recites them to keep her sanity from going under.

The writing is fluid and pacey, there aren't that many lulls in the story where you start getting bored. We have a girl starting a new school, moving in with her grandmother and the normal YA tropes that might sound similar to other books.

But overall, I enjoyed it. Things I didn't like were small such as nearly all the characters turn out to be something fantastical. The plot is a little too predictable in places but, hey, I've just finished a book that disappointed me immensely so this was a nice boost on the enjoyment side.

 Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

You can reach Carrie Jones here:

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Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to review this book

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

My Review:
So. I had no expectations about this book. I haven't read anything by the author before so this was completely new. However the storyline intrigued me and I started reading.

The start was slow and a little vague. You actually had to read every word just to grasp what was happening and understand who Kali (our narrator) is. We find out soon that she's a hunter, a predator of preternatural beings. From this point we're thrown into a world of beasties and other mythical beings - Kali has the urge, need, thrall to kill them all. She smells blood, she 'feels' weapons and she contantly counts down the time to her next change.

Then - pow - just like that she's sat on her school bleachers next to a girl she doesn't know who turns out to be Skylar, her new friend. And Kali is a human. From here the story really starts and we meet Bethany, high school hottie and the IT girl.

Without repeating the story and writing spoilers the bizarre things start to happen for Kali, Skylar, Bethany and soon Skylars brothers all begin to become involved with the story.

The narrative is first person POV from Kali, and I liked her as a character, Skylar is a loveable character that I think we'd all like to have as a BFF and Bethany comes up trumps also by going against the grain and sticking with Kali.

As written earlier, while I found the book very difficult to put down until the very end, I DID find that a lot of the narrative (particularly ¼ in) was repetative - Kali questions who she is, where she came from, what she is etc to the point where it gets a little bit boring and self-centred. There is only so much of the constant explanations about what she can do, how she can kill, how she feels no pain (which she actually does), and about how she can't die (although again she almost does). This spoilt it as I kept wanting to shout at her to shut up - I've heard this already before, get on with it - and it dragged until we reached Beths house and met her weird mother.

I think the descriptions were good but a little under-rated, I definitely think the book could do with stronger creativity as again I was left almost feeling that Zev was a figure of her imagination and NOT an actual person (silver eyes, dark hair and sharp cheek bones is really all we know about what he looks like). I like to create a definitive image in my head of the characters and felt it was almost impossible in this story, apart from Kali herself.

I loved the storyline of Chimera and the experiments. Clearly the author has done her scientific homework. I'm not an expert on this area so everything I read was absolutely believable.
I thought the action was the highlight of the book and really held everything together. I love a strong female warrier-like character and Kali is all this.

The end was a bit of a surprise in the way that I hoped for a stronger relationship and more interaction with Zev...its almost left to the last page to discover what happens and then we're left hanging a little.

I wonder whether the author is thinking of a followup because I really felt that the story was meant for a follow on. I mean, we've all had to wait until ¾ into the book to 'get' it and now its almost over?? I want to know what happens next with Kali, Zev, Eliot and Bethany!!!!

A good read - 4 out of 5.

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Review:
The best book in the series. Now Grace is wolf and Sam waits to find her. A couple of false alarms later and they're together again. But things are different now.

When the wolves discover they're still under attack from Culpepper Grace and Sam take things into their own hands. The race is on to move the wolves. But there are consequences.

This book was full of highs and lows. At one point I nearly cried (I won't tell you which bit but its near the end). This book has more action and purpose to it than the others. Most probably the reason I liked it more. It still only gets 3 out of 5 though. I'm glad the series has ended but the ending was not a proper one. What happened to tieing up all the loose ends and an HEA? Don't be disappointed!

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Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance

Review:
This book had so much hype I had to read it. I've never read Stiefvater before so really didn't know what I was getting in to.

First off, the characters were too ordinary. Despite the fact that Sam is a wolf he's just a half-human/half-wolf. He has no flair or excitement about him. No real back story except oh yeah he happens to be a wolf. Grace is a little too dull for my liking. And the friends seem to be too stereotypical friends. The bitchy one (Isabel) then the fun one (Olivia). Grace has parents who again, stereotypically, don't particularly like the new boyfriend etc etc.

It's a really slow read, not a great storyline, too many parallels to Twilight for my liking, and random poems thrown in to make it a little bit arty.

The book did make me shiver, but not in a good way.

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