A Book Obsession..

It's Monday! What are you reading (68)

, 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:

I, Robot: To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert (Review)
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Review)
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Early Review)
Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh (Early Review)

While I, Robot: To Protect is more sci-fi than I typically read, I actually enjoyed it a lot. It really surprised me, and I look forward to the next installment.

Beautiful Chaos is the thirds installment in the Caster Chronicles. The ending is shocking, but the book was fantastic. This series just keeps getting better and better, which is no small feat considering how great each book is.

The Pledge while predicable was still a very entertaining read. The world behind it is quite horrifying, and I can't wait to see where things lead next.

Lord of the Abyss was the final installment in a multi-author series. I enjoyed it and was very happy to finally see the resolution of the overall series arc. I hope these authors team up again.

My Upcoming List:

Crave by Melissa Darnell
Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab
If I Die by Rachel Vincent
Tricks of the Trade by Laura Anne Gilman (Early Review)

Lord of the Abyss (Early Review)

, by KT

Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh

Royal House of Shadows #4

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.

Time is running out for the Heirs of Elden, and all four must unite to save the kingdom before it is too late. Liliana has always hated her father, the Blood Sorcerer, for all the evil he has done. So when she see that the youngest heir, Micah, will not return in the final battle, and the rest will fail as a result, she knows she must find him and help him to remember his past. Only problem is that he is now the Dark Lord at the gateway to the Abyss, an incredibly feared monster. She will have to awaken him to his past and try to shield her heart from his seductive charms, for once he knows her true identity she knows she may just lose him forever.

Micah is quite different than his siblings, which made this book have a completely different feel than the others. He was so much younger than the rest of them when the Blood Sorcerer took over, and because of a spell, he lost all his memories. However, what made things truly different was the fact that he never really grew up, his circumstances made him quite childlike in certain aspects, complete with "temper tantrums." At first this really worried me as I couldn't see how he could possibly prove to be a viable love interest based on his behavior. However, as time went on, Liliana changed him and slowly started to awaken his lost memories. He massively matured over the course of the book, but I have a feeling he will always keep somewhat of the playful side when it comes to her.

Liliana was also quite unique compared to the previous characters, in that instead of being outside the conflict, and then drawn in; she was always center to it, being the Blood Sorcerer's daughter. She carries so much guilt and self-loathing even though none of her father's deeds are in any way her fault. For her entire life, he had been trying to break her and turn her evil like him, yet she never once cracked, despite all the torture. She does however, see herself as a vile ugly creature that no one could love, which makes things quite difficult when Micah started to care for her. She has a hard time believing he could possibly want her, so that stands as quite a road block. Of course those are the types of things that make a relationship so much stronger once over come, as things easily gained are simple to take for granted.

I did have a small frustration with Lord of the Abyss as the final confrontation felt rather anti-climatic to me. After the build up of three and a half books to reach that point, I had thought things would have been a little bit more involved to reach the final outcome. To be honest, I felt more danger and threat in all the previous events than I did at the end. That being said, everything else leading up to, as well as following the final showdown were quite good, so I can't really fault the book overall. Lord of the Abyss was a good final installment to the Royal House of Shadows series, tying up everything laid in place in the previous books, as well as showing the much awaited sibling reunital. If you enjoyed the previous books, you won't want to miss this!

(Received a copy from Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Lord of the Abyss (Harlequin Nocturne)

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Challenge Categories:

The Pledge (Early Review)

, by KT

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge #1

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

Charlie has a secret that she must keep at all costs. She can understand any language, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but there is no equality in her world. The people are strictly separated into classes with a language barrier for each one. To violate the laws of language means an immediate death. She's lived her entire life on edge, and can only let go in the underground clubs where a person's class is of less importance. Her careful existence is completely shaken up when she meets the mysterious Max who speaks a completely new language to her. She instantly has an inexplicable attraction to him, but she must be very careful or her secret may just reveal itself, costing her more than she could ever have imagined.

The world behind The Pledge, while horrific, was also quite fascinating. By making languages a class separator, control over the people is quite complete, especially considering the extreme consequences of not lowering you head when a higher class speaks. We are talking public execution with the onlookers cheering at your death. In fact the fear of the queen is so great that parents will sacrifice their own children by naming them as traitors without even blinking. This harsh reality makes it extremely important for Charlie to hide her secret understanding of all the languages. I cannot imagine how difficult her life must have been growing up and trying to hide the fact that she understands everyone, no matter their class. She cannot show even the slightest hint of understanding no matter the foul things that are said about her. Her will power is remarkable, but then again she didn't have much of a choice as it was either that or death.

To be honest, I wasn't really feeling the romance too much at first in The Pledge. I wouldn't say that I didn't care for it, just that I was more indifferent than anything. I think the world and Charlie's plight had me more enthralled than the attraction to Max did. There was just too much unknown about him other than him speaking a strange language. As time went on and secrets were revealed, I started to appreciate him more, and the determination on both sides. I can't really say much, because those revelations would be pretty big spoilers, but suffice it to say, Max impressed me in the end.

The outcome of The Pledge was quite predictable, almost from the very start, but surprisingly that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book. It was just as much fun to watch everything unfold while trying to figure where everyone's loyalties lie. There also was some interesting surprises along the way that added to the overall story as well. The Pledge could have easily been a stand alone novel, but just enough was hinted at in the epilogue, to make me eager for more, but grateful for the lack of a cliffhanger. Still, I look forward to getting my hands on the next installment in this trilogy. The Pledge was a pretty impressive read set in a haunting world that you won't want to miss.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
The Pledge

Other Reviews:

Challenge Categories:

Beautiful Chaos

, by KT

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Caster Chronicles #3

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Strange things have been happening in Gatlin since Ethan met Lena, but he still wouldn't change any of it as long as he has her at his side. Of course that just might change as it now seems like the apocalypse is upon them with sweltering heat waves, killer storms, and swarms of insects are ravaging the little town. It would seem the caster's problems are now slipping into the mortal world as the consequences of Lena's claiming come to light. Things are really broken this time, and it will take a momentous sacrifice to set things right. Meanwhile, Ethan is dealing with his own mess as he has haunting dreams centered around himself this time rather than Lena, and with each one he loses a little more of himself. With no happy end in sight, there is little time left to set things right or everything will come crumbling down in the end.

The description of there being no happy ending this time really scared me at first, but to be honest I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop for some time now. All of the events from the previous books were bound to have serious consequences, as there were some majorly game changing events. I knew at some point things would finally catch up to them, but to be honest I never would have seen this coming. Of course the story centers around a new song, this time around being Eighteen Moons, and each verse is its own prediction of things to come. However, unlike the previous songs, this one only points to doom rather than any chance at a happy solution.

My favorite thing about this series has been the characters, and that still holds true now. Their emotions are so real be they happiness or suffering. Even though this installment mostly consisted of the darker side of things, there were moments of levity to help balance things out, mostly coming from Linkubus. Even though most of the focus was on Ethan, and by association, Lena; Link and Ridley's troubled paths were front and center as well. Link is still trying to come to terms with his transformation as well as his love for the very troubled Ridley. Ridley is also going though a lot as she's supposed to be mortal now, but some pretty mysterious things have been happening around her. To be honest, she comes off as more selfish than anything to me, but again, the emotions are so real, that a part of me will still feel for her. I just wish she would stop messing with Link's mind, as he has enough to deal with on his own.

Several times throughout reading Beautiful Chaos I literally had to put the book down and walk away for a little while. The tension was so high that I found myself rushing through reading it just to find out what happens next that I wasn't fully appreciating it. Each installment in this series is even better than the last (an amazing feat considering just how good these books are), and truly deserve to be savored. I had to take periodic breathers to calm myself down enough to be able to read without rushing. Even so, I still devoured the book in less than a day. I'm sure I'll be re-reading it sometime in the near future to see everything I missed in my haste. Beautiful Chaos truly lives up to its name sake as it is a beautifully written book that is full of chaos and utterly raw emotion that will leave you reeling in the end and desperate for the next installment.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Buy now from Amazon:
Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures, Book 3)

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Challenge Categories:

Waiting on Wednesday (67)

, 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:

Lightbringer

by K.D. McEntire

Publication Date: November 15th, 2011

Amazon Pre-Order: Lightbringer

The Never is a place of greys, a world a breath beyond our own, layered just past the memories of yesterday and the fleeting present moment. It is here, in this dismal limbo, that ghosts such as Piotr, Lily, and Elle must sort out an existence, both protecting the children called Lost and themselves from the walking darkness that is the army of rotting Walkers.

Caught between her duty to her calling as the Lightbringer and her concern for her new ghostly friends, Wendy must walk the line between the two worlds, aiding Piotr in his fight against the Walkers as well as searching out the wandering soul of the one who means the most to her. Time, however, is running out and in the end... who will she choose?

November R.A.K.

, by KT

I love this! ;)

I received Sweet Venom from Amanda at Letters Inside Out

I also received Desires of the Dead from Jenn at Waiting on Sunday to Drown

I Sent:

The Ghost and the Goth to Gabbit at Book Breather

And now for November:

Here are the rules:

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules! Thank you!

Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post. This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

Sign up for November [HERE]
See who else is participating [HERE]
If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com Good luck to all the giveaway participants and thanks for joining and passing on the kindness!

You guys ROCK!!

Here is my wishlist :)

Now I'm off to finds some wonderful bloggers to spoil ;)

I, Robot: To Protect (ARC Review)

, by KT

I, Robot: To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert

I, Robot Prequel Trilogy #1

First in an all-new trilogy inspired by Isaac Asimov's legendary science fiction collection I, Robot.

2035: Susan Calvin is beginning her residency at a Manhattan teaching hospital, where a select group of patients is receiving the latest in diagnostic advancements: tiny nanobots, injected into the spinal fluid, that can unlock and map the human mind.

Soon, Susan begins to notice an ominous chain of events surrounding the patients. When she tries to alert her superiors, she is ignored by those who want to keep the project far from any scrutiny for the sake of their own agenda. But what no one knows is that the very technology to which they have given life is now under the control of those who seek to spread only death...

Dr. Susan Calvin has just graduated from medical school and is starting her residency. Her skills quickly get noticed and she gets selected to help out a pair of researchers with some ground breaking diagnostic technology. Microscopic robots are injected into the spinal column of mentally ill paitents to try and find a cause for their diseases. However, things take a turn for the worse when strange things start happening with the patients. Of course the researchers want everything to be hush hush, but when innocent lives are on the line, Susan is torn over what to do. She'll have to step up quickly or the cost may just be more than she ever could have imagined.

Prior to reading, I, Robot: To Protect, my knowledge of the world behind the story was limited to what I remembered from the movie. I realize that most movies are not completely accurate to the original books they are based on (some don't even come close). However, putting that aside, I definitely had some assumptions about Susan Calvin's characte based on what I saw in the movie. I had expected her to be aloof and somewhat secluded in nature, but this book paints a much different picture. Perhaps that is because this is a prequel and she hasn't been hardened yetby whatever is coming to face her. Granted, the woman is incredibly smart, and that can put some people off as her thinking process is just a little different than most.

The most interesting thing about I, Robot: To Protect, is that it is every bit as much a medical story as it is Sci-fi. You can really tell the author has a medical background as the diagnosises and hospital settings seem very realistic. However, don't let this put you off as everything is presented very well, without once becoming overwhelming from too much medical jargan. To be honest it kind of puts me in mind of the process of elimination for a diagnosis, seen on the TV show, House MD without the crazy head doctor.

As a teenager I loved anything Sci-fi, especially books, but as time went on I moved on to different genres. (Though I will admit to still watching a few good Sci-fi movies here and there.) I, Robot: To Protect was the perfect segway back into my original reading choices as things weren't too far stretched from our own world. While the genre may not be my first pick anymore, books like this will always hold a special place to me. I'm going to recommend this to anyone who likes a book with a good process of deduction, and a very believable world, even if it is a fantasy. I know I will be eagerly anticipating the next installment of this trilogy, as I cannot wait to see what happens next.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Buy a copy from Amazon:
I, Robot: To Protect

Challenge Categories:

It's Monday! What are you reading (67)

, by KT

Bite Club by Rachel Caine (Review)
Last Breath by Rachel Caine (Early Review)
Death Magic by Eileen Wilks (Early Review)
Magic on the Line by Devon Monk (Early Review)

I love the Morganville Vampires, and I have to say that Last Breath was incredible, probably the best installment yet. (I had some issues with Bite Club, but that is all forgotten now.)

Death Magic by Eileen Wilks just didn't live up to the previous books in the series. I'm still holding out hope for the future, because the series is really great.

Finally, Magic on the Line was a really great read. The series is winding down, and I'm really going to miss these great characters.

My Upcoming List:

I, Robot: To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Early Review)
Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh (Early Review)

Magic on the Line (Early Review)

, by KT

Magic on the Line by Devon Monk

Allie Beckstrom #7

Allison Beckstrom has willingly paid the price of pain to use magic, and has obeyed the rules of the Authority, the clandestine organization that makes-and enforces-all magic policy. But when the Authority's new boss, Bartholomew Wray, refuses to believe that the sudden rash of deaths in Portland might be caused by magic, Allie must choose to follow the Authority's rules, or turn against the very people for whom she's risked her life.

To stop the plague of dark magic spreading through the city, all that she values will be on the line: her magic, her memories, her life. Now, as dead magic users rise to feed upon the innocent and the people closest to her begin to fall, Allie is about to run out of options.

Allie has played the good little soldier as best she could despite not ever really knowing who to trust in the all controlling Authority. She and a few others have formed a tight bond that has proven unbreakable in the past. However, if the new leader of the Authority has his way, they all will be mindless and incapable of using any magic. So, it comes really at no surprise when he simply ignores the plague of magical deaths sweeping across the city. She, and those closest to her will have to lay everything on the line to try and protect the innocent people of the city, because no one else will.

I should have known things wouldn't be any easier even though Allie and the gang now know who was behind all the chaos in the past. In Magic on the Line there is a serious case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. The new leader of the Authority doesn't believe a word they say and is determined to clean up their "mess". Never mind that none of it was their fault, they are just in his way, as he proves when he removes them all one by one in exchange for his own flunkies. The joke is on him however, as I just don't see him lasting long in direct opposition to Allie and her friends. Of course she'll play nice at first, but it won't take long for her to snap, and she's proven time and time again that you really don't want to mess with her. So, while there wasn't a whole lot of butt kicking action in Magic on the Line, I have a feeling Allie will more than make up for that as her frustrations boil over, and the reader will just be along for the ride in the next book.

Magic on the Line opened up a whole new depth to the world behind the series. Prior to this point, I, like Allie, had thought the Authority was a small organization with only a few select members in any given city. Boy, how wrong were we both! Sufice it to say that it is much, much larger, with reaches that are quite staggering. Typically, by this point in a series, you wouldn't expect such a surprise based on the world end of things. By throwing this game changer in there, and pulling it off well, Devon Monk proves yet again just how talented of an author she really is.

Magic on the line is the seventh installment in a nine book series, so things are on their final stretch now. I'm going to be really sad to say goodbye, but I'll be honest that I am also incredibly eager to get my hands on the next two installments. Things really ended in a major mess at the end of this book, and I can only imagine the wild ride that must be in store to try and set things right. The implications of where things are heading have the potential to impact an incredible amount. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how much longer the Authority will be able to stay hidden in secret. I'm very excited about this possibility because nothing could make Allie (or me) happier than to see them crumble. I guess we will just have to wait and see. *crosses fingers* So, all in all, Magic on the Line was a fantastic read that will grab you from the very start and not let go, making it yet another installment that proves this fantastic series won't be losing steam before its time.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Magic on the Line: An Allie Beckstrom Novel

Other Reviews:

Previous Books:

Challenge Categories:

Death Magic (Early Review)

, by KT

Death Magic by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #8

DEATH MAGIC opens with Special Agent Lily Yu in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé--lupi prince Rule Turner—to testify before a Senate subcommittee about her role in the magical collapse of a mountain last month. She is not there to tell them about the strange legacy she carries from that event—or about the arcane bond between her and Rule--or what her boss in Unit Twleve of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division is really up to. She sure won’t tell them that the lupi are at war with an Old One who wants to remake humanity in her own image.

Lily is managing the conflict between her duty as an officer of the law and the need for secrecy pretty well . . . until the rabidly anti-magic senator who chairs that committee is murdered. The line between right and wrong, always so clear to her, becomes hopelessly blurred as events catapult them all towards disaster, and prophecies of a cataclysmic end to the country she loves and serves--and to the entire race of lupi--seem well on their way to being fulfilled.

Lily has been able to walk the fine line between her duty as a cop and to her lupi obligations pretty well for the most part. Until now. After a zealot senator is murdered, and her boss becomes the prime suspect, she's no longer able to see things as black and white. Her eyes are opened up to all the many shades of gray, and all the trouble that comes from that. No longer can she easily choose right from wrong as everything she has ever known is now in question. She has some hard decisions ahead that she must make quickly as much more than she realizes relies on her decision, as the fate of the world is truly in the balance.

Death Magic didn't quite live up to the previous installments. Don't get me wrong, it was still quite enjoyable, but not to the extent the past few books have been. Things really seemed to drag, especially in the middle, to the point where I kept getting easily distracted by other things rather than being completely engrossed. To be honest I'm not really sure why Death Magic couldn't hold my attention. Perhaps it was because, while the danger was there it was only in an abstract sense. There was talk of a prediction of a cataclysmic event in the near future that would crumble the government and end in militant control. So while everyone was scrambling to prevent this from happening, there never was a clear sense of what they had to do to prevent it. This just didn't make the danger feel real enough, so I just wasn't able to become fully vested in their endeavors this time around.

In the past the books in this series have been every bit as much about romance between the different couples as it was the overall plot and series arc. However, in Death Magic there was hardly any focus on romance at, which I really missed. Yes, Lily and Rule were front and center this time around, but the attention really wasn't on them as a couple, but more on everything else. Perhaps it isn't even the romance per se that I was missing, but the emotion that comes with it. Rule and Lily are both characters that keep themselves very closed off, except with each other. So by not having them really interacting a lot in private, we missed out on a good deal of emotion, which could be another reason I felt so detached this time around. That being said, there was one emotion that came across plain and clear from Rule, anger. For a good portion of this book I had thought he would spontaneously combust, but at least he was able to learn something from that anger in the end, making for some very good character growth.

While I cannot say that Death Magic was my favorite installment of the series, I'm still glad I read it. Several pressing issues from previous books have been dealt with, as well as countless more developments for the future. The war is only going to get uglier from here with losses on both sides. Here's hoping it will be the other side that gets hit worst in the end. I'll be looking forward to the next book to see where things are heading.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating: