Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Gray Moon Rising

It’s been almost a year since Rylie Gresham was bitten by a werewolf on Gray Mountain. Now something is beckoning her back to the place she was attacked, along with every other werewolf in the world. But they aren’t the only ones heeding the call. A group of hunters notices them gathering and sees it as their chance to wipe out the entire species.

Seth is about to graduate high school when he learns of the final hunt. He secretly plans to save Rylie and his werewolf brother even though he has to play along with the hunters to do it. But Rylie doesn’t want to be saved. She’s already decided to solve her problems with a silver bullet if answers aren’t waiting on Gray Mountain.

One way or another, everything is about to end—whether it means Rylie’s liberation or the end of her life…

The series is over. The final book in the final series of this year’s book of the month. Wow. It’s been so long. Voting for the favorite will start in December and a page focused on the BoM will be going up soon. Next year I’ll be switching gears, and rather than promoting little-known books the theme will be “Books Gathering Dust On The Shelf”, so basically the books that you’ve had for a while and just haven’t managed to get to yet. They’ll be buzzier books and hopefully we’ll have more to talk about. I’ll also be doing it differently, reading the book throughout the whole month, and every 25% (or there-a-bouts) I’ll post a review so far. Feel free to read along and we can have all kinds of fun.

Now, onto the actual review.

The endings in these books have always been really good so I was excited to figure out what was in store for the final chapter. I was a little let down by the anticlimactic ending. The book itself was the best so far, really full of plot and action. There weren’t any really dry spots and the story is pretty strictly paranormal. Reine has certainly found how she writes best so it’s refreshing to read something so clearly defined (especially since it hasn’t gone through a traditional publisher).

There are very few new characters, and none that are worth mentioning at all. We get a larger sense of the werewolf hunter’s, or the Union, opening a whole other half of this world. I’m pretty sure she uses that half of the series for her Adult Urban Fantasy books (which I’d love to dive into… if only I had the time).

All in all, I’m giving this book a very generous rating of 4 ¾ stars. I’m sad to see the characters go, and if you are, too, there is a spin-off novella series, Cain chronicles. I don’t think I’ll continue on, it feels like a real ending to me, but I won’t discourage you!

Book Review: A Desire so Deadly

In this digital original novella set in the thrilling world of Suzanne Young’s A Need So Beautiful and A Want So Wicked, eighteen-year-old Claire Becks is forced to choose between a life of darkness and light.
Eighteen-year-old Claire Becks leads a charmed life surrounded by her loving family, great friends, and doting boyfriend, Ezra. Claire’s known for her great advice—and how easily she puts others at ease. And although she feels occasional bouts of sadness she can’t quite place, she is otherwise happy.
Then, one day, a mysterious stranger walks into her family’s bakery. Claire immediately senses something about Harlin—something tortured and dark. Even after he leaves, she can’t stop thinking about him, inexplicably feeling like there is unfinished business between them.
When Lucy, the new girl in town, starts to draw Claire into her world of darkness, Harlin realizes who Claire really is. But Claire will have to realize it too if she hopes to escape the fate of the Shadows.

This is the third and final book in the Need So Beautiful series by Suzanne Young, a series I have loved from the very beginning, and it only has nine chapters. So I’m only going to take nine sentences to review it:

I wish it were longer. The beginning takes a while to set up, but the writing is pretty flawless, so you don’t mind that the revelations were rushed. It would be hard if I didn’t remember the first two books so well (and there are gaps in my memory). The newest incarnation is nice, although we don’t get as much time to know her, and I think she’s rather gullible. But…Harlin is there, so it’s OK. The ending is certainly rushed, and not filled with any action to help butter it up, and the stakes are less than ideal. Lucy plays the role of the villain, and it just wasn’t believable. It does end up being a happy ending, which is all I was asking for, though. All in all, 3 ¾ stars.

Book Review: Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)

Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book.

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....

From the very beginning it’s nonstop action. With a slew of new and interesting characters (I loved, loved, loved Michael and Thomas was pretty awesome, too) and villains that actually make you cringe in fear this book is pretty much un-put-down-able.

Really, the pace is so fast you don’t have much time to breath, and neither does Harry, who’s put at a major disadvantage not even halfway through. His magic is zapped from him (well, a lot of it, at least) and as interesting as that it is, I feel like he’s never really been able to use the full extent of his powers in any of the novels so far. They keep saying he’s this great wizard (and while I love him) I haven’t seen much proof of this at all. The mystery is original, although a little confusing. I feel, too, that some parts are left unexplained. No major plot point, but it’s a little annoying that I didn’t feel like the story truly completed like they normally do.

Of course, being the fan girl I am, I loved this book. For those of you who weren’t fond of the first two, I feel you. This book (if you feel like you can get through another, and you should try) really makes you love the series. Butcher has finally found his niche in writing, developed characters, and now he’s just playing with them, comfortable in their skin as he writes. A wonderful book. I’m giving this one 4 ½ stars.

Music: Gypsy

Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Long Night Moon

Something is killing innocent people around Rylie Gresham's town. The police think it's a wild animal, but she has other suspicions. There are new kids at school, and they have a lot in common with her: gold eyes, super strength, and a habit of turning furry. It seems Rylie's not the only werewolf around anymore.

It's up to Rylie and her werewolf-hunting boyfriend, Seth, to stop the killings. But saving lives doesn't come naturally to a monster, and territory battles could risk the life of her sickly aunt--not to mention her own. Rylie has no choice but to stand her ground, protect her home, and stop the murderers before anyone else gets hurt.

This picks up soon after the previous one and Riley is still settling into dealing with being a wolf. Recent murders have her on high alert and when she notices the new kids, Levi and Bekah, are werewolves too she’s sure it’s them. The whole book is almost a murder mystery in that they’re searching for the killer the whole time. The twist ending threw me off for a few moments but wasn’t too unbelievable. Gwyn’s disease also plays a larger part in this one, amping up tension throughout the story and giving everyone a non-paranormal stake.
We don’t get to know Levi and Bekah too well but they do play an important role. We see more of Abel and, dare I say it?, we start to like him! Gasp! Actually, I really do like him. He’s a good guy at heart, just with a tough surface. I could get used to seeing more and more of him in the series, which I think is the point. Seth is still as adorable as ever, though, and I hope he stays with Riley. Speaking of Riley, as a narrator she has grown so much since the last book that I can barely imagine her as the same person. The writing, and the fact that it’s become very good, is what truly works the magic, here, though. Without Reine’s newly discovered talent at spinning words I don’t know if I could stomach the story.

I’m giving this one four stars.

Music: I Need Your Love (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Book Review: The Gathering

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.
 

So this one has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I read the original trilogy three years ago and while I can’t remember all the little details I remember how much I really liked it. The characters were great, the story was unique, and it was one of those story worlds that almost wish were real.

This book, the first in the spin-off/continuation trilogy, was no different. Dare I say, it was better? Maybe not in every single sense, I felt like it was flimsier and less to chow down on while I read, but it was such a nice reprieve from the heavy things that have been circulating about my shelves. 

The characters were not as in-depth as they could have been, even Maya, Daniel and Rafe, the main characters, felt like they were missing something. I’m willing to bet that’s important for the series, though. I liked all the characters, but another problem I had was that I just wasn’t connecting with any of them. Normally it doesn’t take much for me to feel like they could be my new best friend, and while I admired each of them, none of them shone out. The love triangle- can I call it that?- was fun and not as serious as some people write it, which was nice because it makes it breathable. I didn’t feel like I had to choose a side, Daniel or Rafe, and then stick with it. Personally, I think she’s going to end up with Rafe (because they never end up with the best-friend character) and I have no problem with that.

The story was very classic-YA as I call it. By that I mean that school and normal life are very important to the characters before their whole world is shifted and they are still forced to deal with normality even after the shift (i.e. Evermore by Alyson Noel; Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick) and this style has pretty much gone out of YA. I like having the change in my reading diet and while I don’t think I’ll be overdosing on books like this I can look forward to the next one in complete excitement.

Over all I’m giving the book four of five stars because it just didn’t wow me. It was predictable and mundane when so much more could have happened. I plan on getting to the next one eventually, but I’m not planning on buying it anytime soon.

Book of the Month: Sequels and three-quels: All Hallows Moon

Rylie survived becoming a werewolf at great cost. She moves to her aunt’s ranch in the hopes she can enroll in a new high school and quietly continue her life... with a few distinct changes. She transforms into a beast every new and full moon and struggles to control her murderous urges.

Without many werewolves left, it’s hard to stay in hiding. A family of hunters -- Eleanor, Abel, and Seth -- recognize the signs and follow Rylie to her new home. They want to stop her before she murders someone, and the only way to do it is with a silver bullet. Seth soon realizes the werewolf is Rylie, the one monster he failed to kill. Worse yet, he’s still in love with her.

Torn between family and love, Rylie struggles to reconcile her feelings and control the wolf within while Seth fights to do what’s right. But what is right-- obeying desire or duty?

The story takes another step in the right direction with this installment. The writing is twice as good as before and the characters really endear themselves to the reader over the novel. The ending is just as amazing as the first one and it’s hard to put down.

There are several new characters introduced, most notably Gwyn, Abel, Tate and Eleanor. Gwyn and Eleanor are pretty fully fleshed out but Tate, as handy as he is to have around, seems little more than a best-friend character the author is forcing on the readers. Not bad, but a little unnecessary. Gwyn is certainly an important addition to the story. At first she’s hard to like, but as with the general writing, over the course of the book she gets more likeable. Eleanor is an okay villain but I think there are shades of her we haven’t seen yet. Most importantly is Abel: I don’t know how I feel about him. He’s a more complex character than the other newcomers and he’s painted in an evil light, but there are parts where you can’t help but feel like he’s actually a good guy. I guess we’ll see, right?

Overall I’m giving it a 4 out of 5 stars because I think it could have been better.  

Book Review: Allegiant SPOILERS

So you've read it now.  That ending.  There are so many things I could talk about, but I'm going to talk about that ENDING.  So if you haven't read the book, don't click to continue reading.  Just don't.

Book Review: The Iron Traitor (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all

I love Julie Kagawa.  She’s one of my favorite authors in the whole entire world.  I think she’s just amazing, and her stories are so captivating.  My favorite parts?  Her endings.  They make you want to scream but you can’t help but feel satisfied with them anyways.  This one was no different.  It had everything I love about her in it.  Unfortunately, I found the beginning to be… lack luster.  I didn’t care about anything until maybe part three because, well, nothing to care about was happening.  I would say that’s because this is just a filler book, but it’s really not.  Another problem, the characters didn’t really grow as much as I would have liked.

Of course, as a fan girl it was amazing.  I loved returning to one of my favorite worlds.  As a review, though, I’m inclined to give this book only 3 and a half stars.  Nothing personal, because as a fan it gets five for sure.  The next (and final, I think) book will certainly be mind-blowing and I can not wait!

Book of the Month: Six Moon Summer

This is my final book of the month before it’ll be done for the year.  Next month there will be voting for the best one of the bunch, but more on that later.  This month I chose Six Summer Moon by SM Reine because it was short and has been sitting on my kindle for about a year now.  It’s about werewolves, one of my favorite supernatural creatures, if you didn’t know, and is the first in a series of four (although there is a spin-off novella-ish series, too).

Rylie's been bitten.

She's changing.

And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.

Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over. She'll be a monster.

The book takes place over about three months and rushes straight through those days, taking time only for the important plot points.  Little is given to background story and side characters, making a simple, linear story that is pretty flimsy if you want something to dig into.  As it was, I was hoping for a quick read and that’s exactly what I got.  The ending, though, was amazing!  I would give the ending alone five stars because of the action, romance, and just plain flash-bang excitement of it all!  This pinnacle of story telling proves that Reine really does have a gift with the pen.  This ending was so worth it that I can’t wait to start the next one.

Rylie changes as the book progresses.  She actually realizes and puts it best when she says something along the lines of “I was no longer the whiny girl at the beginning of summer”.  It’s true.  She was whiny, a little annoying, but as she goes through her six moons in the story she grows stronger, braver, and just an all around better person.  The moons aren’t the only things that have this effect on her either, nor her love of Seth, but I’m not going to spoil the shocker for you.  It actually had me gasp out loud, that’s how out of the blue it comes.  Did I mention Seth yet?  He’s pretty swoon worthy after you get to know him, although it’s pretty obvious right away that he’s not who he says he is.  That’s a flaw for pretty much all of the characters, really.  The final two chapters are told from his point of view and that was pretty awesome.  I honestly think he’s a stronger narrator than Rylie, and it looks like in the next book it’ll be split up between them.  Now, onto villains!  There’s a bad were-wolf and an evil camp counselor, Jericho.  Really pretty basic, but they’re pretty see-through and the mystery is killed pretty much from the get-go.  Trust me when I say, guessing who the bad were-wolf is isn’t hard.

Overall, I’m giving this book a 3 and a half out of five stars, and I’m looking forward to watching the series go up from here.

PS

Sorry this review was up so late things just got away from me.  NaNoWriMo, work, school, football (finally over) and reading in general have stolen all of my time.