Book Review: The Angel Gift (Dark Word: The Angel Trials #4)

Release Date: September 30, 2018
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 270 pages
Source: Review Copy from the Author

Everyone is separated, and no one is safe.

Raven Danvers didn’t think her life could get any crazier since the night a demon attacked her in an alley and abducted her mom.

She was wrong.

Because now that same demon has abducted her too. He’s thrown her into a secret bunker with a group of humans who have unique abilities that make them “gifted.” They don’t know what the demons want with them, and the bunker is impossible to escape.

Her only hope is Noah—the wolf shifter she’s imprinted upon. She just needs to let him know where she is. But she can’t do it alone. Her only way to get a message to him is to team up with the other humans by making use of their unique gifts.

But they have to do it fast. Because their time in the bunker is temporary. The demons are prepping them to go somewhere else… somewhere far worse than where they are now.

They don’t know what this place is.

They just know they really, really don’t want to find out.

Get ready for a magical, twist-filled ride in the fourth installment of The Angel Trials series, a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more!

  

Review:

Protagonists: In this installment, the POV characters are switched up a bit. There’s a greater focus on Noah and Thomas, specifically Noah as I think he has the most chapters out of anyone, even Raven, in this book. We do get to see quite a bit of Raven though, as she learns more about both her captivity and her “gifted” human status. Interestingly, Sage does not narrate any chapters in this book, which makes sense due to her being forced into the blood bond at the end of the previous installment and this story does go into why her having a POV chapter wouldn’t be so interesting without actually addressing it head-on. Finally there is a new POV, or at least I think her POV is new, and that’s Mara, Azazel’s daughter, I was extremely surprised at how much I liked her chapters, sure her character arc does feel a bit tropey, but it’s a trope that I like so I’m completely on board. I really loved reading from all these characters POVs, each one (apart from the last chapter POV) had something to learn and experience over the course of this tale, except maybe Noah, which is a little disappointing, I mean there are plenty of other characters that had phenomenal development in this story, but since he has the majority of POV chapters, not to mention that he’s my favorite character, I would have liked to see some more development from him in this story and more of a purpose in this installment than just the guy who wants to get Raven back.

Romance: There was actually very little romance in this story, I mean it’s not surprising as our two main romantic couples have been separated, not to mention the fact that an individual in one of those couples, Sage, has been so fundamentally changed that she’s pretty much not the same person anymore. There is some romance in this story, though there isn’t much romantic development, and certainly no romantic development with our two main couples as they need to overcome a few obstacles before those relationships can continue to develop. The romantic development that is in this story is more laying the groundwork for another couple, Flint and Mara, finally showing Mara’s side of things and her feelings about her imprinting bond with Flint after the blood bonding ritual.

World Building: How the world Building unfolds in this installment feels a bit different than the previous installments in the series, I mean, there is expansion to the world, we start to get a better idea about what the demons are planning, in fact, I’m pretty sure I know what their endgame is, but I did leave this story with more questions than answers as to HOW they will accomplish this feat. Still, in many ways this story feels like filler, pretty open and shut in terms of the amount of story progress this installment will have, and while we have some new information and we’ve met some new people, this felt like more of an unplanned pit stop (or kidnapping, whichever you prefer) on their way to Avalon and while I didn’t expect they’d reach Avalon in this story, which they didn’t, and even though I told myself to view this story as an episode of a TV drama which helped immensely in the previous installment, this story just felt like it was missing something, maybe more about the “gifted” humans, though I suspect we’ll get more on that later, maybe another Mara chapter, maybe even an Azazel chapter, I’m not sure all I know is it feels like it’s missing SOMETHING. (Edit: About a day after writing this review I realized what that SOMETHING was, I talk about it in the conclusion.)

Predictability: Overall this installment did feel very by the numbers, there were, of course, a few moments over the course of the book that caught me off guard, such as what I think Azazel’s, and by extension many if not all of the demons’, plans are, but even then, when I’m caught off guard like that, I’m not surprised, in fact, I was only surprised two times and they were both towards the end. Also, I will say that there are a couple moments in this tale that seem a bit too easy and a bit too constructed which pulled me out of the story a few times, so I do wish things were a bit harder on our protagonists, that way they feel like they’ve really earned their victory, should they have one.

Ending: Again, as it seems the theme of this review is, the ending was pretty predictable, and while this was the only time in the entire story that I was truly surprised, that only applies to two moments in the last few chapters. The final climax is great and included one of the shocking and surprising moments, but it did play out mostly how I expected. There was also only one point during this story that I was at all confused, and that was the final chapter. In Madow’s typical Dark World form we have a final chapter from the POV of someone new, but unlike past, let’s just call them epilogues, unlike past epilogues this one didn’t have the same cliffhanger gut punch for me that it usually does, I feel like I missed some subtext or just plain text because while I felt I understood what was going on, I just didn’t feel that signature Madow stomach dropping cliffhanger, but then again, I’d rather have a calmer ending than that torture-fest and the end of the last installment.

Rating:

While I did utterly devour this installment, as I said numerous times in this review, it’s missing something, everything that’s in the book is fantastic, except for maybe the epilogue, but it's been about a day since I wrote this review and upon reflection I realized what it was missing, it was missing all of the great character interactions from the previous installments, while I love seeing our main characters interacting with newer and returning characters, because everyone's split up, there's sort of a hole left in the story that not even a fantastic story like this could fill in.

Book Review: Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)

Release Date: July 7, 2015
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL
Length: 355 pages
Source: Purchased Book/Library Audiobook

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn…

    

Review:

Protagonist: Jess Brightwell lives in a world where the Great Library of Alexandria not only stands the test of time but has grown in power as they control the flow of knowledge to the masses. Jess doesn't really want to work for his father as a book smuggler, as owning physical books is illegal in this world, and he doesn't want to take over the family business. So when Jess's father asks him to be a spy for his family within the Library, his father doesn't exactly give him a choice. Now Jess has to pass the Library's tests while not getting found out, but training for service in the Library can be very dangerous as Jess and his class soon find out. I really like Jess, he's a bit headstrong, slightly short-tempered, but he's also loyal and fights for what he thinks is right. His character development over the course of the story feels authentic with the challenges he faces on his journey to become part of the Great Library.

Romance: I actually really liked the romance in this story but it definitely didn't go as I had expected. For a YA book, there is surprisingly little romance, it's very light and innocent. Jess and his love interest are sort of shoved together because of circumstance, and while there are times when I felt the romance was a little forced for sake of convenience to the story, I actually did end up really liking them together, though I hope to see something more from their relationship in future installments.

World Building: So, going into this story all I knew about this world was that it took place in a world where the Great Library of Alexandria survives, I was expecting it to be more of a fantasy, but in fact, it turns out to be more of a dystopian story instead. Still, I was fascinated by a world controlled by the Great Library where owning a physical book is illegal and if you declare war on the library, you’re wiped from existence. One of the fantastic ways this author introduces you to how power hungry the Library is, is through letters between chapters between Library personnel. I was drawn into this world from the beginning, the book smuggling, the Burners, and even some things that we don’t get very much information on in this book, but are more than intriguing enough for me to continue.

Predictability: I will say though that this story is pretty predictable, I felt like all of the twists, save a small few, were spoiled before they were actually revealed because the foreshadowing was so heavy just before the revelation. Also, it’s a good thing I didn’t read the synopsis before starting the book because I feel it gives just a little too much away.

Ending: This story does have a very tense ending. There are moments I experienced such pure emotions, both good and bad, towards and about some of the characters. The final climax isn't exactly an action-packed one, it's more about the tension of the moments without any physical confrontation. It's really great and leads to some amazing twists that will affect the future of this story. This book doesn't exactly leave you on a cliffhanger, but there's so much left unresolved here and I'm actually looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

Rating:

I really enjoyed this story, I wasn't expecting the dystopian element so that threw me off a little, but I am really intrigued by the world and the power-hungry Library, it can be a tad predictable and the story didn't suck me in as much as I'd like, but I'll be interested to see what happens next.

Blog Tour Book Review: No Good Deed

Release Date: July 18, 2017
Author: Kara Connolly
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Length: 352 pages
Source: ARC from Publisher

Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Ellie Hudson could potentially go to the Olympics if she focuses and wins the trials in Nottingham, yes that Nottingham, but she gets distracted by a ghostly monk and winds up in twelfth century England. Once there she takes on the role of an outlaw who dispenses justice to those who take advantage of the less fortunate. However, she cannot stay in the past for too long or she might not have a future to go back to. I loved Ellie a lot. I mean, she's just the kind of impulsive and sarcastic heroine that I needed. Over the course of the book, she does develop a bit more. I loved her development and her interactions with other characters. She's a bit of a goofball and can get a bit irate at times, but if you wound up in 12th Century England you'd probably be a bit pissed off too.

Romance: Okay, so this is going to be a short section... I hope. There honestly isn't that much romance in this book. I mean, there's some flirting and Ellie definitely admires masculine form(s), but in the end, there isn't really that much romance and how it all ended was kind of cliche. Don't get me wrong I didn't need more romance, or really any romance, I just wished it had been handled better.

World Building: When I first heard about this book I had assumed that Ellie would take on a Robin Hood type of role, not actually become Robin Hood. I did really enjoy how the author built out Nottingham and handled not only Ellie's culture shock, but how others view Ellie's weird speech patterns and clothing. I'm always up for a time travel book and mixing that with the lore of Robin Hood, and how those bits of the legend sprung from rumor were very well executed. While I admit I don't know too much about the Robin Hood legend, mostly what Disney and some other adaptations have told me, I did enjoy how the author told this story, and though it doesn't quite line up with the things I've heard, I did like the gender bending aspect and how the heart of the story stayed in tact.

Predictability: On the whole, this story isn't that predictable. Sure there were a few things that were fairly cliche and easily predicted, and of course your standard YA predictions, but there were also things that I couldn't have predicted if I wanted to. There weren't any jump out of your chairs and gasp level predictions, nothing that blew me out of the water, but there were a great number of twists that still felt right.

Ending: So, my main problem with this book is that it did take a while for Ellie to come into her role, and this isn't that long of a book, so the second half happens kind of quickly. Everything is sort of rushed and while I was okay with the story that was ultimately told, I felt like there was so much potential to tell more stories and after the final climax that's near impossible. Also, there were a few things that were more or less glossed over and the ending was pretty cliched.

Rating:

So, I did really enjoy this tale, but reading it five chapters a day, the ending really snuck up on me. I feel there was more the author could have explored, the ending felt a bit rushed, and the ending was kind of cliched. Still, a great read for those who like Historical Fiction or Time Travel stories.

Book Review: The Vampire Prince (Dark World: The Vampire Wish #2)

Release Date: August 3, 2017
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Length: 186 pages
Source: Review Copy from Author

To destroy the enemy, she will become the enemy.

Everything has been taken from Annika — her family, her friends, and even her freedom — by the vampires who enslaved her in the hidden kingdom of The Vale. But now she possesses a magical ring that contains Geneva, the most powerful witch in the world, and she’s ready for revenge.

When Prince Jacen invites vampire princesses from all over the world to the palace to compete for his hand in marriage, Annika finds her chance. By commanding Geneva to turn her into a vampire princess, she can try to win the cold heart of the prince who betrayed her and left her for dead. Can she keep the emotions she used to feel for Jacen in check? Because if her deception works and she becomes his bride, she’ll have full access to the palace... and she can destroy The Vale from the inside.

But with powerful players vying for control of the ring, and a dark magic rising outside the kingdom, there’s far more at stake than just the crown.

Return to the magical world of the Vale in the second book of The Vampire Wish series and get ready for twists and turns that you’ll never see coming!

  

Review:

Characters: So, while the first book in this series had three points of view this installment introduces another main character to its ranks. I'll get to her in a minute but first, let's talk about Annika and Jacen. Honestly, I didn't feel like they did a whole lot in this book. I mean, technically they did quite a bit, but in terms of character development, they didn't develop all that much, if at all, over the course of this story. This book mainly serves to introduce some new elements to this world, that I'll get to later, so Annika and Jacen pretty much spend the whole book sulking over the other. Camelia also doesn't do much in this book. I mean, she gets some advice on what to do next, but we don't get all that many chapters from her perspective. Finally, we have our newcomer, Karina, and since she's new she's instantly the most appealing character in this book. Don't get me wrong I love (or love to hate) the other POV characters, but honestly, while they do things they don't really do anything. Karina has a bit of a tragic backstory and I'll be interested to see how she'll fit into everyone else's plans.

World Building: The majority of this book is world building and set up. I hesitate using the term filler to describe this book since technically you can't completely cut it out of the series and have it change nothing. Things do happen in this story, it's just that they're spread a bit thin. There are a lot of new elements brought into this world in this book, and at times it could get a bit confusing figuring out how everything lined up. There's a bunch of setup and world building in this book, but as I said, the plot doesn't progress very far, pretty much the author just adds a bit of thinly veiled The Selection flair into her book and adds quite a few new topics and elements into the story to sort of steer it away from the Aladdin retelling that was so integral to book one's plot.

Predictability: Okay, so this book doesn't exactly deliver on the "twists and turns you'll never see coming" that the synopsis promises. Don't get me wrong there were a great handful of times that this book surprised me, but nothing really shocked me to my very core. Again, as I said before, not much really happens in this book I guess that's the theme of this review, so there's not all that much that happens to shock me.

Ending: So, there's not final climax to this book. I mean, again, this book is mostly an excuse to introduce new elements of this world to the reader, and so there wasn't really any climactic moments in this story. Sure, the ending is kind of cliffhanger-y, but since these books come out so close to one another it's not as if it'll be that long before there's more story, so the ending wasn't all that devastating, there are some things I'd like to know but honestly, I can wait.

Rating:

So yeah, nothing really happens in this book. If you loved the first one and want to continue, should you read this book? Hell yes. It probably introduces huge elements that will come into play later. Is it as thrilling a ride as Book 1? No, not at all. In fact, the only reason I'm not giving this book a lower rating is that the story is so short and the time between books is very quick that it's not as if it'll take that long for things to heat up again. P.S. Despite giving this book a low rating, I am still highly anticipating the next installment, I still love the world, this book just sort of felt next to pointless for me.

Book Review: The Merciless (The Merciless #1)

Release Date: June 12, 2014
Author: Danielle Vega
Publisher: Razorbill
Length: 279 pages
Source: Purchased Book

Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned

Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls . . . unless she wants to be next. . . .

In this chilling debut, Danielle Vega delivers blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?

    

Review:

Protagonist: Sofia Flores moves to a new town so she and her mother can take care of her grandmother who has had a stroke and can no longer take care of her self. At her new school, she wants to fit in after having a poor experience at her previous school. She seems to hit the jackpot when a group of tightly knit girls asks her to join them for lunch and gradually start befriending her. Sofia is so happy to have a group of friends and fit in that she begins to spy on a girl named Brooklyn for them so they can find out why she's changed so much from when she was friends with them. Sooner rather than later Sofia discovers that her new group of friends believe Brooklyn to be possessed by a demon and they're planning on exorcising it from her body. Honestly, I really liked the character of Sofia. I mean most of her characterization we learn bit by bit over time, but her reactions to what's going on around her aren't hard to believe at all. She wants to fit in, but that need clouds her judgment and she misses the red flags that pop up. How she handles herself once things go too far is very realistic as well, and overall she's a hugely compelling character.

Romance: So, there's not that much romance in this book at all. In fact, while the romance was very well handled it doesn't really factor into the overall story. Sofia meets Charlie at the beginning of this book and they sort of immediately hit it off, but I love how the romance was handled from there. What I had assumed would be either an insta-love or fast moving romance really turned out to be something that escalated at a fairly realistic rate. Honestly, there isn't much more to say about the romance without spoiling something.

World Building: So, something some of you may not know is that I'm Christian. However, I'm also someone that understands that any belief can be taken too far and cross over from rational to bat shit crazy. So going into this book I was interested to see how the author handles religion in this story, and I was surprised that I didn't really feel like the author was trying to push any sort of agenda. The group of extremely zealous girls that Sofia hangs out with are by no means "good" characters, but I never felt like the author was trying to comment on religion in general, just how far these girls have taken it. The story honestly starts off very much in a similar vein to the cult classic movie, Mean Girls. A girl starts a new school, though in this story our main character has had experience with high school hierarchies before and befriends a group of popular girls who open her eyes to what friendship should look like, but it turns from contemporary to horror on a dime.

Predictability: Like I talked about previously the best part about this book is the constant unknown of whether or not demons exist in this world and if so does Brooklyn have a demon inside of her. With that also comes the moral quandary, if there are demons and Brooklyn is possessed, then are Riley and her friends justified in their gory exorcism or if they still take things to far. I have to say I really love the way this author writes horror, most of it is all in the ambiance and she doesn't take the cheap or easy way by making a pure gore fest nor does she try too hard with her jump scares. In the end, this book is fairly unpredictable and honestly, there's still a lot to discover.

Ending: So I had seen a few of my friends  read this book and go, "WTF did I just read?" and so when I decided to give this book I read I tried to ready myself for an unpredictable ending, and while I sort of knew where the ending was headed, I still ended this book much in the same way as my friends, trying to piece together what the hell I just read. (No pun intended) The final climax of this story is fantastic, it moves really fast and everything comes together right at the end in a spectacular way and while I'm ready and willing for more books in this series, if this was a standalone, I would have been more than happy to leave off here, at the intersection of horrified and confused.

Rating:

This book was fantastically spooky and if I wasn't reading it to prepare for a book signing later today (as of when this review goes up) I would have loved to save it for October because this would make the perfect Halloween read.

Book Review: All In (The Naturals #3)

Release Date: November 3, 2015
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Length: 378 pages
Source: Library Book

Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days.

After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code—and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes.

Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there's been a break in her mother's case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds—and impossible choices.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Cassie, after enjoying a holiday break with her family, is excited to get back to the Naturals program, a place where she feels she belongs, where she's useful, and surrounded by people who feel like home. However before she goes back she learns there's been a break in her mother's case which throws her for a loop. On top of that, she and the other Naturals are recruited to check out a string of murders that seem to have no real connection other than a seemingly random string of numbers on their bodies. In this book Cassie begins to accept her role withing the Naturals group more. She's the heart of the group, the one with the capability and allowance to feel things whenever she wants. She keeps the group together, helps them through their personal tragedies and feels for them when needs be. She's a great character who doesn't really need to get better or really develop more in terms of becoming more the perfect self aware character. She grows more complex, but it's she owns her strengths and flaws and does her best to keep her flaws in check.

Romance: There is actually surprisingly little romance in this book. I almost feel like this section is unnecessary, but I do ahve a few things I want to address. First off I love that the author wasn't compelled to make a lot of drama for Cassie and Dean's romance, at least not yet. The love triangle's over and Cassie's made her choice, or well, Cassie knows where her heart belongs. Cassie and Dean are there for each other, supporting each other through tough times and not really racing for new milestones or shaking up their romance at all, and I have to say while some may think a nice calm romance is boring, it really works here. We do see a little bit of fall out over Cassie's choice, that type of thing doesn't go away, but even that's a rather small plot point. Overall, the romance is just done very well, and very tastefully.

World Building: Ha! I was right! During the previous installment in this series I theorized that each book will have a focus on a different Natural member, looking into their background and some of what makes them tick. What I didn't correctly theorize though, is which Natural this would focus on. I won't say which even though it's fairly easy to pick up on early in the story. I will say though that I really liked this story line, even if it had its frustrating moments. It really bring about this character's background, who they are, why they sometimes do the things they do, and while this isn't exactly the main plot or storyline, more just twisted up into it, it's one of the best parts about this book. Then there's Cassie's mom's case. I don't want to say too much and spoil it, but there are some interesting developments, some that feel a bit like a roller coaster. There are a lot of threads connected to this story and I was just shocked at the tapestry they wove.

Predictability: Barnes, judging by this series at least, is one of the best authors when it comes to surprising the reader. Besides fantastic foreshadowing, the author also employs misdirection, and vague moments to leave even the most perceptive reader unsure of what's going to happen. I had so many conspiracy theories for this book, about the murderer, about certain peoples' motives, even about Cassie's mom's case, and even the ones that were proven true were twisted in a way I couldn't have guessed. As for the other ones, I was either way off the mark, or pretty close to nothing significant.

Ending: *Speechless Gaping* If you thought that the twist at the end of the previous book was a game changer, you ain't seen nothing yet! In an effort to avoid spoilers, even though I just want to rant and theorize about this ending all day, I'm going to give you as vague a rundown as I can. I'm going to first say that how this killer is apprehended, if they even are apprehended, was done in a very different way than the other books. However that's not quite the end. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up, and that's just for this installment, not the series over all. Things get more complex, a little crazy, and there's a definite shift. I won't say what kind, but what I will say is that I seriously can't wait what the next book has to bring.

Rating:

Gah! This series is fantastic and hasn't let me down yet. Each book is gripping and I can hardly put it down for any significant period of time. There's still so much left to tell, and if my theory is correct, and I hope it is, we have two books left, and two more characters' backstories that I'm chomping at the bit to understand deeper.