A Book Obsession..

Review: Afterlight by Elle Jasper

, by KT

Afterlight by Elle Jasper

The Dark Ink Chronicles #1

Savannah's most unconventional tattoo artist, Riley Poe, lives on the edge. Now she's put over the edge when her younger brother is taken by a sinister cult led by vampires. Her only ally is the hot-tempered vampire Eli Dupre, attracted to Riley's beauty and rare blood type. To save her brother from certain un-death, Riley faces dangers she's never dreamed of, ruthless bloodthirsty enemies, and an evil of endless hunger that wants to devour it all...

Riley Poe, a former junkie, cleaned up her act when her mother was murdered and Riley was left to raise her little brother, Seth. They lived a pretty normal life together until Seth got himself mixed up in some pretty major trouble. In the mess that follows, Riley's eyes get opened up to a whole world she never knew existed as well as some pretty shocking family secrets. She gets saddled with a sexy hunk of a protector. With the help of her protector and his family, it's up to Riley to rescue her brother before it's too late and he becomes lost to her forever.

Riley is a really awesome character. She is a tough as nails, no nonsense type of girl. I admire her strength and resolve to keep her life clean to raise her little brother. When he gets into trouble she never once hesitates to do what is necessary to save him, even when it means she has to return the life she left in the past. She also is very loyal to another great character, Nyx, her business partner. Nyx is a bubbly and fun character. She balanced out Riley's toughness with her own bouncing personality.

The attraction between Riley and her protector, Eli, is so incredibly strong. While they both spend a good portion of the book trying to deny it as he could be potentially lethal to her, it was obvious that it would only be a matter of time before they cracked. Be prepared for some pretty steamy scenes between the two. I think as the series goes on their relationship will really deepen, and his fierce protectiveness will only get even stronger. The progression in their relationship seemed realistic and I loved how neither of them could really resist the other at all. I hate a relationship where one character feels much stronger than the other, but that definitely wasn't the case in this book.

This book was a really great start to the series. I really love all of the characters, and the ending only promised so much more to come. All of the characters were really interesting and the plot flowed pretty well. The cover is absolutely stunning and I am really glad the story lived up to my expectations. I eagerly anticipate the next installment and more of Riley and Eli.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Afterlight: The Dark Ink Chronicles

It's Monday! What are you reading (21)

, by KT

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Here's what I read this past week:

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6)

Night's Cold Kiss: A Dark Brethren Novel

Death's Sweet Embrace: A Dark Brethren Novel

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (Review to come closer to the release date)
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Review)
Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara (Review)
Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara (Review to come closer to the release date)

This was an absolutely awesome week. On Monday my approval came in for my request for Pale Demon by Kim Harrison on Netgalley. I jumped up and down like a crazy fan girl. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that series, and to get to read the next one early was amazing. I absolutely loved it. I'm already salivating for the next book even though this one won't even be released for another two months. Then on Tuesday I got my copy of Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. This is another book that I was really anticipating and while endings are always bittersweet, I really enjoyed the book. I'm happy with the way things ended, but I'm really glad the goodbye wasn't final as there is a spin off series coming next year. On Wednesday my Mom and I went out to Richelle's signing in the Philly area. This actually was the second time I've gotten to talk to her, and she is always so nice. I did have one burning question to ask about the ending and she was happy to answer me. My mom hadn't read the book, so she held her ears while I asked so nothing would get spoiled. It was really funny. Below is a picture of me and Richelle.

My upcoming list:

Afterlight by Elle Jasper
Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman
Pack of Lies by Laura Anne Gilman

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (20)

, by KT

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Do you have an under-noticed author that you think we should all know about?

The author that jumps out the most for me in answer to this question is Karen Chance. I LOVE her books, but I never really hear anyone else talking about them. She has two series, but they are both based on the same world and characters. Cassandra is a clairvoyant and Dorina is a Dhampire. These books are definitely worth checking out. I would however recommend reading Cassandra's books first as they are a better foundation to the world Karen Chance has built.
The order of books is:

Cassandra Palmer Series:

Touch the Dark

Claimed by Shadow

Embrace the Night

Curse the Dawn

Dorina Basarab Series:

Midnight's Daughter

Death's Mistress

Review: Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

, by KT

Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

Dark Brethren #1

The tension between the Aeternus, an ancient vampiric people, and humanity has been mounting for over a century. But when rogue vampires begin to drain humans in order to achieve an illegal blood-high, all bets are off.

After the death of her parents, Antoinette Petrescu devoted her life to becoming one of the top Venators, the elite hunters who destroy the rogue Necrodreniacs. Her kill count is legendary and her skills superb.

But now the serial killer who killed her parents has returned. And to stop him Antoinette must join forces not only with the Aeternus, but also their most legendary killer. One that is both dangerously attractive, and involved in buried secrets of her past. More dangerous still, a dark attraction grows between them--one that could doom both races.

Danger very similar to a dark time know as the "troubles" is brewing. Much to her dismay, rouge vampire hunter Antoinette teams up with the Aeternus Christian to try and solve a string of murders. Despite her utter hatred of everything vampiric and his determination to never let another human sway him, the two of them quickly find a strong attraction to the other. The odds are stacked against them and with the fragile truce between the races in the balance, the two must come to terms with each other if they are to have any hope of finding the killer before it's too late.

This book was slightly frustrating to me to read. It almost felt like Antoinette had a complete personality change halfway through the book. In the beginning she is everything anti-vampiric. She is one of the absolute best at what she does, killing rouge vampires or Necrodreniacs. She even hates the so called "good" vampires, the Aeternus. When Christian comes along she is rude and downright hateful to him. Of course there was an attraction there almost from the start, but then all of a sudden about halfway through the book it's as if she just turns into this puddle of goo for him. It's like her toughness just flies right out the window. And for what? Considering the fact that she behaves like it's just sex and nothing more, this baffled me. You just don't change your entire outlook on life based on some good sex, and while I'm sure there actually was some real love starting to brew I found it frustrating that it really wasn't shown.

The premise behind this book is really detailed. There is a lot of world building, but it isn't confusing and I didn't feel overly bogged down with too much information. There are plenty of characters to build upon in this series and all of the unique terminology is fascinating. I enjoy books that aren't very predictable and apart from the romance, this one wasn't at all. There were plenty of curve balls thrown in, and the identity of the character behind the problems came at quite a shock.

Putting the drastic changes in Anoinette's behavior aside, the book was pretty good. As I said before, the premise of the book and all of the different characters and races are really interesting. I think there is great potential to this series, as there is so much to explore. Based on the ending of this book I feel that the dangers have only begun and future books should prove to have plenty of danger and adventure. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I feel it's a sound starting place to a series with a lot of promise.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Night's Cold Kiss: A Dark Brethren Novel

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

, by KT

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

My Soul to Steal - Soul Screamers #4

by Rachel Vincent

Publication Date: January 1st, 2011

Amazon Pre-Order: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers, Book 4)

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

Review: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

, by KT

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy #6

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.

In the past Rose has overcome every obstacle in her path, no matter the odds, but now she may just be facing the one thing that could bring her down. Permanently. She's to be tried for the Queen's murder, an almost guaranteed death sentence despite her innocence. Fighting for her life isn't her only challenge, she also must carry out the Queen's last mission. Rose must find Lissa's illegitimate sibling to ensure her vote before it's too late. In the end it will take every last one of her allies working together for any hope at survival, let alone a happy resolution.

Rose makes the choice between the two men in her life. I can honestly say that I was almost equally rooting for both of them. They both were good for her in their own way, but her choice really seemed to be the right one for her once all of her reasons were laid out. I felt really bad for the one that she didn't choose, but as soon as she made her choice it was really apparent why it wouldn't have worked with him in the long run. I'm hoping in the spin-off series he just might get a slice of happiness, he deserves it.

While it is bittersweet to say goodbye to Rose, I'm really glad she finally got her slice of happiness. I feel it ended well and my only possible complaint would be for the happily ever after to have been more thoroughly fleshed out. Don't get me wrong, the major plotlines are all tied up, but I couldn't help but feel I was missing something, as if there just needed to be a little more concreteness in the resolution. However, when I really think about it, the ending works as is because it fits Rose perfectly. She is always flying by the seat of her pants, and a completely planned out future just wouldn't work for her at all.

This book is one that you will definitely want to set a large block aside to read, as it will suck you right in. As I was reading it I didn't realize how absorbed I was until I looked at the clock and realized hours had passed. All of the characters have grown so much over the books, especially Rose and Lissa. In this book they really seemed to come into their own, and shine. Some of the ending events were a surprise, but I think everything worked out the way it should in the long run. At least the good-bye isn't really final as I'm sure some of my favorite characters will have a least small parts in the upcoming spin off series. All in all it was a very good book that I really enjoyed and highly recommend.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6)

Squee!!

, by KT

I just had to pop in for a quick post. I just finished my advanced galley of Pale Demon by Kim Harrison thanks to Netgalley. The book was absolutely amazing! You will definitely not want to miss this one! Now I just have to wait over a year for the next one >< I'm off to write my review, which will be posted approx 3-4 weeks prior to the release. :)

It's Monday! What are you reading (20)

, by KT

A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows, Book 4)

For a Few Demons More (The Hollows, Book 5)

The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6)

White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7)

A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison (Re-read)
For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison (Re-read)
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (Re-read)
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (Re-read)
Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (Re-read)

I finished up my re-read of the Hollows series. I love those books!

My upcoming list:

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara
Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara

I think I'm finally out of my funk thanks to re-reading Kim Harrison's books, which is really good considering Last Sacrifice comes out on Tuesday and I have been so waiting for it for a very long time. I think this book and Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning are probably the two top books that I have had the most anticipation and impatience for. Of course I am always eager to read new releases from my favorite authors, but these two are both the ending books in their series and both ended their previous book on major cliffhangers. On Wednesday, my mom and I are traveling the 3 hours to the Philly area to Richelle Mead's signing event. I cannot wait! As far as the rest of the week's reading goes it looks like I'll be trying a new author. I received Death's Sweet Embrace from Netgalley, so of course I have to read the first one in the series before I can the second.

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (19)

, by KT

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Follow Fridays is hosted by Parajunkee's View, and is just Fridays.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books, and runs Friday to Monday. There are new rules for the hop, so make sure to check out Crazy for Books for the details.

This week's question from Crazy for Books:

What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere did you NOT enjoy and how did you feel about posting your review?

Hmm, that is a really tough question, as I cannot think of any books that would apply. I don't typically read overly hyped books, unless it is from an author that I already love. I guess this idea could be applied to the Hunger Games trilogy. I was extremely hesitant to read and review it as I felt the blogosphere was completely bogged down with stuff about it. Well, then I read the books, and I LOVED them. So, even though I think everything was so saturated with stuff about those books, I had to add my own two cents as well.

As far as negative reviews, I don't write them, plain and simple. I'm honest in my reviews, but if I can't honestly give a book at least a 3/5 rating, I won't write a review. My reasoning is that I would never want to cost an author a potential sale, because everyone has different tastes. Just because I didn't like a book doesn't mean someone else wouldn't, and my negative review could potentially discourage someone from buying a book. I just don't think that is fair, so as I've said before, you will only see books that I can honestly rate positively on this blog.

This week's question from Parajunkee:

What do you do besides reading / reviewing as a hobby??

Ha! Between being a wife, and a mother to two toddlers, and finishing my degree, I have no time. Reading and this blog takes up all of the non-existent spare time that I have. I haven't been able to read/review near as much as a I would like in the past few weeks as it is finals time. However, hopefully things will ease up in the next few weeks. Translation: I'm a dreamer ;)

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

, by KT

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Unearthly

by Cynthia Hand

Publication Date: January 4th, 2011

Amazon Pre-Order: Unearthly

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.