Showing posts with label Vampires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vampires. Show all posts

6/25/2012

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin Review and Giveaway

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin
★★★★☆
Release Date: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
Age: Mature YA
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Vampires, Horror
Source: Author for review
Buy it: Amazon On sale for 99 cents! until June 29th.
Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs. 1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal? No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.
The Darkening Dream is a finely tuned thrilling dark historical fantasy about vampires with a witty female lead and some surprising twists throughout. Andy Gavin uses a slew of supernatural aspects alongside a seemingly normal 1900s Salem, until dark forces are revealed, to mold an intelligent suspense.

The characters in this book are not to be taken lightly. It's a deep and meaningful read filled with complex situations, backgrounds, and characters. Sarah begins living this nightmare of a tale alongside her close friends and discovers things about not only legends, but her family as well. As the storyline grows so does her involvement and realization of the world around her. People they thought they knew turn out to be less neighborly.

I don't do horror, and not that I would classify this solely as a horror  because I wouldn't, but there were some pretty frightening images throughout. Andy Gavin's writing is marvelous and thoroughly detailed. This dark fantasy definitely left me feeling for light switches in dark hallways. And the pieces to the puzzle fall into place nicely, especially as the story changes narrators, which I really enjoyed. Overall, it's a pretty unique read, filled with suspense and surprises.

The use of multiple paranormal and religious aspects were refreshing additions to the story. It's a wonderful and detailed read, disturbing and seething at times, but this portrayal of vampires and demons is what I like to read about. It's how vampires were meant to be imagined, I think.

And, I have to take a second to mention the breathe taking cover! I find it hard to stop staring at!

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only (June 25-29)


Giveaway


About the Author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.

4/15/2012

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda Review

The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda
★★★★☆
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan, St. Martin's Griffin
Age: YA
Genre: Dystopian, Vampires, Adventure, Action
Format read: e-book
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Preorder it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
Also available as an audiobook!
Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them. Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood. When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?
I've been kind of avoiding vampire books, and when I began reading this one I didn't know what it was about, I only knew that I LOVED the cover. I know I know, never judge a book by it's cover, but in this case I'm glad I did. I'd say it's a dystopian adventure vampire novel, where the world has been completely taken over by them and there are not many hepers (humans) left. An eerie premise that translates into an amazing tale.

The beginning of The Hunt began a teensy bit slow and predictable for me, I really got a Hunger Games likeness vibe from the beginning. Not that that's a bad thing, it just didn't feel very original, but that really changed once I got into it. For other readers that, like me, tend to set books down and go back to them I will say with this one, don't. Keep with it, trudge on, it gets really really good and not far into the book. As the story goes on, the pace picks up and eventually completely takes off. It's a spectacular read; it's gruesome, suspenseful, and crazy at times. Andrew Fukuda takes his readers on an insane ride that ended for me with wanting more. I found myself lost in Gene's story, biting my nails, and grinding my teeth.

In all it is a completely new way to look at the future, doomsday preppers may want to add hostile vampire take over to their list of unnatural disasters to prepare for. Rule 1, stock up on deodorant...

This book is another one with a male protagonist, and as I've said before recently I am really loving reading books with male narrators. It's such a fresh POV from all the female lead books I read. I'm not sure how I feel about Gene in general, of course I was and am rooting for him but I found him hard to reach and relate to, distant. Also, the relationship in the story was hard to believe and understand. I didn't feel like it was a big deal, I mean of course it isn't when you're fighting for your life, but it was really overshadowed by everything else in the story. Kind of like background noise, even when it was definitely in the spot light.

The vampires chosen were diverse and a mystery. How Gene could live for so long, so close to things so vile is incomprehensible for me. It's crazy. The humans who are to be used for the hunt were my favorite characters. You'll have to read the book to see why.

The premise of The Hunt is really cool, and so interesting. With humans being so far in the minority of this world it will be interesting to see the story pan out in the series. I love a good underdog. :) I'm very excited for everyone to check out this book, it's awesome. My heart has never done the amount of somersaults it did while reading this book with any other, except maybe Divergent. So that should tell everyone how highly I regard it. It's pretty spectacular in all its' goriness.

It's a worthwhile adventure and a very interesting take on the vampire story, one I hope everyone reads.

Also, check out these titles:
            





2/13/2012

Dark Seeker Review

Dark Seeker (Seeker, #1) by Taryn Browning
★★★★★
Release Date: 2011
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Demons, Seekers, Action, Cherokee, Witches
Format Read: e-book
Source: Publisher
Buy it: Amazon| Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
For 17-year-old Seeker, Janie Grey, ridding the Baltimore streets of the undead is an inherited duty passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. Seeker Training Lesson #1: Never trust the undead. After her father’s tragic death, Janie creates her own life lesson: Love isn’t worth the risk. Both lessons are easy to follow until she encounters the flawed Kai Sterdam. At first, she believes he is the hybrid she is trained to hunt. But, when he has human traits, she determines she doesn’t know what he is. As Janie’s intrigue over who Kai is pushes her deeper into his mysterious past, she discovers a shocking truth that is even more harrowing than the evil they are up against. It’s a secret Kai wants to keep hidden, especially from Janie.
Janie Grey kicks butt in Taryn Browning's fast paced paranormal romance about a girl who focuses all her energy and time on ridding the city of Vampires, until she meets Kai, a boy very different from herself but with the same goals in mind. When she begins looking at the world from more than one side she learns a lot about herself, her past, and those around her.

When Kai enters Janie's life she begins to question her teachings about the evil ways of Vampires and Demons, and she slowly begins to realize how prejudice her beliefs have been. Not everyone can fit the stereotype in her mind, and when Kai breaks the cookie cutter mold she wonders what else she's been wrong about all along. Their relationship simmers throughout and only heats up when it's ready, definitely not an insta-love story (hallelujah). More of an I hate you and should kill you story, should being the key word, but it becomes a friendship story that eventually evolves again.

Janie spends her nights as a huntress tracking down the undead and keeping the cities streets safe. But, during the day she is a high school student with two great friends. Her friends, Ava and Luke, made me smile. Their fun and easy conversations with Janie made her seem like such a normal girl but she is also one tough Seeker and fighter.

So, lets recap: hot guy, forbidden romance, plenty of action to go around, drama galore, witches (not the warty kind), cute boys, high school, and vampires. What's not to love? Taryn keeps the reader on their toes with her intense and energetic plot that is sure to corral a steady stream of followers for this remarkable series. Thank you to the incredible author for the chance to read and review this wonderful novel!

10/29/2011

Fangs for Nothing by Adrianne Ambrose Review

Fangs for Nothing by Adrianne Ambrose
★★★★☆
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires
Format: e-book
Source: Author
Buy it: Kindle, Nook
Grab some garlic and start sharpening your mother's wooden spoons because there are vampires living in the most unlikely of places. I’ve always wanted to meet a vampire. Not to stake some poor bloodsucker as he sleeps in his coffin or have some sexy vampiress bite me on the neck, but just to see a creature so rare and infamous. What can I say? Some people want to sail to Easter Island, others want to fling themselves out of an airplane, I want to shake hands with a vampire. Well, maybe I should prioritize getting a girlfriend first, but a vampire sighting is pretty high up on the list. Trust me, a lot of kids my age dream about it. Like my two best friends, Rini and Xander. We spent half the summer searching the most notorious cities in the United States for the undead, but so far, no luck. That’s why it came as a total shock to discover a living, breathing vampire in our hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. (Okay, so he’s more undead and not breathing, but you get the picture.) At first we were kind of excited, but then pretty freaked because it turns out our new fanged friend has a hold on the city's teenage population and a specific thirst for their blood. Which, in a word—bites.
I sat down to read a bit of Fangs for Nothing and finished the whole book in one sitting! It is a fun and very entertaining book for all fans of ya, especially those interested in paranormal reads. I can't wait to read more by this addicting author.

Herbert, or Sherbie the main character, is what I'd normally call the best friend; nothing special but there for comedic relief and a well-rounded secondary character. He seems to ride on the coattails of his buddy Xander (who is while incredibly hot, rich, modest, and sweet as well). Surprisingly though, even with his character flaws and low self esteem, Sherbie was a great lead character very relate-able and interesting to follow, he leads the show.

Along with these Sherbie and Xander there is Rini, a shy and cat-like girl who seemed to have worse self-image issues than Sherbie. Rini is a snarky girl and an admirable part of the story, she definitely makes everything more complicated with her quest for happiness, as I'd call it. My favorite character in the book is Sherbie's grandma, she's a firecracker. I kept waiting for her to know more than she led on, read the book and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about!

As anyone can tell Fangs for Nothing is not lacking amazing characters, and it also has a fascinating story as well. One that kept me hooked and flipping pages faster than my hands could move. Sometimes when I sit down to read a vampire book I find myself rolling my eyes or yawning, not this time.

The story Adrianne Ambrose weaves of these three, very different, friends is one of vampire searching and acceptance (not just from others). Many people can relate with one or all three well developed characters. While I'd consider it a paranormal or supernatural comedy it also has so much more to be found in the pages like romance, thrills, and mystery. With a wonderful set of personalities and an addicting premise this book flows neatly from passage to passage as they search for vampires, finding one closer to home than they ever imagined. I enjoyed this book and consumed the pages quickly, a great read.

I would compare this story to Rachel Caine's Morganville series. It's a refreshing take on the vampire category and makes you laugh out loud along the way. I recommend it to everyone!!

10/05/2011

Saved by Allegra Skye Review


★★★☆☆
Release Date: June 2011
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Vampires, Fiction, Supernatural, Paranormal Romance
Format: E-Book
Source: Author
Buy it: Kindle (.99 right now)
In SAVED (Book #1 of the Shadow Vampires), Keira and Amanda, twins, move with their family to a new town, and start their senior year at a new high school. But though they are twins, the girls have different fates. Amanda, beautiful, popular, is sought out by everyone. Keira, who has always lived in Amanda's shadow, is smaller, awkward, different. Even her mother, who is so close to Amanda, doesn't know what to make of her other daughter. Keira turns to books, and to her journal, for solace, and to find out about other worlds. Amanda makes friends easily at the new school, and quickly finds a boyfriend, while Keira is left alone, an outsider. But very quickly, it is clear that something strange is going on in Everstock. The town and the school are very divided. The popular, rich kids act as if they own the school and have nothing to do with the other kids, who are poorer and live in a different part of town. Not only are the kids meaner here, but an unknown infection has gripped the town, with more and more people going to the hospital. Something here is terribly wrong. But things change suddenly, as there is a terrible accident involving the twins. Not only are Keira and Amanda's lives changed forever, but a new dimension of life begins to open to Keira. As Keira recovers, she begins to change in ways she can't expect, receiving new and mysterious powers that no one can possibly understand. At the same time, a gorgeous, mysterious new boy, Cooper, appears at the school, who grips her imagination, and who refuses to tell her what secret he is hiding. As Keira and Cooper grow closer to each other, it soon becomes apparent that destiny has brought them together-and that they may each have to sacrifice it all if they want to stay together...
I liked Saved, it has some definite potential and I may check out the rest of the series. I love the twin element and I loved hating Amanda and Keira's parents, they are awful! If there is one thing this book is full of it's emotion. Allegra Skye does a wonderful job making the reader feel exactly what the characters are feeling, which is something I look for in a good writer. If I'm crying, screaming, or biting my nails while reading it's a job well done. The story could have used a little polishing up, it's an interesting story.

Saved is an incredibly sad book, so be prepared, a lot of that emotion felt while reading is depression. Keira, our main character has a very low self esteem and a poor self image. This makes her relatable to any teen or adult who's been there.

The relationship between Keira and Cooper, our secretive bad boy, is rushed and never felt real. Keira talks about love before she's said a hundred words to the boy. I need more than one interaction to believe that something is truly there. Their relationship felt awkward and forced and some of the dialogue could've used a little sprucing up.

I was a little confused in the book when Keira tries out for a sports team. It didn't seem like something she really wanted to do, just something she did to be more like her sister and it felt very out of character. She spends a lot of time acting like she's okay with being different then goes to trying to be something else. I don't know if this makes sense I just got some inconsistent vibes from the writing, which may go back to polishing the book a little. Keira starts off in a dark place in the beginning of the story and by the end, maybe because of Cooper and the way she begins looking at life, she's grown a lot and begins to enjoy the fact that she's different.

Saved starts out as a realistic fiction book with no hint at its sudden supernatural turn. I really enjoyed that and I like Allegra Skye's writing style.

Thank you to the great author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

8/09/2011

Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire Review and Giveaway

★★★★☆
Release Date: April 22, 2011
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Action, Vampires, Fantasy, Elves, Shapeshifters
Format: E-Book
Buy it: Paperback, E-Book
Is Jared an answer to prayer or her worst nightmare? Seventeen-year-old, Katie McQuillen is a halfling (vampire/elf mix) in a world where halflings are not acceptable members of polite society. Unfortunately, her grandpa is chairman of the Vampire High Council and she is forced into attending a summer camp meant to create peace between the Sídhí races. She is in the middle of Sídhí puberty going from scrawny to beach bunny in less than three weeks when she and her twin brother arrive at camp. Camp starts off with a bang when vampire hottie, Jared Andrews, becomes one of her new seven cabinmates, especially when he can't keep his eyes off her. But is he interested in her, her family's money, or her blood? She might actually enjoy summer camp, if she can stop finding dead bodies and if people stop trying to kill her.
Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire is one of those books that sticks with you far after the last page is read. It's intricate, detailed, and a well mapped out story that I'm so glad is one of more to come. For fans of the paranormal romance genre, or fans of young adult books in general, this book is pretty awesome.

In Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire, Jodie B. Cooper delivers a well developed and excellent story of love, suspense, action, and plenty of hilarious moments that will leave any reader grinning from ear to ear. It's the perfect combination of laugh out loud incidents and grind your teeth drama and mystery that also includes everything in between.

The characters are very human, even though they're not, easy to relate to for anyone because there are so many different personalities. I loved Sarah's character, bad ass outcast and exile (maybe that says something about me). The girl is a mystery, and it was interesting to see how the story unfolded. It's one of those books that keeps you guessing, and then you think you've finally figured it out, and something else happens that causes you to doubt previous predictions. And, I loved that about it, kept me on my toes. So much happens in this one book that there's never a dull moment.

I will say that first and foremost this book is a love story. Within all of it's paranormal elements: vampires, elves, shape shifters, and so much more, lies a very basic and beautiful almost Romeo and Juliet inspired story of forbidden love. At times the lines were cheesy and blush worthy, but overall it came across as sincere. I enjoyed the lifeMate aspect of the book, which is explained in the glossary at the back as: "two people drawn together by the synth crystal in their blood, who fall in love and bond,". It's an interesting spin on soul mates with an even deeper connection.

I can't wait to read more about this interesting world and delve deeper into the stories of these characters. Everyone is forcefully brought together with all of their differences and it's sometimes emotionally draining to keep up with all of them. A bunch of teenagers thrown into one camp together dragging all of their baggage around is quite a bit to deal with. Then add in suspicion, some jealousy, and discrimination and you've got yourself a party in Dragon Valley, kind of, I will say they do try and make the best of it.

I am a fan and cannot wait to check out some more of Jodie's work. She's an incredibly talented author who knows exactly how to connect with her readers. In addition to the glossary at the end of the story is also a map of the camp grounds, which I found to be a pretty neat feature.


Giveaway
Thanks to the amazing author I have a giveaway for you guys! There is also one going on at goodreads as well! It's for an E-Book version of Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire. Also, as a bonus the first and last person to enter the giveaway will win an E-Book version of Jodie's newest novella, Stolen. Which is a prequel of sorts to Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire. You don't have to be a blog follower to enter the giveaway. Now closed. Winners will be announced soon!


Stolen: Song of the Sídhí #3

Every vampire has a destined mate. Eric is Katrina's mate, but he doesn't know it. Katrina's high school rival literally steals Eric from her by twisting a very old 'unspoken' Sídhí law. It's a story about finding and losing what is most precious to a vampire, their mate. This story actually takes place prior to Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire. In Stolen, you will meet Jared and Clarisse, two characters from Forbidden.

More about Jodie
"In the real world, I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and I love making new friends! Online I can be found at:

Website: http://www.jodiebcooper.com/
Sídhí World News Blog: http://sidhinews.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JodieBCooper
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JodieBCooper

I'm currently working on several projects: book two in the Sídhí Summer Camp series, book four in the Song of the Sídhí series, a new series not related to the Sídhí, and daily blog posts (micro-fiction about Sídhí.)"


8/06/2011

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

★★★☆☆
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Action, Vampires, Fantasy, Fairies
Format: Hardcover

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees. But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself. So much for normal.

Let's begin with "Paranormalcy is one of my favorite books,". Kiersten White creates these awesome characters and amazing story line that is so fresh, fun, and funny, it's so hard to put the book down. So, here comes the hardest part I think every author is faced with. How do you make book 2 just as grand?

After the paranormal genre glory that I believe is Paranormalcy comes Supernaturally. How to describe it in one word? Random. With such a force that is Paranormalcy I had very high expectations for this one (I don't know what I keep doing this to myself). I felt like this book went all over the place. One minute we're here and dealing with this, the next that doesn't matter and we're here, then oh look another plot twist let's move over here. And Evie suffers from that-now I have everything I've ever wanted but I still need to complain about something- illness. It got a little old. But, it is fast paced and sometimes the twists weren't all that bad.

The book begins with Evie trying to be normal, then leaps straight back into her very not normal life. She's still our Evie, the unsure girl who can kick butt. We see some more weakness, doubt, and drama in this book. She also faces a demon from her past, but I don't feel like any of it really changes her. It still has that mystery and action that I loved from book one, but I fear this one suffers from the middle book syndrome. The stuck in the middle of the story, no longer in the beginning but we haven't gotten to the end yet. It's incredibly difficult to write a series of books, and my hat goes off to White and other authors who give it a shot.

Nothing really changes from one book to the other, other than the fact that Evie no longer lives in the Center but she continues to work for them, so... With the exception of Jack. And I did like Jack. I kept waiting for that moment, you know what I'm talking about if you've read it. Jack gets on Evie's last nerve. He's that annoying brother-like character we missed in book 1.

I didn't mean for this to sound like such a negative review because I did like Supernaturally for what it is, the middle child, Kiersten's still got her witty one liners and quirky set of characters but after waiting for this book for so long I felt let down.

Since it is a good book, I think you guys deserve some other opinions.

Cynthia's review at A Blog About Nothing
Amber's review at Down the Rabbit Hole
Jess' review at Gone with the Words
Mocha's review at A Cupcake and a Latte