Thursday, 4 April 2013

Review ~ The Angelites Book One - Richard Moran

Paperback received from author in exchange for an honest review


ISBN: 9781482738636

Description
Gina Vasquez was on top of her game in law enforcement. She graduated with top honors from the police academy and was the best detective for the NYPD.

Years later, after relocating to New Mexico to become a small town sheriff, Gina encounters a demonic cult, which were the first steps heading toward her true destiny, leading a group of special officers named The Angelites, to defend the earth and humanity against hell's army known as The Clucifix.


Gina must now make the choice on whether to accept her destiny or go back to the quiet life in New Mexico, allowing her keen skills to go to waste.



My Opinion
This book was definitely not what I expected, although I'm not entirely sure what I went in expecting as the description didn't give much away in regards to the paranormal element - which was the part I was most interested in.

Anyway this book was fast paced and action packed. There was a lot more violence than I anticipated but the author described it in a way that never became over the top. I have read a few books like this where an author goes over the top with gory detail and in the end it detracts from the book, however I think Moran struck a good balance between the gore and detail that actually described the fight, it didn't make me cringe or want to skip parts.

As well as this, this book had an interesting plot and used the themes of angels and demons in a different way to what I have read before. I liked the uniqueness and the fact that the angels where there as guides and to give powers rather than the center of attention. It was a nice change from all the paranormal romances I have read where the angels are hot guys.

The Angelites took a little while for me to get into as I found that the way the author kept switching from place to place in each chapter a little confusing (didn't help I am not familiar with all the places in the US) but as the novel went on and I started to understand who was who it became easier to follow when there was a switch in character and place and by the end I liked the style of knowing what was going on everywhere.

One thing I found annoying about this book was that I couldn't really connect with the characters. The storyline was great but the only one I felt myself feeling sympathy toward was Saxon and I think that was because his emotions felt real. Apart from him I did feel quite detached from the rest of the character and just couldn't connect with them. Maybe it was because the seemed a bit more ruthless or there wasn't enough of a back story to create a relationship. Other than that, the only other thing I struggled with as it broke up the fast paced nature of the book was there were a few typos and grammar errors that had me re-reading sentences a few times. Although it was easy to figure out what the author meant and they were minor it did detract slightly as I had to pause and question what I was reading.

Overall though The Angelites presented a unique spin on the angel/demon genre and I enjoyed the concept. The story, although a bit confusing at the start, is well structured, had a solid storyline and only got better as it went on. It was filled with loads of action and kept me turning pages at a quick pace. If you try this book I would definitely recommend sticking with it as it is an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next installment. 





Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Book Spotlight - Generation Z, Birth of the Zompire by Bill Rockwell

Generation Z Birth of the ZompireGeneration Z, Birth of the Zompire


Description
When Damon Drake is brutally attacked by both a vampire and two zombies, he awakens as a new creature, a zompire–more than an evil vampire, and much more than a mindless zombie. As he discovers his newly acquired abilities and tries to convince the police that he is no danger to human society, he wonders if he and Gabby have any future together. Can their two species even coexist, much less have love expressed between members? Gabby worries—how much has Damon’s conversion changed the man she once loved? Can she love him in his new form?
It is only through mutual trust and cooperation, however, that they can succeed in hunting down the offending vampire, discover the motive behind his attack, destroy him and defeat his zombie army. Can they rediscover their love along the way, or will their differences lead to their mutual destruction?


Genre: Fantasy, paranormal vampire romance, horror.

Buy Link: Amazon

About the Author
I consider myself a storyteller first, even above the physician, pediatrician and allergist I was trained to be. I have been writing my entire life, although the stories I wrote as a child and youth in high school have long been lost to household moves and attrition. As a physician, I had little time to write fiction, and most of my writing centered on medical research. Once I retired from practice, I went back to writing stories.

I must be descended from a long line of cavemen who sat around a campfire (built by some other member of the tribe, of course), telling tales of the animals my ancestors hunted, and all the adventures (probably invented by my relatives) that occurred in those hunts. In other words, my ancestors were all fiction authors…liars, really, since these adventures and mythical creatures were simply that: mythical, invented in their minds, and designed to evoke the most emotion in their listeners
So, what does that make me? Answer: the modern novelist who asks “What if,” and then answers with a fantastic and entertaining story. I sincerely hope my stories please and entertain you, maybe take you away from the reality of today’s problems for a short period of time, and are inspirational in other ways to your life.


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Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday (13)





This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
To participate you:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from...




The Diamond of Drury Lane (Cat Royal, #1)
The Diamond of Drury Lane (Cat Royal Series) by Julia Golding




"I didn't see exactly what Johnny did, but next thing the man was doubled up, hands clenched to his stomach, and we were running out on to St Giles High Street, and away. 'I can't breathe!'"
Page 201


Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle 

Monday, 1 April 2013

Review ~ The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) - Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark
ARC received in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Expected release: 9th April 2013
ISBN: 9780345531704

Description
“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

My Opinion
The main thing that attracted me to this book was the cover, it is absolutely beautiful and now that I have read it I love how the smokey dress effect links in with the plot. I'm not normally a fan of books set in a historical setting but I know quite a bit about the WW1 so for once a book set in this time period intrigued me as there were paranormal elements.

I liked the originality of the story and how the author picked on different paranormal species. As well as this it was one I would have believed to normally be aimed at guys so it was a nice twist to take dragons and turn them into a book girls would love. 

The romance in this book was the main thing I liked. It was developed well and consistent throughout, I may have liked a little more passion but it was in keeping with the time period so may have looked slightly odd if the author had. Jesse was definitely my favourite character and I fell in love with his personality. I was a bit colder towards Armand but by the end I had grown to like him too. 

As well as this for once I actually liked the fact that Lora is an orphan. Generally if I read anything like this in description it turns me straight off a book as I find them full of cliches and the same stereotypical drama. The Sweetest Dark however did none of this and I thought that Shana Abe did an excellent job of creating an interesting character that doesn't use their past as a way to create sympathy by bringing it up every second. I fell in love with Lora because of her actions and quick wit not because she whined about her past and pitied herself.

There were a few things that  I didn't like though. For one, the writing at times was quite jumpy and moved from one scene to the next abruptly with the use of an asterisk rather than the author filling in what happens during the blank moments. I can handle this a few times in a book but sometimes there was only 2/3 paragraphs in between and at times it felt like the author didn't know how to link up sections with detail so resorted to missing it out altogether. As well as this at random points in the book a few letters were used as chapters. Although they are cleared up towards the end and I understood at that point, while reading them they became increasingly annoying as I had no idea who was meant to be reading/writing them, who they were for, or what they signified. This added to the jumpy nature of the book and broke up the flow.

Overall though The Sweetest Dark was an enjoyable read, and I liked how the action picked up towards the end. It's a book that makes you fall in love with the characters and I'm glad I have received the sequel via NetGalley too so I can start it straight away.


3.5

Cover Reveal - The Color Keepers by Catriona Creehan

The Color Keepers
by Catriona Creehan 

Revamped with a BRAND NEW COVER!!

Revised & expanded with NEVER BEFORE SEEN CONTENT!!!!
cover by PhatPuppy Art http://phatpuppyart.com

Release: May 1, 2013

Blurb

Hoping to have a good change and good ending to go with it, Emily, a 16- year-old girl from Ohio, has moved to sunny California.

Moving to a new town can be scary, especially a new school. So when Sam, the most popular kid there, looks her way, she can't believe this is happening to her.
Everything seems to be working out fine. That is, until her mother buys an enchanted mirror by mistake.

Suddenly, Emily finds herself in a whole new world, full of talking animals, magic and more change than she was hoping for.

With the help of her new crush, Sam, and her annoyingly goofy 12-year-old brother James, Emily sets out to save their world and ours.


Author Links:



Leave a comment and tell me what you think of the cover! :)

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