Future Reads #6 (8/31/11)

Back in July, I read G.P. Ching's YA fantasy The Soulkeepers, and it was a very sophisticated, well-written story with wonderful characters. Now, it's time to promote the sequel to the first book The Soulkeepers series, Weaving Destiny, due out Thursday, September 15, 2011.

I also published a review of the first installment (4.5 stars), which you can read here. It's a wonderful YA read that features main characters of diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnicities, which really isn't all that commonly found in YA fiction. And, these characters live amongst the traditional Caucasian/White European descendents that populate the featured small town in Illinois, and consequently suffer from discrimination and learn to triumph over it in their own way.

Check out the series (The Soulkeepers, #1) if you're interested in an immersive read about adorable, charming characters that represent a different breed of heroes and heroines from the norm...

Weaving Destiny (The Soulkeepers, #2)

by G.P. Ching

Release Date: September 15, 2011

Amazon.com

Malini Gupta thought Jacob Lau was her destiny, that they were meant to be together. But after months of failing to decipher how she fits into the Soulkeepers, frustration threatens to tear their relationship apart. As does a new Soulkeeper named Mara who is ready to stop time itself to earn Jacob's love.

When Malini faces her worst fears and even death, she learns a funny thing about destiny; nobody said hers couldn't change. The future is a tapestry of choices, and she's about to weave hers.

Teaser Tuesday #6 (8/30/11)

"Teaser Tuedsays" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to spoil it for others.)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser 
 

"He gazed at her, standing as still as a sculpture, which made Luce feel rooted to her spot, too. She sucked in her breath. Those eyes were intense, and alluring, and, well, a little bit disarming..." 

- from Chapter 1 of Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

*****

Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even evil—history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.

Review: Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge

Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever.

by Caissie St. Onge

Genre: Paranormal/Vampire/Humor

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Source: public library

Age Rating: 13+

Amazon.com

For Jane Jones, being a vampire is nothing like you read about in books. In fact, it kind of sucks. She's not beautiful, she's not rich, and she doesn't "sparkle." She's just an average, slightly nerdy girl from an ordinary suburban family (who happens to be vampires.) Jane's from the wrong side of the tracks (not to mention stuck in the world's longest awkward phase), so she doesn't fit in with the cool vampire kids at school or with the humans kids. To top it all off, she's battling an overprotective mom, a clique of high school mean girls (the kind who really do have fangs), and the most embarrassing allergy in the history of the undead, she's blood intolerant.

So no one's more surprised than Jane when for the first time in her life, things start to heat up (as much as they can for a walking corpse, anyway) with not one, but two boys. Eli's a geeky, but cute real-live boy in her history class, and Timothy is a beautiful, brooding bloodsucker, who might just hold the key to a possible "cure" for vampirism. Facing an eternity of high school pressure, fumbling first dates, or a mere lifetime together with Timothy, what's a 90-something year-old teen vampire to do? 

My Review

How do I begin to write about how funny and clever this little novel was? I'm going to have to do my best. Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. sounded like a hilarious title, and, although not a raucous knee-slapper ever other line, it was still overall witty and full of comedic, lovable characters that shaped it into a fun, fast read. I found myself enjoying this title so much, I wanted the judge at the hearing I had to attend in support of my sister to be quiet so I could concentrate on it!

This story's true strength was its characters. Jane was sarcastic in order to deal with living life as a perpetually rejected teenager with no hope of ever growing out of her eternal awkward phase. Her mother was hysterical and overprotective, and I found myself feeling sorry for Jane for being bound to her as her child, and treated like one, forever. That is not fun, especially when you've been around for 90-some-odd years, but it was easy to laugh about it here. Even her little genius, perpetually 10-year-old brother, Zachary, was adorable while still irritating her all the time.

Astrid filled the role of the high school mean girl, but in this case, she happened to be a vampire, too, and she loved to make Jane's life miserable. She came off as more hilarious than cliché, which was a nice surprise.

But, my favorite character had to be Timothy, the old calligraphy-writing vampire who looked like a 17-year-old pin-up with a “perfect pouty pout”. At first, he just talked like any other funny guy his apparent age, but when he started talking like a centuries-old vampire who lives in a castle on a nearby hill, I started rolling on the floor. That was genius comedy, and Jane's reaction to it was hilarious:

“I unfolded the second sheet [of Timothy's letter], expecting more of Timothy's calligraphy saying something along the lines of, 'Dearest Jane, I am still awaiting your answer. Please remit forthwith. Ceaselessly, Timothy.'” - from page 164

What I wasn't expecting was a great plot that had quite a fitting ending, albeit abrupt, tying up all loose ends and making Jane out to be the deserved heroine of her own story. This was such a great book to spend a day reading. I highly recommend it to those who not only love vampire lore, but the occasional story that pokes fun at it a bit, while also making fun of the types of real life people we see everyday.

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Review: "Dark Beauty" by Taryn Browning

"Dark Beauty"

by Taryn Browning

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Vampires

Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: July 23, 2011

Source: the author for review

Age Rating: 15+ (for some profanity)

Amazon.com

For fifteen-year-old Seeker, Isabelle Crowe, ridding the Houston streets of the undead is an inherited duty, passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. During her first night without her mentor, she encounters Abram, a more experienced Seeker from Chicago looking to avenge his cousin's death. Isabelle quickly learns she must work with Abram to protect her city. With one Seeker already dead, Isabelle's love of the hunt becomes a fight to survive.

My Review

This is an unexpectedly entertaining little story. For what little there is to this very short story, there's plenty of urban fantasy-action and nefarious vampires trying to do what they do best—kill humans by feeding off their blood.

The best thing about this story is the main characters, Isabelle and Abram, who are called “Seekers,” and their job is to kill vampires before they can kill humans. Isabelle and Abram appear to be older teenagers, but apparently they're not. There's no real explanation for why they never age, and they both have to move around every four years so people don't start noticing that they look perpetually like they belong in high school.

I find both of them very charming and endearing with their abrasive interaction. Abram is a pretty-boy with a pin-up body who likes to point that out to Isabelle, but in the cutest, silliest way and always with a smile. She just rolls her eyes at him, as would anyone, but she can't help but laugh at him, too. And, she's a tough little girl who wants nothing more than to prove she doesn't need a man to help her kick some vampire-demon hybrid bootay.

The plot is very sparse, but it moves incredibly fast and I'm amazed at how well I understand the characters, despite the concise length. I'd love to see more of these two Seekers doing things together to get the friction going between them. They are super adorable when needling each other, if not outright bickering. Can't wait to read more!

I received this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Future Reads #5 (8/24/11)

I usually don't do these posts anymore, but I make exceptions every now and then when a book about to be released is just so awesome, I can't help myself...

The second book in the Vampire Empire trilogy, The Rift Walker continues the fascinating tale of Princess Adele and her alternate-history world of humans vs. vampires and all the political intrigue to go with it. She is obligated to marry an American man she does not even know, let alone love. And, to make matters worse, she already loves the masked man known as "The Greyfriar," the great and mysterious hero of the human nations.

I'm so excited to read this! The Greyfriar (see my review for it here) was excellent, and although not perfect (what book is?), it was full of amazing characters that grow and it's just a really neat story. As for the world-building: off-the-hook. Love the world the authors created and the really uber-cool creepy, beasty vampires they invented for it, too. They can float in the air! Floating vampires! That's a new one for me, and I love my inventive vampires...

The Rift Walker (Vampire Empire, #2)

by Clay and Susan Griffith

Release Date: September 6, 2011

Amazon.com

Princess Adele struggles with a life of marriage and obligation as her Equatorian Empire and their American Republic allies stand on the brink of war against the vampire clans of the north. However, the alliance's horrific strategy for total victory drives Adele to abandon her duty and embark on a desperate quest to keep her nation from staining its hands with genocide. Reunited with her great love, the mysterious adventurer known to the world as the Greyfriar, Adele is pursued by her own people as well as her vengeful husband, senator Clark. With the human alliance in disarrray, Prince Cesare, lord of the British vampire clan, seizes the initiative and strikes at the very heart of Equatoria.

As Adele labors to bring order to her world, she learns more about the strange powers she exhibited in the north. Her teacher, Mamoru, leads a secret cabal of geomancers who believe Adele is the one who can touch the vast power of the Earth that surges through ley lines and wells up at the rifts where the lines meet. These energies are the key to defeating the enemy of mankind, and if Princess Adele could ever bring this power under her command, she could be death to vampires. But such a victory will also cost the life of Adele's beloved Greyfriar.

Teaser Tuesdays #5 (8/23/11)

"Teaser Tuedsays" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to spoil it for others.)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser 

"Clary glanced at Jace, but he was blinking, clearly confused. Brother Jeremiah must have spoken only inside her head."

- from page 183 of City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) 

by Cassandra Clare

*****

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Review: The Greyfriar by Clay & Susan Griffith

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, #1)

by Clay & Susan Griffith

Genre: Paranormal/Vampires/Steampunk

Reading Grade: Adult

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: November 18, 2010

Source: Kindle store

Age Rating: 13+

Amazon.com

In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands, As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath. One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender: a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions. 

My Review

This was a story in which I was able to really come to love the characters. Despite all the political matters whirling around that made up the central plot, it still managed to be a character-driven story. Princess Adele and the Greyfriar were both given plenty of room to grow and develop into very realistic and charming characters.

I found myself being reminded of one of my favorite novel series, Trinity Blood, a Japanese light novel series in which the vampires have their own empire that goes up against the human nations. I love the set-up of that series and, although it was very different, The Greyfriar's premise was also fascinating. I won't write much about its steampunk elements, but they gave the story an old-fashioned atmosphere that was easy to envision, which was interesting given that the story was set in the year 2020.

Still, I couldn't help but have a problem with how the shifting 3rd-person POVs were handled. We'd be inside Adele's head one paragraph, and then, without warning, we'd be inside of Greyfriar's, or someone else's, in the next—all during the same scene. It was very confusing and this was a constant problem from beginning to end. Also, I didn't much care for the overuse of passive voice. I found myself rewording sentences in my head as I read them to get rid of the “to be” verb.

Despite these errors, I truly loved this story and its evolving characters, Adele and Greyfriar, as well as their relationship. Adele had to grow so much to overcome her extreme prejudices against vampires, even though they were warranted. But, her time spent with them taught her things she never knew about them, and therein, she grew in leaps and bounds. Prejudice is an ugly thing, and she was truly awful while displaying her bigotry, but when it started to crack and fade, it became a beautiful thing to witness.

The story was not particularly sensuously romantic, but the feelings were all there and I loved how it was handled. No need for groping and whispers of sweet-nothings. Adele and Greyfriar seemed to have something more substantial between the two of them, and I anxiously look forward to reading more about how they could possibly continue their sweet romance in the next volume. More, please!

P.S. The vampires in this series RULE! They can lower the density of their bodies to float in the air? How cool is that!? 

My score: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book Blogger Hop #7 (8/19/11)

"Book Blogger Hop" is a weekly social book meme hosted by

Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books

This Week's Question:

“What’s the LONGEST book you’ve ever read?”
(Note: I’m putting one caveat on this question. You aren’t allowed to say the Bible, Torah, Qur’an, or other religious/spiritual text.)

The longest book I've ever read was The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, and it happens to be my FAVORITE book! That doesn't mean I favor super long, 900-page books. Not at all. But, if the book makes me laugh so hard I cry every time I read it, no matter how many times I reread certain passages, then it's likely going to become my favorite book.

Unfortunately, it has no fantasy elements in it, so it doesn't fit in this book blog, genre-wise, but Dickens is an amazing author with the richest, most interesting characters ever created. I can only HOPE more authors, in every genre, read Dickens with a passion and get influenced by his characters.

That's mine for this week. What's yours?

Review: "Daimon" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Daimon" (Covenant, #0.5)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology

Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Source: free from the publisher's website

Age Rating: 14+

Amazon.com

For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty. According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill. The daimons have found her. 

My Review

This is a short story introduction to the first novel of the series, Half-Blood (Covenant, #1). It ends leading directly into the first chapter of the first novel, so it really doesn't end, per se. But, I think it does a good job of illustrating what the series is about and what the author has to offer. I felt the writing was good and the descriptions very emotional and realistic. I felt bad for the main character Alex when she had to go on the run all by herself. She came off convincingly traumatized by her experiences.

But, I just didn't really like her much. What few characters there were, none were particularly interesting to me. Alex seemed to me too much the cliché teenage girl who had a sarcastic thought every time something happened that she wasn't happy with. I suppose that's realistic, since she is a teenager, but it's been done too many times before. There wasn't anything new in this story that I hadn't seen done before plenty of times already.

I think a lot of readers who love stories about Greek mythology and demons, or demon-like creatures that are genuinely scary and murderous could really like this series. I simply found it not the finest cup of my tea, despite the good writing.

My score: 3 stars out of 5.

Teaser Tuesdays #4 (Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon)

"Teaser Tuedsays" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to spoil it for others.)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser

"My mom will be so disappointed after all she went through to potty train me. But once you let me live...your big mistake...now I know you think I'm too cute and fluffy to kill."

- from page 205 of Infinity (The Chronicles of Nick, #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

*****

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.
As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

Review: Black Wood by Jayde Scott

Black Wood (A Witch Rising, #1)

by Jayde Scott

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Reading Grade: Young Adult/Middle Grade

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: July 30, 2011

Source: review copy from author

Age Rating: Children+

Amazon.com

Witches, trolls, nymphs and Silverfurs are surely the figment of one’s imagination. That’s what Emily Jones used to think until she moves to Scotland shortly before her fourteenth birthday to live in her deceased grandmother’s manor. Ravencourt Manor's just as creepy as she remembers it with plenty of creaking noises, rattling doors and a hunched shadow that roams the manor’s garden at night.

In the hope to bring her separated parents back together, Emily opens a portal to Black Wood; a world of dangerous and alluring nymphs dwelling beneath the streams ready to drown her, where the sinister guardian and keeper of the Black Heart and cursed trolls are waiting, desperate to be released. And so Emily’s long and dangerous fight against the evil Muriel begins.

Will Emily learn to use her grandmother's legacy in time before the evil Muriel regains her full powers to summon and unleash her deadly servants on the world? 

My Review

I'll start by saying that I really liked the characters in this short novel. Emily might not be one of the most interesting ones, but her older brother Sam was hilarious and breathed life into the story. I liked Aurelie and her nephew, Clifford, as they were eccentric and creepy to Emily until more was discovered about who they were.

I think this story functions really well as Middle Grade reading material and not as strictly Young Adult teen fiction. Parents could allow their young children to read this without fear of profanity, sexual situations, or violence. The protagonist is a thirteen-going-on-fourteen year old girl, and I think it's perfectly appropriate for a much younger audience, provided the younger child can read at the level of a thirteen-year-old.

I did, however, wish the scene where Emily trains as a witch, learning chants and spells, had been shown rather than quickly summed up in a few sentences. I would liked to have seen a bit of the process of her learning how to be a witch. And, it is a very quick read with a thin plot that comes to a quick resolution, although it ends right when another complication begins to develop. It feels like a cliffhanger, but the main plot does have a resolution and this new development serves to set up the beginning of the next volume that furthers Emily's overarching story goal.

I'm hoping the next installment is a bit more original, but, still, I liked the surprise twist at the end where Emily quickly glimpses someone unexpected of particular interest right before she leaves the world of Black Wood and returns home. I liked this story and would recommend it to people of all ages who like the Harry Potter series, as well as other children's adventure/fantasy fiction.

I received this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Blogger Hop #6 (8/12/11)

"Book Blogger Hop" is a weekly social book blogger meme hosted by

Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books.

This week's question is:

“Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!”

My Answer:

A book I'm going to review in a few weeks has a pretty hilariously crazy title: Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge. I've already read it and spoilerly loved it! But, I won't go into details about that just yet.

Another one is my favorite Japanese manga series called Bleach. Yeah, it really has nothing to do with the detergent/cleaning agent AT ALL. Nada. Why it's called Bleach is something I know, but to tell non-fans why would be to delve too deeply into the manga artist's crazy brain and how his logic works, so I won't do that. But, it is odd, to say to the least, even though the story and characters ROCK!

Review: The Abandoned by Amanda Stevens

"The Abandoned" (Graveyard Queen, #0.5)

by Amanda Stevens

Genre: Paranormal/Ghosts/Romantic Suspense

Reading Grade: Adult (short story)

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: March 14, 2011

Source: Kindle store freebie

Age Rating: 17+

Amazon.com

When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her. 

Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....

My Review

I picked up this title because it was free (still is) and sounded like it had an interesting premise. It does, but I really couldn't get into this story very much. It's really more of the plot-driven variety, rather than the character-driven kind. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but it's just not my preference.

I found the writing to be decent quality except for some point-of-view problems here and there. I think it does a fabulous job with the mystery and the suspense aspects, so a reader looking for romantic suspense would probably like this story. I, personally, would have liked to have gotten more attached to the characters, but I couldn't, since they just weren't very interesting. They weren't bothersome, either, but were simply not characters I could get excited about.

This short story is a prequel to The Restorer, the first novel in the Graveyard Queen series, and is meant to illustrate what to expect from the subsequent novels. I was not intrigued enough by this prequel to want to read any further books in this series, but I think it is a good story for it's intended audience. So, if you love mystery, adult romance, and suspense with some ghosts furthering the plot (but, a story that is light on characterization), then you'll likely want to download this e-book.

My score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Imperium by Nicholas Olivo

Imperium (A Caulborn Novel)

by Nicholas Olivo

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Reading Grade: Adult

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: June 29, 2011

Source: e-book review copy from author

Age Rating: Teen (15+)

Amazon.com

Vincent Corinthos leads a triple life. As a secret agent, he handles paranormal threats; as a god, he protects his followers from evil forces; as a stock clerk, he keeps the back room of an antique store tidy.
 

When one of his fellow agents goes missing, Vincent begins with the usual suspects. His investigation takes him to vampire lairs, golem laboratories, and the realm of the fae. Along the way he squares off against genetically modified gremlins, virus-spawned zombies and a horseman of the Apocalypse.

But it's only when he infiltrates a private medical lab that he realizes just how big of a threat he's facing, and even being a god might not be enough of an edge... 

My Review

I received this title as a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

There are a lot of impressive things going on this story. The main character, Vincent, is a half-god and he was born with a caul, so these things give him some supernatural abilities. On top of that, he is also a god to group of people who live in another dimension, and they all have supernatural abilities that he can draw upon. Through these worshipers' faith in him, he can move things with his mind, communicate with rats and birds, and spontaneously start fires.

He honestly seems overpowered to me. I have a bit of trouble believing he has so much difficulty defeating his enemies when he has so much going for him. I suppose that's better than him easily defeating any foe, since that would be boring, but it breaks the illusion when I keep thinking that any other person in his position would just use one of his many abilities to get himself out of his predicaments.

Still, it is an interesting story with a vast array of paranormal characters, mythical gods and goddesses, and a super cute tech-savvy gremlin named Gearstripper. But, I just wasn't able to really get into this story, nor most of its characters. The plot is very confusing until you get about two-thirds of the way into it—then, it starts to make sense. It does, however, come together in the end, as all the loose and mysterious threads get tied up.

But, I feel the ending is a bit weak as it literally employs a “deus ex machina”, by which I mean an actual god-character pretty much saves the day with a simple move to end everyone's trouble for the time being. I have to admit, it sucks the energy out of the story, and it takes a long time for the plot to build up.

Overall, this is a book worth taking a chance on if you love urban fantasy that stars paranormal characters and secret agents who have to patrol them.

My score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Teaser Tuesday #3 (Black Wood by Jayde Scott)

"Teaser Tuedsays" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to spoil it for others.)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser

 

"The creature with its pig nose, yellow eyes and red skin jumped up and screeched, revealing long, yellow fangs and a pink, forked tongue. 'Shut yer mouth! I can't stand the noise!'"

- from Chapter 21 of Black Wood (A Witch Rising, #1) by Jayde Scott


*****

Witches, trolls, nymphs and Silverfurs are surely the figment of one’s imagination. That’s what Emily Jones used to think until she moves to Scotland shortly before her fourteenth birthday to live in her deceased grandmother’s manor. Ravencourt Manor's just as creepy as she remembers it with plenty of creaking noises, rattling doors and a hunched shadow that roams the manor’s garden at night. 

In the hope to bring her separated parents back together, Emily opens a portal to Black Wood; a world of dangerous and alluring nymphs dwelling beneath the streams ready to drown her, where the sinister guardian and keeper of the Black Heart and cursed trolls are waiting, desperate to be released. And so Emily’s long and dangerous fight against the evil Muriel begins. 

Will Emily learn to use her grandmother's legacy in time before the evil Muriel regains her full powers to summon and unleash her deadly servants on the world?