Book Review: The Angel Hunt (Dark World: The Angel Trials #2)

Release Date: May 17, 2018
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 266 pages
Source: Review Copy

The hunt for demons is about to heat up.

Somehow Raven has convinced Noah and Sage—the two wolf shifters who saved her from a demon attack—to let her tag along on their quest to kill ten demons. The payoff for completing the mission? Entrance to the mystical island of Avalon, where Raven will go through trials to gain the strength she needs to save her mom’s life.

Raven wants to help the shifters on their quest. But Noah refuses to put her in any danger—which makes no sense, since he hates her. At least she thinks he hates her… until he catches her off guard and kisses her. Suddenly they’re connected in ways she doesn’t understand, and she feels closer to him than ever.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d think they imprinted on each other. But that’s impossible. Because shifters can’t imprint on humans.

And if they did imprint on each other, then the supernatural world is changing—and Raven’s right in the center of it.

Emotions will flare between Raven and Noah in the second book in The Angel Trials series, an urban fantasy adventure with romance, magic, and twists that will keep you reading long into the night!

  

Review:

Protagonist: Once again I wish I could add an "s" to the end of this section and talk about seeing various POVs in this series, but alas Raven, again, has the vast majority of the story to tell. It's not that I dislike Raven in any way, I really love how she grows and changes over the course of this book, she's still a stubborn spitfire, but in this installment, she really starts to find her groove with her demon hunter companions and starts to feel necessary to their plans of finally getting to Avalon. Raven really starts to take more control of her destiny and pushes herself further in this book. However, I still really wish that we could see from more characters' perspectives, like Noah and Sage, particularly Sage as we learn a little bit more about her and the little that we get seems like it could snowball into something great.

Romance: This is definitely where most of the attention in this installment is placed. In the first installment, the romance between Raven and Noah was merely set up, where here things are turned up to a whole new level. The romance was what really intrigued me most about the first installment, apart from the main plot, I was so interested in seeing how a relationship between Raven and Noah might work if they could never imprint (which is a word I'm not particularly a fan of as it has too many Twilight connotations for my liking, but since it's based on how many animals find a mate, I've sorta let it go.) Then I read the synopsis, and I sort of felt all my interest leave for the romance in this series, I mean, if they can just imprint anyway, where's the struggle, where's the fight to be with each other if their only known roadblock isn't actually a roadblock. All I'll say on the matter is that after reading this book, I might be even more into the romance than ever, I really like the connection between Raven and Noah, even if Noah can be a grumpy little tool sometimes, and I really enjoyed how the author chose to handle their feelings for one another, seriously it's taking so much in me to not gush out spoilers when talking about this.

World Building: Honestly, I don't even know what to write here. There is a decent amount of plot progression and world building in this book, but much like the first installment in this series, I never felt there was enough for a full installment, even by Michelle Madow standards, while we do learn quite a bit more about shifters, and we see more about how the supernatural world works outside of Vampire Kingdoms. Since a large portion of this book is much more about character development and romance, there isn't a whole lot of time to move things along, which kind of bugged me at times as I'm itching to really get things started in this series. There are so many questions hanging in the air going into this book, and I honestly aside from some romance related ones, we don't get a whole lot of answers. In a lot of ways, this felt like the second third of a book, full of action, adventure, and romance, but while the main plot and world building are not forgotten, they're more pushed off to the side for a while, only to spring up when absolutely necessary.

Predictability: There wasn't a single thing in this book that surprised me. Now, that's not the same thing as being able to predict everything, which I was pretty much able to do, but more that when there was something revealed that I didn't know, it didn't shock me in any way. I was really hoping to be surprised by something in this book, even something small, but aside from the synopsis giving a little too much detail and the things I know from the previous series, nothing here took me by surprise.

Ending: So, this was a really great ending. I mean, sure, the final climax could have been better, much like the final climax in the previous installment I felt no real emotional investment on the part of our heroes that would make it special, I mean sure they have their lives to protect and they want to make it to Avalon, both very good driving forces, but for a final climax I feel it should have more depth and mean something more to the characters, now the outcome of the final climax, there's your emotional investment, and it's a really intese few chapters leading to the end of this installment, but since I wouldn't consider that part of the final climax, even though it was to some extent, or really all extent, a byproduct of the final climax, I just wish there was more at stake before the final climax starts than after it's over. Much like nearly all of Madow's previous Dark World books, this story ends with an epilogue chapter of sorts that seems to tee up not only where Book 3 will begin but also introduces a rather interesting new character.

Rating:

So, I did like this book better than the first in this series, but it also suffers from a few of the same problems as the first one, mainly that even for a Michelle Madow book, the pacing is just off and it doesn't quite feel like a full installment, nor does it feel like the second half of an installment. I am still very invested in this series and cannot wait for the next book, I'm just hoping for something a bit more than what we have been getting.

Book Review: Blood of Wonderland (Queen of Hearts Saga #2)

Release Date: January 31, 2017
Author: Colleen Oakes
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 336 pages
Source: Purchased Book

The queen will rise.

Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland. The vicious father she always feared has framed her for the brutal murder of her brother and turned the kingdom against her.

Now hiding in the lush and mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice. She could leave Wonderland forever or return and fight her father for her throne—a fight she knows would only result in bloodshed.

When a chance encounter with one of her father’s long-lost enemies brings Dinah more allies than she ever could have imagined, war starts to feel inevitable. But before Dinah can lead her people into combat, she must confront certain truths about her heart and her destiny—no matter how dark those truths may be.

Revolution is rising in Wonderland.

Dinah’s battle has begun.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Dinah, the former Princess of Wonderland was driven from her castle and her kingdom after her father, the King of Hearts, framed her for the murder of her brother, the Mad Hatter, and now she just wants to escape her possible fate of losing her head to her father's Heartsword. While we see that there is a fury within Dinah, that's obviously foreshadowing her eventual role as the mad and bloodthirsty Queen of Hearts, it's still incredibly easy to root for Dinah. If not for circumstances out of her control she would have made a wonderful, fair, and just ruler. I want Dinah to succeed, but I also know the pain she'd cause if things turn out the way they do in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Romance: So, much like the first installment, if not even more so, romance doesn't play a huge role in this story. After leaving Wardley to whatever fate her father decided for him after letting her go, Dinah is full of guilt. She stabbed him to save him, or so she tells herself, but even a stab wound might not save him from her father. So, I really don't know what to write here that wouldn't give things away. All I can say is that Wardley and Dinah do interact in this book, at some point, and that the feelings Dinah has towards him play an integral role in her character development. I do wish that Dinah's feelings for him didn't seem so obsessive and clingy, but at the same time, they're supposed to, very obviously so. I do enjoy how the romance plays out in this book from a technical perspective, as it tackles a topic not seen very much in YA romance and I'm interested to see how things will develop in the final installment.

World Building: Now that we're out of the Castle of Wonderland, the real world building can begin. Now, I still stand by my feelings in the first installment that the connections to the world of Wonderland are extremely thin, I mean, all you need to do is change some names around, maybe the odd easter egg or two and this could be completely separate from Wonderland while still telling the same story. Now, I decided not to let that affect my rating since after the first installment I've not only said my piece about it but also realized I should take this story for what it is. In this story, we discover more about the world beyond the castle and specifically discover who the Yurkei are and their connection to Wonderland and Dinah discovers more about herself, whether she likes it or not. There are some nice little Wonderland easter eggs, that, while I'm still not a fan of how they're handled, I couldn't help but enjoying nonetheless.

Predictability: So, even though I've technically read this book already (having read the SparksPress version) and having read it more recently than having read the SparksPress version of the first installment, I remembered very little about the story other than a few main highlights at the beginning and end. That being said, even when it came to the twists I knew were coming, I was still blown away by them. There's one scene, that I've read before, I knew what was going to happen down to a T, and I didn't cry for the first time. I bawled like a baby during that scene (maybe because I was listening to the audiobook?) and I was shocked more by that than anything. This book has some great twists and turns and all of them hit true for me.

Ending: So, the ending. Honestly, I don't know what to write here that isn't a spoiler. The ending of this book is a bit unconventional as there isn't really a typical final climax. There's a lot that happens at the end of this story, but there wasn't really any suspense or tension, however, the ending was still fantastic. It hit all the right points and led up to a wonderful epilogue. There's definitely a clear course for the next and final book and while there wasn't really a cliffhanger to this story, I'd be surprised if you weren't chomping at the bit for the final installment.

Rating:

This was a near perfect second installment. It took everything set up in the first book and expanded and evolved it into a beautiful and exciting fantasy for the ages. I've been waiting for years for the final installment and can't wait to sink my teeth in!

Book Review: The Vampire Trick (Dark World: The Vampire Wish #3)

Release Date: September 7, 2017
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 242 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

In a kingdom full of secrets, no one can be trusted.

Annika’s life was flipped upside down when she was kidnapped by vampires to become a blood slave in their hidden kingdom of the Vale. Now, the powerful witch Geneva has disguised her as a vampire princess, and Annika’s living in the palace to compete for Prince Jacen’s hand in marriage. But her quest to become his bride is just a facade. Her real goal? Kill the vampire queen Laila so the kingdom crumbles and she can set the human blood slaves free. 

When rebellious wolves attack the town, they leave a trail of vampire corpses in their wake, declaring war upon the Vale. But the wolves didn’t act alone. Someone on the inside is helping them, making everyone a suspect. And one major player won’t make it out alive.

Return to the mysterious, magical world of the Vale in The Vampire Trick and get ready for a major twist you’ll never see coming!

  

Review:

Characters: As the selection for Jacen's hand heats up these characters are in for a wild ride. Karina, still helping the wolves drive away the vampires on the Vale, wants nothing more than to be reunited with her one true love Peter, not knowing that Geneva's ring can never bring him back. Annika's life has been upended by vampires and she's still out for revenge but things are moving quickly and she might miss her one opening. Jacen doesn't really want this selection, he's just looking for someone who might help him take down Laila and bring a modicum of peace the Vale, but ousting Laila will be harder than he ever imagined. Finally, there's Camelia, still, on the path to immortality she prepares to meet with the fae, but what if they ask too much of her? I can't believe I'm saying this but I really love all of these characters, now that doesn't mean that some of these characters aren't evil and deserve to meet their end(s), but they are all written pretty well, and there's even a scene or two where I felt some modicum of sympathy for Camelia.

Romance: Another thing I wasn't quite expecting was for there to be some real romance between Annika and Jacen in this book. There's obviously the tricky aspect of Anikka's true identity to deal with, but I feel as though the author did a fantastic job with making me start rooting for this couple all over again. Now there are parts of this romance that did grate on me quite a bit, mainly that these two characters are pretty much the densest beings when it comes to each other. I mean Jacen keeps seeing bits of Annika in the alluring Princess Ana and even after he notes that their kiss felt familiar he still doesn't get it, and Annika doesn't realize that Jacen's cold demeanor is all an act, even when given nearly every shred of evidence needed. Even still they have a great chemistry and I'll be interested to see how much that will develop before the end of the series.

World-Building: Now this is what I'm talking about! After the previous installment, I was a bit worried going into this story. The Vampire Prince is almost entirely set up for the rest of (I assume) the series, and so not all that much happened in that book, but this book has all of the needed pay off of the previous installment. If it weren't for the fact that some of the stuff that happens in this book would feel too soon in the second book, I'd say that books 2 & 3 should have been combined. In this story, there's a lot that not only moves the plot of this story along further but also reveals a great deal about the world and still finds time to set up some pretty incredible stuff for the final installments. I really want to talk more and go into what about the world building was amazing and why, but to avoid spoilers I can't all I'll say is that if you thought about abandoning the series after the previous book, this book makes up for it and more.

Predictability: I honestly thought I knew what was going to happen in this book. I thought I knew how it would end, and a good idea of how it would be resolved, but nope. While I was able to predict a good chunk of this story it was mainly the obvious parts where the author never even attempted to be subtle with the foreshadowing. No, the really big stuff comes later, however, while I'll agree there is a twist I never saw coming, I don't think it's the twist the author was thinking of when writing the synopsis.

Ending: As much as I love this book and, in all honesty, the ending, it was a bit anticlimactic. There's something that happens at the end that while I wouldn't call it foreshadowing, practically gives arguably the biggest twist of this book away. Now, everything that happens after that anticlimactic climax is pretty fast paced and there's a definite cliffhanger here. I mean, the cliffhanger is the twist I never saw coming because there's never really any foreshadowing for it, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Book 4 can't come soon enough!

Rating:

Don't get me wrong, there's a part of me that really wants to give this book 5 stars. I mean it's so good and in comparison to book 2 it's astronomically better, but I just can't get over how, as much as I love them, these characters can be really dumb sometimes, and how the ending just fell flat and anticlimactic for me.

Blog Tour Book Review: Cage of Darkness (Reign of Secrets #2)

Release Date: April 4, 2017
Author: Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher: Reign Publishing
Length: 219 pages
Source: Review Copy Provided for Review

While traveling to Fren, Allyssa and Odar are hijacked by a ruthless assassin who divulges a stunning secret that changes everything.

Trying to come to terms with this newfound revelation, Allyssa is taken to Russek and delivered into the hands of a malicious and twisted royal family. She finds herself an unwilling pawn in a risky political game that will either end with her death or the annihilation of her beloved kingdom. Unsure of where the lies end and the truth begins, she must survive the brutal family and escape the fortified castle, all the while coming to grips with her feelings for Odar.

In a kingdom filled with darkness, Allyssa enters a game where one wrong move means death, secrets hide around each corner, and it will take every ounce of cunning she has to survive

    

Review:

Protagonist: When we last saw Allyssa she along with Jarvik, newly revealed to be none other than Prince Odar of Fren, had been captured by an assassin and are being taken to Russek. Once they arrive Allyssa needs to keep her wits about her if she hopes to survive and save her kingdom from a dire war with Russek. Allyssa has quite a bit of growth in this novel, the horrors of Russek change her and what she endures there and what she has to do to stay alive will no doubt leave lasting scars. Honestly, with how dark this book is, I don't want to say that I liked Allyssa's growth and development in this book, but it was understandable. It was easy to see how things affected her and how it shaped who she becomes in this book.

Romance: There wasn't as much romance in this book as I expected. Actually so far this series in general has less romance than I had thought it would. Nevertheless, the romance that we do get is complex and real. At the beginning of the book Allyssa has to deal with a great many things, besides hoping to find a way to escape from her captor, she has to resolve her feelings for Jarvik, who she learns from her captor is actually the crown prince of Fren. A lot of the romance is Allyssa getting to know Odar as a prince and the heir to his kingdom and learning more about who he truly is. I don't want to talk too much, but I will say that this romance did mess with my mind a bit and it is far more complex than just do these two people have feelings for each other and can they try not to mess that up.

World Building: Guys, this book is DARK. I mean it has darkness right in the title, but even with the author forewarning me about it, it went places I didn't expect. While there is one line that luckily this story didn't cross, for the most part I was shocked at the level of gore and violence this book held and the darker themes it explores. One of the main features of this story is getting to know the country of Russek and the family of sadists that rule over it. We learn exactly why they're going after Emperion so hard and the events that lead to this seemingly apathetic country deciding to wage all out war in such a vicious and brutal way. The world building in this story is fantastic, it's so easy to picture how terrible the circumstances are and the tension for most of the book is just palpable. Usually in a story like this where the main character is taken hostage, it's easy to see how they might, and probably will, get out of it, however I definitely doubted if Allyssa would find a way to be free again. This author is one of the few that really drives home the consequences of her characters' actions and while she may strive for a happy ending for her protagonists she doesn't shy away from having them suffer a bit beforehand.

Predictability: This story messed with mys head in so many ways I can't even begin to tell you. I'm the type of person that when I read a story I try to pick up on every single little detail to see what conclusions I might draw for where the story is going to go. While there were a few things, including one prediction I made nearly two years ago when the first book was released, that I was able to predict, most of the time I wasn't quite sure how things were going to pan out. With this story as dark as it is, I didn't know who to trust, I didn't know who would pick up on things or if the author would go even darker with a few things. After chapter twenty I had a crazy prediction that luckily didn't come true but it took a couple chapters to be proven wrong and that tortured me every step of the way.

Ending: Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While the ending itself was great, I was expecting much more of a cliffhanger, I mean there's a lot that happens at the end which I'll try to talk about in a spoiler free way in just a second, but the actual ending of this story doesn't have that gut wrenching twist or revelation I was preparing myself for, and actually, in my opinion at least, it just sort of plateaus. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I won't wait in agony for the next book, but even if the ending was good, great even, if you're expecting more and don't get it you're kind of disappointed. There is a lot that happens in the end though, the final climax was epic and has some of the darkest scenes, or really one scene specifically, in the entire story and afterwards there's a pretty substantial cooldown period that brings with it a lot of game-changing elements that will no doubt drive the final installment in this series.

Rating:

Even with an underwhelming ending this book broke me. Very rarely does a book put me in a near catatonic state like this one did, and while I won't wait in agony for the next book, it did take me HOURS to even begin to formulate this review let alone start writing it down. I love this world, I love these characters, and I'm excited to see how this author will end off this amazing series.

About the Author:

Jennifer Anne Davis is the award-winning author of the bestselling TRUE REIGN series. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential, she married her high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three highly energetic children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.

Website † Facebook † Twitter † Instagram † GoodReads

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Book Review: The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes #2)

Release Date: February 14, 2017
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Length: 336 pages
Source: eArc from Edelweiss

Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.

Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming more than friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.

What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

    

Review:

Protagonists: While the majority of this novel is narrated by Jamie, and for the most part, he is the main character, as the story develops and after a certain couple of chapters I felt that if I didn't include Charlotte in the protagonist section as well that would be a disservice to the review. Both these characters are fantastically flawed. What I loved about their flaws are how real they are. It's not like a bunch of misunderstandings and misinterpretations that lead to a bunch of drama between these characters. It's the conscious choices they make and the things they want and fear that they have no control over that guide their stories in this installment. Jamie doesn't want to feel like a sidekick but a partner, however when August Moriarty appears on the scene, a man who is so much like Charlotte already that she views him as an equal and a man she'd previously fallen in love with, that causes Jamie to be mistakenly though understandably jealous and strike out on his own. Charlotte has a personal stake in this mystery and as a Holmes, she doesn't do all that well with personal stakes. One of Charlotte's biggest flaws is that she shares next to nothing with Jamie about the investigation and while she has a justifiable reason for doing so it leads Jamie to feel that she thinks she doesn't need him or that he's a burden. As I said we only get a couple of chapters that focus on Charlotte and while these chapters are certainly enlightening, I feel I can't delve too deep into talking about them and what we learn about Charlotte without giving crucial points of this book away. Despite all the flaws of these characters I really have grown to love them and while they do drive me crazy a lot of the time I really hope for the best with them.

Romance: After I finished A Study in Charlotte last year, I didn't think there was all that much romance in it, however, when I went back to reread it before starting this installment, I felt as though I seriously missed something because there was a lot more romance in it than I remembered, even if it was more subtle than most YA novels. This installment has, even more, romance than the first and while it can be extremely frustrating at times, I felt that from a writing standpoint that it was handled very well. Romance is really where we see the flaws of Holmes and Watson shine, for lack of a better term. For Jamie he just wants to be with Charlotte however, she keeps on giving him mixed signals which frustrate him to no end. Charlotte is suffering from panic attacks and anxiety following her rape at the hands of Lee Dobson. Neither of these things is a flaw really, more elements of who they are, but how they react in response to these things is very flawed but at the same time neither of them is perfect. In fact,  what aggravates me the most about this romance is that there isn't a simple solution. It's not as if a long talk will solve all their problems. while there were definitely fantastic moments to this romance, and moments that made me feel more than I've probably ever felt before, a lot of this romance is like pulling teeth, but it really works to add another layer of complexity to this story.

World Building: It was a bit of a shock to move from a boarding school setting to a winter holiday traveling around Europe in this installment, however, I liked that it added a bit more diversity to the series, instead of Holmes and Watson constantly solving scandalous mysteries while at school. I loved following our heroes around Europe, mainly England and Germany, and while there wasn't all that much that we saw that wasn't a fictionalized house or building, I still felt the foreign local wherever our heroes went. In this installment, we once again find our heroes at odds with the Moriartys, but this time they have a Moriarty on their side as well. August Moriarty, who we learned was Charlotte's older tutor who she fell in love with and after he spurned her affections she framed for drug dealing, is finally introduced and he adds a very complex layer to this story. He's an unwitting rival for Jamie and a nice foil for Charlotte. Out of all of the characters in this series, he's probably in the best head space. As our heroes find themselves tracking down clues to solve this mystery, this time a mystery of art forgery and possible kidnapping than murder, things get more complicated as the mystery of who, what, and where become clearer.

Predictability: Since this is a mystery most of the predictability lies within the mystery itself, however, I felt like we knew almost immediately who was behind the art forgeries, however, what I really liked was that this wasn't exactly about the who, but more the how. that being said, though, as far as the clues leading up to everything was concerned, there wasn't a whole lot of focus on the mystery, or at least not as much as I expected there would be. The mystery was still very captivating and there were a lot of unanswered questions that were confirmed as the story began to wind down from what I presumed was the final climax. There are many twists in this book, some that I saw coming but most that I was utterly blown away by. I really want to go more in depth and talk about how some of these twists made me feel, because a lot of them made me feel very intense emotions, but I don't want to spoil your experience of this book.

Ending: This ending was not what I expected going in. I thought that for the most part this story would be tied off with a bit of a bow with a few breadcrumbs leading to where the next installment may be going. what I did not expect was what happened. Again, I really wish I could elaborate without spoiling anything, but I feel as though I've already said too much. This book has a very intense ending that made me cycle through so many emotions that I could barely handle it, then, of course, it tops things off by delivering probably the worst and simultaneously best cliffhanger I've ever read. Suffice it to say, that if this review doesn't come off as the most articulate it's because I'm still suffering from the near catatonia this book put me into.

Rating:

My God this book deserves all the stars. I'm still getting over where things ended up and where this story appears to be going. I'm cursing Cavallaro with every fiber of my being for making me feel so many things, not only in the end of this book but all throughout. I can't wait to see what fresh hell she's cooked up for the final installment. P.S. My guess it that the final book with have the name James or Jamie somewhere in it.