Book Review: Existence by Abbi Glines

Existence (Existence Trilogy, #1)

by Abbi Glines 

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: December 13, 2011

Source: borrowed ebook through Lendle

Age Rating: 15+

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Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen-year-old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules. 

 

I'm getting back to my old way of reviewing, which is just the normal way everyone else does it. I feel I can be more thorough this way, if need be....

My Review

This story is about a girl named Pagan Moore who for some unknown reason (which never gets revealed) can see dead people—the spirits of those who have parted and still linger in this world. One day, she sees one who actually talks to her, which has never happened before, and he's this really good-looking, smarmy guy (of course). She falls in love with him and he isn't even supposed to fall in love with any humans, ever, but he does anyway. She can't figure out for most of the book who or what he is, although every reader knows already because we read the synopsis, which states he is Death! Anyway, clueless as she is, she has to be told that he is Death by another character in the story.

Okay, I can honestly say I didn't find Pagan all that interesting or all that speshful a snowflake as she is meant to be. To her friends and family, she is as well as to Death, aka, “Dank.” Why his name is Dank is never explained. Dank is a bit more fun, but only when he's being smart-alecky, not when inexplicably swooning over a dumb teenage girl. That's what I kept asking myself the entire time, why does he care about her so much? He's never loved anyone before at all, but happens to fall for random-girl Pagan? Well, she's not completely random—she is apparently, special in some way, but it doesn't specify how other than that she's very self-sacrificing. And, no other woman in history ever was? Surely, Death has come across a self-sacrificing woman somewhere in the past.

Still, it doesn't justify her specialness and I got annoyed because that's not an answer to my question. Away from these two unspectacular characters, I think Leif is the most interesting. Pagan ends up putting herself in a position to lie to him day after ceaseless day, but why? Why do that to the poor guy? There's no good excuse presented and it looks more like her own cowardice that she's unwilling to face.

Holy cliffhangers! This one has a doozie and I'm going to have to read the next book just for that. It involves Leif, the best character, even though he's hardly all that great. I somehow managed to like this book for some reason, even though it really isn't amazing. I just didn't relate to the characters at all because I was never like any of them during my high school years. I usually feel this way when I read YA about high-schoolers. But, the story does have some good plot twists and it's a really short read. I borrowed it through Lendle, saving me about $5, so I'm not going to complain that much.

My score: 3.5/5 stars.

 

Book Review: Girl Steals Guy by Kelly Green

Girl Steals Guy (Borrowing Abby Grace, #2) 

by Kelly Green 

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy (Novella)

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: October 21, 2011

Source: Amazon Kindle store

Age Rating: 14+

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Dropped into the life of a gorgeous senior with a heartbroken best friend, Abby Grace must navigate high school keg parties, football games and power couples as she discovers that love and revenge are sometimes the same thing. 

 

My Review

• Plot: This story is another adventure for Shadow Abby Grace to tackle as she finds another borrower, Michelle, a beautiful teen girl with a best friend brokenhearted over her boyfriend who suddenly dumped her for a more attractive girl. It's up to Abby, who is starting to remember a little of who she really is, or was, to set things straight and reunite the two lovers.
• Characters: Abby gets a hint at what she's supposed to do from Will, her helper guy, and it's to reunite the two lovers. This means something along the lines of getting Michelle's best friend, Heather and her ex-boyfriend, Sam, back together again. I think in so little space, the new characters for this episode can't be judged properly. But, seeing more of Abby and Will does reveal more character development for them. They even seem to be liking each other, despite the fact that Abby always pretends to be someone else, and has to pretend to like someone else. It would seem confusing, but it doesn't come off that way.
• Writing: The writing is better in this episode compared to the first one, The Shadow. It seemed more efficient and descriptive, especially of Abby Grace herself, the real Abby Grace whose face can be seen only by herself whenever she looks into a mirror.
• Story: I like the story pretty well because, like the first installment, it is a mystery that Abby needed to solve in a short period of time, and it took on a lot of unexpected twists and turns. With this one, I was always guessing the outcome along the way, but it turned out not quite like how I figured would. It's pretty fun reading.
• Overall Quality: Good quality—I liked it, although not as much as the first novella. People who love mysteries and Nancy Drew-like stories would really like this contemporary series.
• Favorite Scene/Moment: The scene where Abby(Michelle) chatted with Sam, the best friend's ex-boyfriend, and ate pizza with him on the beach. He had come to her rescue when her own boyfriend had stranded her there because she wouldn't put-out. I like that Sam turned out to be a dear old friend of Michelle's that she hadn't talked to in years because Michelle had changed during her relationship with her awful boyfriend.
• My Score: 3.5/5 stars.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Book Review: Wings of Arian by Devri Walls

Wings of Arian (The Solus, #1)

by Devri Walls 

Genre: Fantasy

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: April 24, 2012

Source: review copy from author

Age Rating: 14+

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Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions. 

 

I will be a host next week for Devri Walls' Wings of Arian Book Blog Tour, so come back later to read my interview with her about her book and having self-esteem...

My Review

• Plot: Kiora is a young girl born into a completely innocent existence, free of any evil. Neither she nor any of her people have ever encountered evil until Aleric, an adviser to the King of Meros, claims the Prophecy is about to come to pass and evil will be reintroduced into their land. They need a being of magic to protect them called the Solus and the Solus is the unwitting Kiora. She must train in magic—something none of her people ever knew existed before—in order to prepare to fight the evil Dralazar from taking over Meros.
• Characters: Kiora is just a pure innocent and she's very relatable. She may be the heroine of the story, but she lives with doubt on a daily basis. She's not sure she's good enough to be the Solus and is afraid of failure. Prince Emane is her Protector, called to be by her side at all times, although he is the first Protector to be non-magical. His self-esteem, too, is put to the test as he tries to protect Kiora from the nearly constant threat of harm to her, even though he has very little ability to succeed at doing so. I like that they struggle so much like real people do. They have their own natural talents, but that doesn't stop them from struggling to believe in themselves.
• Story: I liked the story, although it spends a lot of time showing Kiora and Emane's training, which is less than exciting. It makes up for it with a lot of character development and the development of their relationship. Thankfully, they don't suffer from the 'insta-love' trope because they take the entire book to fall truly “in love” with each other. Even being physically close doesn't qualify as love, which is good. It feels more real-world to me that way. Not everybody declares their undying love for you right before or after they kiss you for the first time. Or, even after many times. In fact, when does it ever happen like that in real life? The story starts to really get cooking by the end, before the climax and throughout the climactic battle scene, which is extremely well done. Definitely the best part. Instead of being small and squirmy, it's grand and epic. Real fighting with real bloodshed and wounds. Characters actually die and it even causes the main character incredible grief. This book raises the stakes when truly needed.
• Writing: It's decent, though not stellar. It could use some work on the technical side. Plotting-wise, I think it needed the crucial plot points to stand out, and the resolution took a very long time to wrap up. After such an epic climax, I just wanted the story to quickly end, but it started another almost-arc right afterward for quite a bit beyond that. A lot of questions were answered in that second almost-arc, but most of them could have been saved for the beginning of Book 2.
• Overall Quality: Good. This is a pure fantasy novel with no paranormal elements. Just high fantasy, so people who enjoy this kind of literature might like it. I say give it a try. Here be some characters that actually dare to go beyond being one-dimensional.
• Favorite Scene/Moment: Any scene where Kiora has to deal with hate in her face from either Emane's fiancee or her own older sister. She handles herself so wonderfully, despite being emotionally hurt by these horrible people. I always admire characters like this and only wish I could react like her under that sort of duress.
• My Score: 3.5/5 stars.
  
  
  
  
  

*I received this ebook as a complementary copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Book #1)

by Laini Taylor 

Genre: Fantasy/Angels

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Source: Hardcover purchase

Age Rating: 15+

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Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? 

My Review

I had to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone because who hasn't been gushing and raving over it throughout the book blogosphere, right? It is the thing to be reading and my curiosity knew no bounds...

• Plot: Karou is an odd girl attending art school in Prague and runs secrets errands for a wish-monger named Brimstone. She lives a normal human life as far as her friends can see, but was raised by chimaera, beings that live in a secret workshop run by Brimstone who collects teeth from every living creature for some unknown reason. One day, Karou meets Akiva, a seraph, and he is drawn to her for reasons he doesn't understand. But, he is the key to discovering her true identity and the answers to all her lifelong questions about Brimstone's mysterious work.
• Characters: Karou is mostly clueless about her life and origins, and when she asks Brimstone anything, he never gives her answers. She uses little wishes that he gives her in exchange for running his errands to make her hair blue, and make people she's mad at itch in unseemly places in public. She's unique and interesting, but not exactly amazing. Zuzana is her best friend, but at first I thought she was annoying. She did grow on me. Akiva is okay, if a little too “perfect boyfriend” material, as he just seems to be totally into Karou and nothing else. Guys just aren't really like that. But, both he and Karou have very intricate back-stories that make them more layered as characters, even if their personalities aren't all that vibrant and enticing.
• Writing: Goodness, the writing is ridiculous. It's so effortlessly simple, yet sophisticated. Gorgeous, even though it didn't have to be. The story is already very interesting and the fabulous writing is like cake with too much frosting—not a bad thing at all—even makes the cake more fun to eat.
• Story: Here's where I'm at a loss for why some reviewers were unimpressed by this book. The story becomes so intriguing, once you get far enough into it. Granted, I wasn't too impressed with the first 100 pages. It's just all about Karou's normal life, which is unusual, but it isn't a story, yet. A story does get underway, eventually, and it continually builds up to a very amazing tale of a fantasy world that was thrilling. It just kept getting better and better as I read on, uncovering all the mysteries that made me want to keep on reading it. So good. It's all about how Karou goes on a journey of self-discovery after meeting Akiva, and her true identity is so fascinating.
• Overall Quality: Super high. I think if someone is looking for a very different YA fantasy book, then this is the perfect one to go with. It's totally different from the mainstream YA fantasy out there, which is refreshing. Although, I usually like the mainstream stuff, this still held some magic for me. I only wish the characters were more fun, but that wasn't a huge detriment.
• Favorite Moment: It's hard for me pick an absolute favorite, but I really like the scene when Akiva first sees the wishbone hanging around Karou's neck and he immediately sinks down onto his knees with shock, amazement, joy. She has no idea what is going on with him, but he tells her that he has figured out who she is because of it. Pretty cool and it makes you want to know who she is, although it takes the rest of the novel to tease out the answer.
• My Score: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (The Steampunk Chronicles, #2) 

by Kady Cross 

Genre: Historical/Fantasy/Steampunk

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

Source: NetGalley eARC

Age Rating: 14+

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Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. 

 

My Review

After reading The Girl in the Steel Corset, I wasn't all that thrilled about reading the sequel, but before I read the first book, I had already obtained an advanced reader's copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. I had to read it and hope it impressed me more than its predecessor.

• Plot: This story begins with the strange band of misfits flying across the Atlantic on an airship—steampunk style, of course—and spending the rest of it in 1897 New York City. They're there to find Jasper, the American cowboy, after he had been arrested for murder and extradited back to the U.S. A new villain is introduced, Reno Dalton, and he's a pretty ruthless killer. He has captured a Chinese girl, Mei, that Jasper is in love with and fitted her with a clockwork collar that he can tighten any time he wants if Jasper does anything he doesn't like. And, he wants Jasper to gather all the pieces of a machine he disassembled and hid all over New York City.
• Characters: There are only a few newcomers to this book, and they are fairly uninteresting, but play their parts just fine. What changes is that the main characters from Book 1 finally become more multidimensional and interesting. In my review of Book 1, I mentioned how boring all of them were. But, in this book, they get the development they much needed before. Finley shows off her darker side better when she does cheeky things during dangerous missions. Griffin is genuinely torn over her: he's in love with her, but fears she will pick a life of crime because her dark side enjoys it so much. He can't resolve it in his heart or mind. Sam is still highly dull and Emily is no different. But, Jasper manages to finally matter to the story and has actual character growth, as life hands his own backside over to him on a silver platter.
• Writing: Same as Book 1—fine, except for a pet-peeve of mine, head-hopping 3rd-person POV. It even seemed to happen more in this book compared to the first one.
• Story: Here's where there is much improvement, or I just liked it better than the first book's. I genuinely liked this story and how all of it came together, including the exciting fight scenes. They weren't long and drawn out, but short and explosive, like how Finley is when she gets hopped up on her own adrenaline before a confrontation. She's not battling with her dark side anymore, meaning she stays conscious now and just draws on its power, but it still thrills her to fight anybody who can give her a challenge. Finally, she's a really fun character, unlike in Book 1 when she just bored me. Also, the romance gets moved up a small notch for all the characters. I like that it didn't jump into the stratosphere just because it's the second book in the series. It's refreshing when historical romance plays out slowly, as it should.
• Overall Quality: All these improvements make me see it in a higher quality light. It's still far from perfect, but this installment, although less engaging, is still more satisfying to read.
• Favorite Moment: Finley had nearly been assassinated in her hotel room, but she got away. Then, she had to go rescue Jasper from another assassin in his hotel room right after. Griffin and the others woke up and ran into Jasper's room after his assassin was taken out, Griffin only wearing PJ bottoms. Because he was so afraid for Finley, he pulled her into a sexy hug and looked into her eyes and... didn't kiss her because there were all these other people in the room. I love that she knew he would have done it had the others not been in there with them.
• My Score: 3.5 stars out of 5.
  
  
  
  
  

*I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels

The Thirteenth Chime (A Sense of Truth, #1)

by Emma Michaels

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal

Reading Grade: New Adult

Publication Date: August 10, 2010

Source: Kindle Store

Age Rating: 14+

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Destiny has finally found the life that she has always wanted. She is about to finish college, has a fiance that loves her, and a great summer on the West Coast planned with her friend, Stephanie. But her world is turned upside down when an antique clock mysteriously chimes thirteen times and someone attacks them, sending Stephanie and her mother to the hospital.

Alone, and without any help from the police, Destiny has no choice but to turn to the one man she had left behind a year ago—her ex-boyfriend, David. Together, they must solve the riddle of the thirteenth chime before the clock strikes thirteen again. Yet as they face their own past and hearts, a trap over half a century old is waiting for them to become its prey. For revenge, fifty years is never too long... 

 

My Review

• Plot: Destiny and her roommate Stephanie are staying with Stephanie's mother in an old Victorian house on the coast of a small Washington State town for the summer. An old grandfather clock has been part of the house since long before any of them ever set foot in it, and it has the tendency to chime thirteen times out of the blue. One night when that thirteenth chime rings out, Stephanie and her mother end up in the hospital. In a panic, Destiny calls her fearless ex-boyfriend, David, out from Cleveland to help her figure out how to unravel this paranormal mystery that has left her completely baffled.
• Characters: Destiny is the main character, but a lot of this story revolves around her ex-boyfriend, David. Destiny calls him to fly out from their hometown instead of her fiance, Scott. She feels David is the more capable when she's feeling extreme terror, and David comes through for her. He's a really heroic character who has the tendency to be reckless in the face of danger, but always manages to come out unscathed. He still has feelings for Destiny, but Destiny sends him constant mixed signals as to whether or not she still has feelings for him. That's one thing I don't like about her—she seems to be unable to let him go, yet she is very determined to marry the guy she couldn't even reach out to when in crisis.
• Technical Writing: The writing is weak in most areas, but does have some smooth patches here and there. I found countless writer's ticks that grated on me. Also some sentences are worded strangely, and I'm not fond of the clumsy use of adverbs. I have a personal preference for 3^rd person-limited POV in adult fiction, yet this one was in 3^rd person-omniscient, jumping from one character's head to another and then another, all in one scene. Very confusing and pulled me right out of the story. I think that type of 3^rd person POV should only be used for children's fiction, but that's just my opinion.
• Storytelling: Besides the likable characters (Stephanie's mother being one of the funniest), I think the story aspect was strong, too. It has an intriguing paranormal mystery premise that got me interested, and it did a great job keeping me just clueless enough to keep on reading to see the characters uncover the mystery. It uses a very different kind of paranormalcy that I've never heard about before, and it may even be the author's clever invention, this “Sense” phenomenon. I think for lovers of mysteries that can be a bit scary—scarier than Scooby-Doo, anyway—this would be a great fit, although, don't expect the rational explanation and the masked bad guy cursing those “meddling kids” at the end.
• Overall Quality: It goes down on the technical writing, but back up again because of the effective storytelling and good characters, so it evens out to being average. I wouldn't read this if you hate reading any writing that is less than flawless. But, if you like a great paranormal mystery despite poor writing, then this one might work for you.
• Favorite Moment/Scene: It's a spoilery scene at the end when Destiny and David are finally confronted with the spooky clock-dwelling thing that is causing so much trouble in the old Victorian. It was such a relief to finally arrive at that moment and find out what was behind that pesky mystery.
• My Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
  
  
  
  
  

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Book Review: Feyland: The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp

Feyland: The Dark Realm (Feyland #1)

by Anthea Sharp 

Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Fae

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: December 4, 2011

Source: the author (ebook)

Age Rating: 13+

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Feyland is the most immersive computer game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But, she doesn't suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch—or that she'll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries.

Tam Linn is the perfect hero—in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich girl Jennet prying into his secrets, insisting he's the only one who can help her.

Together, Jennet and Tam enter the Dark Realm of Feyland only to discover that the entire human world is in danger. Pushed to the limit of their abilities, they must defeat the Dark Queen... before it's too late.

My Review

• Plot: Jennet's father is the head of a computer game development company and Jennet gets to play the beta version of a new extremely immersive game called Feyland. Only thing is, Feyland is a gateway into the realm of the Fae, so what happens in Feyland does NOT stay in Feyland. She loses to the final boss, the Dark Queen, and the old crow takes some of her essence. Jennet needs another gamer in the real world who can defeat her to get it back, or Jennet will die. So, Jennet recruits a kid named Tam from her new school to help her since he's an excellent gamer. But, the game proves dangerous to anyone who dares to play it.
• Characters: Jennet is a reformed mean-spirited rich girl, but you wouldn't know it. She's very sweet and accepting in the story, even though Tam is wary of her. Tam is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, although a responsible one. He's dirt poor, so he's very weirded out by Jennet wanting to have anything to do with him, but they find mutual ground to stand on when it comes to gaming because they are both excellent at it. I'm happy a YA story has the geeky kid as the hero/love interest, and he doesn't even have to transform into a jock/emo vampire to be complete, at least not in his real life.
• Writing: I didn't feel the prologue was well-written, thus it made me think the rest would be just as poor, but it evened out once I started the first chapter. The writing is perfectly fine once you get past the prologue.
• Storytelling: Now, here's something interesting: this story is an incredibly unique retelling of an old Scottish ballad called Tam Lin, which is where the characters' names come from. All of this is explained in the story, so you don't need to be familiar with this ballad beforehand. But, it's so clever how the author weaves that story into her own. It's a good little story about gaming, but there is some jargon that non-gamers will find baffling, and it's never clarified. You must already know what NPC's are and some other basic gaming terms like that.
• Overall Quality: Decent quality, above average. This is a self-published title and one that doesn't really need much fixing up, I'm happy to report (except for the prologue).
• Favorite Moment/Scene: When Tam first enters the game (Feyland) and how amazed he is at its realism. He had never played a game so immersive before and his personal experience is described so well, it felt like I was seeing and experiencing the entire thing through his eyes, even though the book is written in 3^rd person POV. It's great when this POV reads like 1^st person.
• My Score: 3.5 stars out of 5.

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

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Book Review: Cicada by Belle Whittington

Cicada (Cicada #1)

by Belle Whittington 

Genre: Paranormal/Sci-fi

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: July 14, 2011

Source: BookRooster.com (ebook)

Age Rating: 14+

| Amazon |

For 17-year-old Blair Reynolds and her friends, being the bearer of secrets is getting really old. But it's something she learns to deal with, because there's no other option. If the people in her small town ever found out what she and her friends discovered in the woods and hid in the storage room, the whole town would be up in arms;literally. You see, folks here don't believe in aliens from outer space. Besides, if they ever found out what two of those aliens did to one of their own, well, let's just say what would follow would be all out war.

As the months unfold, their summer becomes consumed with secrets, puzzle pieces that don't quite fit together, and a fight for their lives that leaves one of them at death's door.

 

My Review

• Plot: Things definitely happen, although, perhaps timed a little off what they should be. Blair is a high school girl whose friends have all just graduated from high school, except she still has another year left. Everyone else is going through major life changes, especially when they all encounter a creature that appears to not be of this world. Her old friend Everett ends up being the most affected by this creature, and thus changes the most, and also makes some drastic changes to his future post-high school plans.
• Characters: Blair is a cute country girl from an inconsequential town in east Texas. Her brother, her grandfather, and her other male friends are so convincingly southern men—it's a hoot! I like Everett the best because he is different from everybody else, a nerd-boy who loves bugs and running into daunting situations head first without fear. He is super cute and I like that he gets to play the main hero character—not some popular jock boy. Although, he ends up going through some serious changes that left me, like Blair, a bit uncomfortable because I really liked Everett as the goofy, clumsy, silly guy.
• Writing: It's simple and effective. Nothing artful, but definitely decent. The southern YA voice was also really well done.
• Storytelling: I think the story could have benefited from starting a bit sooner. There is some back-story for a little while before anything important happens to start the plot. But, it does the job of helping us to get to know the characters. I really like the ambiance of the slow, hot, humid summer on an east Texas ranch, with cicadas whining and fireflies floating around under a blanket of twinkling stars. Very relaxing. It was easy to hear the characters speaking with their southern drawls. I love Blair's mother's rhymes as she spoke in rhymes all the time. It was quaint and sweet. “My Blair with the dark brown hair,” things like that. It seems accurate as to what I know of real people from that region, particularly mothers.
• Overall Quality: Pretty decent and very compelling in parts. I would have liked more information on the inhuman element in the story and why it was around them, why it had been hiding for several years, where it came from, who were its enemies, and how all of that tied into the death of Blair's father and brother (which had already happened prior to the story). I like when I'm more in-the-know than not, but it doesn't mean it's a flaw, as it's so common in literature these days to keep things uber mysterious. Everett was such a neat character, in my personal estimation, he made me want to keep on reading, especially to see where his relationship with Blair would go.
• Favorite Moment/Scene: When the non-human life form Blair and her friends had discovered started to emerge from its pod. I thought Everett's reaction upon seeing it was very interesting and memorable. (He kind of freaked out!) What the life form resembled was also pretty shocking.
• My Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars. 
  
  
  
  
  

*I received this title as a complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Halflings (Halflings, #1)

by Heather Burch 

Genre: Paranormal/Angels

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Source: NetGalley (ebook)

Age Rating: 13+

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After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves Halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with it. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys' powers, as well as her role in a scientist's dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. 

 

My Review

Halflings is an interesting take on angels and fallen angels, although I admit I haven't read much literature dealing with this subject matter. But, I did feel that a few of the characters held my interest. Nikki is at least not a typical teenage protagonist of the YA paranormal genre. She rides motorcycles and knows karate, but still lives a fairly normal life in Missouri.

She meets three teenage boys called Halflings, which means they are half human and half fallen angel. The attractive boys, Mace, Raven and Vine, go around and pretend to be brothers, but they were all born to different Halfling parents and had to be raised away from them for their own protection. A Guardian Angel named Will, a fully fledged angel, is their caretaker. Together, they spend their lives helping out humans in need and discover pieces of their missions through Will, who seems to be able to receive divine revelation.

Nikki and Mace are instantly drawn to each other, and experience “insta-love,” which I frown upon, but it doesn't necessarily ruin the story. Although, Nikki also finds herself intrigued by Raven, who is partial to his fallen angel side, as he has a delicious bad-boy streak. I was really interested in him at first, all snarky and wanting only human minions, but he cooled off toward the end as he became more interested in Nikki. Ah, so close. Almost had a really sexy anti-hero—nearly anti-villain. Still, he's a great character.

What's so shocking is that, low and behold, a true villain materializes in a character that really doesn't appear in the story much, in the form of an attractive older man that Nikki is constantly being thrust at. He has a weird connection to her parents, and even they are quite the mystery in and of themselves. I really found this villain character intriguing, but the story suddenly ends before I can discover what his deal is, and why he is so interested in having Nikki all to himself. Why is he so rich, and what connection does he have to the plot to destroy the world?

At the very end, Nikki suddenly feels wrong about being with him before he gets his clutches on her, so she runs back to the Halflings, and then it's all over. Most abrupt ending ever. I'd be far happier if the reason WHY this guy is so dangerous had been revealed, so that her running to the Halflings would make sense to me. Sure, the Halflings are like her guardian angels, but I really want to know why this mysterious guy she barely knows is so dangerous. Hopefully, it will get explained in the next book.

My score: 3.5 out of 5 stars. (I like it.)

*I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.