Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor {Book # 1}

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Audio: Hachette Audio
Date of Publication: Sept. 27, 2011
Format: audiobook, hardcover, paperback
Source:  free download from Sync
Get Your Own Copy: Amazon | The Book Depository |         

Goodreads Blurb: 
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

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


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

My Thoughts:
As I sit here, deciding how to start this review, I find myself having a hard time getting my feelings out.
Why? (I am sure you are asking..)
Most people would think it is because I couldn't relate to the book or the characters, right?  But I am here to tell you that is completely the opposite here.

I FREAKING FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY!! I MEAN HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE!

The reason I am having such a hard time is because I feel like there isn't really words to describe this wonderful piece of literature.  I wish I could pluck millions of shiny stars from the sky to bestow upon this book, instead of just a few five.  So forgive me if I sound like a fangirl swooning over some hot number, but I have to say this is has made my list of one of my favorite books of all times.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone takes this doomed love situation and puts a heart wrenching unexpected twist upon it, creating an amazing fairy tale for young and old to enjoy.  It really has the most basic and simple plot line: a "Romeo and Juliet" type scenario of forbidden love, but then Ms. Taylor tells it from such a unique perspective that you find yourself immersed in a rich and complex story that is anything but simple.

The characters are strong proud beings, some having to work through their faults and broken past, while others are so evil you can just feel the darkness lurking inside of them.  No matter what you will have some very strong emotions towards all the characters in this book.
Karou is such an interesting female heroine.  I adore her so much!  Not once does she irritate me and I feel like we learn so much with her (and from her) as she learns more about her history.  She is a strong persona, even though she feels like there is something missing from inside her life, and accepts the strangeness of her family with a wholeness that is something to admire.  I love that one of her passions is sketching; I feel like this adds even more to her already artistic surroundings.  She seems like she would be  a wonderful friend, loyal and true, fun yet serious, and did I mention she has blue hair?  Yeah she is that great!
Akiva is our male counterpart to Karou and has many of the same strong traits as she does.  He is brave, loyal, and yet has this terrible grief that keeps him a broken mess of a man. Or angel.  Just as the reader is drawn to Karou's mesmerizing personality, Akiva finds he cannot stop thinking about the strange girl with blue hair.  It is an obvious tear jerker to see how Akiva tries to cope with these emotions he has toward Karou and seeing the turmoil in him because he doesn't want to feel anything anymore.
Besides watching the dynamics between these two powerful lead characters, Taylor gives us some very unusual and personable supporting characters, like Brimstone and Zuzana, that add even more heart to this already heartfelt story.

Then we move on to the world building in Daughter of Smoke and Bone that helps create this magically exceptional place where humans coincide with supernatural beings without even realizing it.  Prague, in itself, sounds mysterious just by the name, but then we get to explore some of the maze like streets there with Karou and we find ourselves being swept away to a dreamland place.  A place where people feel comfortable searching for ghosts, where the architectural designs are based off ancient civilizations beautifully restored, and where people are content to appreciate the beauty that surrounds such a magical place.
The descriptions of the real and unreal areas are so well maintained, even now I can close my eyes and bring each and every detail to mind, like I am being transported there right now.  It is like a world within a world within a world...so forth and so on.
Taylor uses such descriptive and powerful imagery it feels like the Chimera and the Seraphim could just jump right off the page (or in my case through the headphones) into my living room.  When she describes Brimstone's dusty old shop, it isn't hard to picture him at his desk, counting teeth, the silence hanging in the air like an old friend, as Karou sits with him enthralled at his detailed work.
I also love how every little detail and plot thread comes back to the bigger idea or main plot. Basically everything ties in and you don't have any nonsense threads leading to nowhere.  There are no fillers but everything is there that should be there.
There is a lot of flashbacks in this story, which normally gets on my nerves, but for Daughter of Smoke and Bone , it seems like the flashbacks help us learn just what we need to instead of overloading us with too much information too soon.  We also get the story told from Akiva and Karou's perspectives so that helps us see it from two different sides: angel and Chimera / human.
It is a metaphorical fairy tale that forces us to take a long hard look at what we consider good and evil and then realize that there is always exceptions to this rule.  Especially when true love is involved.  Speaking of the love aspect, I found it not to be the "insta-love" sensation but instead we get to see the relationship build along with the nerves, and the butterflies that new lovebirds experience.

Audiobook Review:
The narrator, Kristine Hvam, is the most amazing storyteller I have ever heard! The feeling she puts behind the different character voices makes an already thrilling story that more creative.  The way Hvam disguises her voice, from an angel solider to a young woman, to a Czech art student to a hulking beast of a Chimera, she has this quality to make you get lost in her voice and disappear into the prose.    I honestly felt like an old friend, listening in to Karou's conversations, laughing with her, grieving with her, and more importantly, falling in love too.

All in all.....this was the most amazingly crafted work of art I have ever read.  It was magical, entertaining, and had me spellbound from the minute I heard Hvam's interpretation of Karou's voice.  I highly recommend listening the audiobook version of it.  Even if you are not a fan of audiobooks (I wasn't at first either) Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the one audio book that will make you a fan of them.  It literally took my breath away!

Book Review: Origin by Jessica Khoury

Title: Origin
Author: Jessica Khoury
Publisher: Razorbill
Date of Publication: Sept. 4, 2012
Format: hardcover, 394 pages
Source: bought
Get your own: Amazon | [ash-ling] Booksellers | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.
Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

           
My Thoughts:
I loved this story!  I was super excited about it as soon as I found out about it and was practically drooling on myself when it came in the mail (after I bought it from a wonderful indie bookstore in the author's hometown).  The cover itself is pretty spectacular in itself.  The lush and dark jungle in the background, and there in the middle is this bright being coming forward.  Oh and the words are raised too which is always fun to caress.  Yes, I know I have issues but I just can't help it!  I love books that much!

All of the characters in Origin are very interesting but my favorites were the jungle tribe, Ai'oans, and yes, Eio, too.  I think I fell in love with Eio the minute he walks into the picture.  I mean wow!  But I digress.
Let's talk about our main protagonist, Pia, who is this immortal girl living among many scientists in the middle of the Amazon jungle.  When I first met Pia I felt like she had this air about her; maybe a little uppity in her "perfection", especially when the new female scientist comes to Little Cam.  But it didn't take me long to fall in love with her sweet nature, her ability to find the good in everything, and dangerous curiosity.
Even though Pia seems so indestructible, we come to find how fragile she really is, especially emotionally.

The antagonists in the story are very very creepy.  It was almost scary because this world doesn't seem to far off from what these people did.  We were showed how far a person was willing to go to achieve their dreams.  And it was a frightening concept.

The plot lines in this novel are just amazing to me!  It is science fiction but with a young adult twist to it.  Usually science fiction is really not my thing but I found it nearly impossible to put Origin down, staying up late into the night reading page after page of this beautifully descriptive jungle.  Ms. Khoury does a wonderful job of describing the jungle in such prose that made me gasp at the picture in my mind.  I was transformed into an Ai'oan, walking through this gorgeous and very dangerous place as I kept reading.  It was truly an outstanding journey with Pia.  As Pia discovered heart wrenching secrets, we were also tore apart from the terrible lessons Pia had to learn.
I loved that among all the scientific discoveries, all the morality vs. immorality issues, there was a love story blossoming in the night.  Eio is one of  my favorite characters of the year.  He is smart, funny, mesmerizing, and has this snarky way about him, even though many of the Little Cam residents felt he was a savage.  Eio is a male character that believes wholeheartedly in his emotions, never once questioning his feelings.  Loved it!  Pia, however is as always a different matter.  But she was of course raised by scientists and learned to always question everything.

Origin is a great love story but it is so much more than that too.  It is more than just science fiction, more than young adult; it expands to cover many different genres and engulfs us into a world where one girl will have to choose between love and life.  This is one story that I recommend everyone read!
I gave it five hearts!

*Every copy of Origin bought from ash-ling Booksellers is a signed copy.  It is the indie bookstore in Jessica Khoury's hometown, Toccoa, GA.  

             

Book Review: Ordained {The Immortal Archives # 1}

Title: Ordained
Series: The Immortal Archives
Author: Devon Ashley
Publisher: Self
Date of Publication: March 25, 2011
Format: ebook, paperback
Source: bought

Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.
Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.
Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.
-goodreads summary

My Thoughts:
 Ordained was one of those books that didn't give me chills all over from excitement but it didn't make me want to stop reading either.  Ever since I seen this book I have been craving to read it.  I was so hyped up for it and I guess I felt like a little let down when I did get my hands on it.  This isn't to say it was terrible book-it wasn't.  I liked this book very much; it just wasn't one of my favorites.  
I liked Abby, our main heroine, a lot.  Abby is powerfully strong, magical, very snarky, and short on temper.  Her husband, Noel, is also a pretty cool character too.  He is smart, calm, and extremely protective.  I think Noel and Abby make the perfect couple: they are like yin and yang to each other.  Noel has this way that he can anchor Abby to her saneness, instead of falling to the darkside.  
I absolutely adored the fact that Noel and Abby are already married.  Most of the time in books, you are seeing the two court each other and fall in love, but with Ordained that has already happened.  We get to see the married couple and the way they are with each other now.  Love it!  Was this a romance?  Not in the traditional sense, but we still got to see the love and devotion between Abby and Noel.  Even though Abby has these good and bad powers swirling around inside her, I felt like she was portrayed as an exceptional caretaker, especially where Emily, our second heroine, was concerned.
Emily, for me, was much more of a mystery.  I knew she was important but at times it seemed like she was just there as bridge between Abby and the Order.  The action was incredible, the fight scenes pretty spectacular, and the villains terrible (especially the ones that were supposed to be good).  
I also like the originality of the idea of a pure vampire compared to the "mutant" vampires.  But the explanations were very confusing and took a little away for me.  I still feel a little lost and hope it gets cleared up better in the second book.  The end is sorta of a cliff hanger which helped make up for the lacking I felt in other areas of the book.  It took a long time to get where we needed to be, but once we were there, the story was incredibly good.
All in all, Ordained is an enjoyable read.  I look forward to continuing the journey in Book 2 and I hope to see Abby, Noel, and Emily grow in their personal lives.
I gave it 3 hearts.  

Get Your Own Copy:  Amazon  

In My Mailbox(5)

Kristi at The Story Siren created this neat little meme where we can show what we got in our "mailbox" whether it be bought, borrowed, or sent to us for review.  If you would like to participate visit The Story Siren so you can get started!
Thank you to the following for sending me these books:

KaSonndra Leigh

F.T. Bradley

June Spears

Bridget Zinn

Disney-Hyperion

For Review:

Bought:

{I am excited to read this but I need to grab the first one SOON!!}

What do you have In Your Mailbox?

Book Review: Storm {Elemental # 1} by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Storm
Series: The Elemental Series # 1
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Kensington
Date of Publication: April 24, 2012
Format: ebook, 353 pages (also available in paperback)
Source: won from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Get your Own:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want, ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.
And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.
Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.
The storm is coming.

-goodreads summary

My Thoughts:
I won this as a choice from Miss Leigh Ann from Silver Wings Reviews and I am so happy that I got it!

Storm is a emotional rollercoaster of so many heavy issues I found myself up and down with every turn of the page.  But I liked this!  I liked the fact that there was so much humanity in this paranormal story with characters that can control the elements.  These people are broken and tortured like a fresh wound that refuses to heal, yet they keep going and try to hold out for something more.
We have four brothers that can control the Elements-water, air, earth, and fire- trying to live in a neighborhood that fears them and bullies them constantly.  And then our female lead, Becca, is also being tortured in her own way.  It is amazing when these people find each other and help the other see the good in themselves.
This story is centered more on Chris Merrick, who can draw strength from water and Becca Chandler, who helps Chris escape from a near death beating by the local bullies.  There is an instant connection between these two but definitely not the "insta-love" syndrome.  You can see the attraction between the two but you can also see that  they don't completely trust each other either.  We actually get to see this relationship and friendship grow and it is refreshing.
One other character that is pretty important (besides the other brothers) is the new guy, nicknamed "New Guy".  That was pretty funny too how Becca and her friend, Quinn, called him that for a while.  For the rest of us, his name is Hunter and he is a pretty cool guy.  I liked him a lot even though we learn some interesting things about him, he is still one of my "dudes" that I would keep.
The plot lines are pretty heavy indeed in Storm.  These are some tough issues these teens have to deal with: bullying, violence, sexual violence, and family problems; not to mention these are some powerfully magic folks too.
If I had one problem with the story, it would be that the attempted rape isn't took very seriously for Becca.  She should have did much more than just pretend it didn't happen.  Unfortunately, I do believe this happens a lot in real life and perhaps that is why Kemmerer wrote Becca like this.  The only other problem I had was the fact that Becca kept drifting between Chris and Hunter a lot.  I felt like she was leading one on and then the other.  But after we figure out more about Becca's mindset then that does help to explain a lot more to me.
Storm kept me guessing to the very end.  There was really only one part that I figured out pretty early but it was because of the very convincing clues left by Kemmerer that I was able to get to that conclusion.
I would encourage everyone to read the novella, Elemental, that comes out before Storm.  It is the small story of Michael, the oldest brother, and it gives us a little background on the bullying.
I am going to tell you right now you will probably cry in this story (I did alot!) but there are some parts you will smile and laugh too.  Kemmerer did an excellent job of writing a moving YA paranormal romance with some serious drama too.  I am totally in love with this series!
The Merrick brothers are those "bad boy" good guys that you can't help but love.  Everyone is against them and yet you can still see the sweet gentle quality in them.  I cannot wait until Nick, one of the twins, has his on book.  That is going to be fun, especially since Nick is the calm one of the family.

All in all, I really appreciate the fact that Kemmerer decided to write about some heavy hitting situations that teenagers have to face in real life, and put it into a YA Paranormal read.  I like that she didn't sugar coat it for us but believed enough in us, the readers, to handle it.
I gave Storm four hearts!

Favorite Quote:

Goddamn, it hurt. He hadn't even broken the skin, and he was already sweating.  "Nick," he said.  "I think I'm going to need you to bite my arm.""I think I'm going to need you to run that by me again."

ARC Review: Chase Danger Super Spy: Pirates of Pineapple Island

Title: Chase Danger Super Spy: Pirates of Pineapple Island
Series: Chase Danger Super Spy book 2
Author: Lisa, Chad, and Chase Oliveria
Illustrations: Adam Goodman
Publisher: Magic Fire Music Studios
Date of Publication: August 2012
Source: received from author for honest opinion of it.
Get Your Own: website


Synopsis:

7-year-old super-spies Chase Danger and Princess Ali Bali must think fast when they discover pirates have stolen Zalezgon's magical pineapples. But that's not all! Ali's little brother Aiden has been kidnapped by the dreaded pirate Captain Looney, who is planning on taking over the world with his newly invented Weather Rockets!
Hang-gliding, jungles, giant sharks, super Roller Coasters, pirates, and a sky-dive will keep your children's attention from start to finish and give them a thirst for adventure!

Mom's Thoughts:
I just love Chase Danger!  If you just look at the cover you can tell this is one little boy who can get the tough jobs done!  But then add to the mix, a mysterious little girl and they make a great team that makes this book for both boys and girls. I love the graphics in this book.  All the different colors, the different characters  being portrayed, makes me get excited and my children are no different!  When we got book #2 in the mail, all I could hear was squeals of happiness as they ripped open the packaging to get their hands on this book.  Do you know what makes this book even more better?  The fact that it brings together all of my boys.  My nine year old twins love it because of all the action and different spy gadgets; my seven year old adores Chase and Ali Bali and loves reading it out aloud, and my four year old loves to sit among his older brothers listening to the read-along cd that comes with it; not to mention he loves sword fights.  I think this would be the perfect gift for that reluctant reader or any child that just loves a really good story! ***** stars for me!

Anthony and Conner's Thoughts:
We loved the first book but I think this one just made it even better!  When we first got our hands on this book, (we jerked out of our mom's hands-sorry Mom) all we wanted to do was just look at the pictures before we even started reading it.  Anthony and I just love the pictures!  We have even tried our hand at drawing a couple of Chase Danger scenes, but we aren't really that great at it.
Anthony: Okay hands down, my favorite part is when they ride the roller coaster and then shoot into the sky!  This is why I will not ride a roller coaster at Six Flags; you never know when this could happen!  (Okay, so it is probably next to impossible...) But it was pretty exciting reading about it.  I really like Chase but my favorite character is Ali Bali.  She is so tough and I think she makes a great friend for Chase.
This is one of those books that is great for older and younger kids, girls or boys.
Conner: We have really gotten into comic books lately.  Our dad bought us a lot of comics the other day.  That is a major reason I like Chase Danger so much.  It is written out like a comic book would be.  It is easy to follow along to and the read along cd makes all the action seem to come alive.  After listening to it the first time, our little brother, Jace, picked up a toy sword and started pretending he was Chase.  It was really funny, but even more funnier when our other brother, Mikey, decided he was going to be Captain Looney.  He does that part really well-he is kinda crazy.
I like that we have this story that all of us can enjoy.  It's something that us big kids can read, but little kids get a real kick out of all the funny scenes, like with the shark. In fact, we all kinda laughed at that one. I am a huge fan of spy movies, like Spy Kids, and this series is a lot like that.  It is funny, exciting, and has a lot of interesting different characters.  Even the villains have some cool parts; but it the most fun watching Chase and Ali put the bad guys away.
I wish we could give it more than five stars; like a hundred!  Because it is really that great!
Mikey and Jacey's Thoughts

Mikey: I think it is super cool that Chase and I are the same age.  I always like to imagine the different things I could do, like travel to outer space, but it is really fun to act out the scenes from the Chase Danger series.
Chase and I have a lot in common, but most importantly, we get our strength from eating pizza! I love pizza, though not really pineapples much.  My favorite scene was Operation Baby Safe.  I love little babies and it was funny when Chase said, "born potty trained!"  I can understand how Aiden gets his feelings hurt from his sister.  My brothers tend to do that to me and it is easy to think they don't care about me.  I am just glad my feelings can't set off rockets!  That wouldn't be good at all!  I really liked the surprise we find out in this book and I can't wait for book 3!
Jacey:  I love the sword fighting!  Yah!  I like to hear the sounds that come from the cd and I always get to turn the page too.  I am even learning which words are Chase, spy, and Danger.  I really like this book a lot and I always get really excited to hear it before I go to bed at night.  Sometimes, its fun just to listen to the cd, and other times I like hearing my mom read the book to us.  She does pretty good voices with our different stuffed animals and she can read books pretty good too.  I want to give this book as a present to our cousins for Christmas.

All in all, we have all talked and decided Chase Danger Super Spy and The Pirates of Pineapple Island deserve five stars!  This is one of those books that you can read over and over again and it just keeps the excitement level constant!

Make sure you stay tuned in the next few days because we will be having an interview with someone very special to this series.

Audio Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna Book #2
Publisher: Tor Teen
Audio Publisher: AudioGo
Audio Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Format: mp3, 10hr 4 min,
Source: received from AudioGo for my honest opinion of it.
Get Your Own: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: It’s been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can’t move on.
His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they’re right, but in Cas’s eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he’s seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong... these aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor

-goodreads blurb 

 My Thoughts:
I would like to say thank you to AudioGo for sending me Girl of Nightmares on mp3 for review.

I absolutely loved the audio version of Girl of Nightmares!  I wasn't too keen on the narrator, August Ross, while he read the first book, but he came back in full stride and really changed my opinion of his skills in this one.  As soon as I turned it on, I just leaned back, closed my eyes and found myself swept away with Ross' chilling narration.
Character Development- Cas is this crude, gritty, tough hero that has a soft side hidden deep within himself that he finds surprising when it surfaces out.  He tells people how things are and doesn't really care if it puts him in another light.  He is brutally honest and I love him for it.  Cas really grows throughout this series and learns a lot about himself, his friends, and his ability to love.
Thomas is a darling.  I have to admit, besides the main protagonists, Thomas is one of my favorites.  The voice August Ross gives him is part hippie, part surfer dude.  And it fits his personality.  Thomas is so laid back, hardly getting too worked up over situations.  He always tries to find the silver lining, even when there is darkness everywhere.  The scene where Cas and Thomas go visit Thomas' Finnish aunt is extremely spooky and extremely funny.  I had to gag a little thinking about the cookies Thomas sucked down.  (Not giving anything else away-just read it! :) )
I have always liked Ana.  She is this cursed soul that has been put through so much, never being able to really live, and still has this spunk to her that makes me smile.  She is definitely a good match to Cas' attitude.
We have a lot of the same characters here, including Carmel, and we also meet a lot of new characters.  These new people help Cas reach his goal and help tie everything together in the end.
Plot-  Girl of Nightmares is so, so , so good!  It is a dark story but it does have these snarky comments thrown in, to help lessen the stress, if you will.  I really enjoyed the fact that Blake could write a scene to scare the hell out of me, but even then, still throw in a joke to let me laugh the fright off a little.

He smiles at me like he is Yoda and I'm just a dumbass without the force,"

There is action in this book but Girl of Nightmares is more of an emotionally charged book, showing Cas so broken and sad to seeing him realize the power he has within himself.  Kendare Blake did an exceptional job of painting such imagery that the reader can feel Cas' heartbreak, Ana's pain, Thomas' power, and Carmel's insecurity.
Blake also does a really wonderful job of world building, especially in Girl of Nightmares, when our "ghostbuster" team has to travel to many different places.  The Suicide Forest was the scariest thing I have ever heard (and dummy me, I listened to it at night, with all the lights off, and everyone else asleep).
The pacing was just right. I didn't find myself bored with it at all.  I liked learning more about the athame's past and why it does the things it does.  Yes, it is much more than just a knife.
Blake's interpretation of Hell was so interesting and very scary and breathtaking.  It was a different take, yet based on a lot of classic examples.

"This place exists in the wake of a scream..."

The best part about this novel or series, is that the point of view is from our male protagonist, Cas.  I feel like we don't have enough YA books from a male p.o.v and it is refreshing to get a book that can pull it off this well.  He is gritty, curses when the need arises, sarcastic as hell, and doesn't question his feelings for Ana.  He embraces the love he has for her and it shows with the very depth he is willing to take to save his beloved Ana.
Narration-August Ross has really stepped his game up in narrating Girl of Nightmares.  I wasn't really impressed with his style in the first book, but he has totally turned my opinion around in this second book.  This guy has so many great accents hidden up his sleeves; southern, Scottish, Finnish, English, and of course, Carmel's voice.  Sorry that is the only one I had a tough time with.  Other than that one, Ross sounds like a completely different person.  He is also superb at conveying the intensity of the situation, capturing you with the fullness of his voice.
I had to give Girl of Nightmares five hearts, more if I could!

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Book Review: Darkness Rising: {Legends of Marithia Book #2} by Peter Koevari

Title: Darkness Rising
Series: Legends of Marithia
Author: Peter Koevari
Publisher: self
Date of Publication: November 15, 2011
Source: ebook, 260 pages (received copy from author for my honest opinion of it)
Get Your Own: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:In the aftermath of the Battle of the Elven Woods, the two legends of Marithian prophecy are both dangerously close to the dark grip of death as Marithia suffers under the powers of the Blood Red Moon.
Vartan, prophesised to save Marithia, lays spellbound under the protection of the mythical dragons. The vampire sorceress Kassina, prophesised to bring about their Armageddon has been moved to the underworld by the demon lord himself, Shindar.
A seed of the gods has grown and their greatest gift to Marithians, Anakari, makes her fated journey to discover her purpose.

A former shining jewel of Marithian peace, castle Greenhaven, remains in ruins after its defeat under Kassina's forces and the elves rebuild their war torn city of Veldrenn.
Talonsphere must be found before Marithia merges with the Underworld and Shindar brings about the world's end

My Thoughts:
Please visit my review of the first book in the series here.

Peter Koevari does a fantastic job of world building in this novel.  We learned about Marithia in the first book, and yet I find that I am still being immersed in another side of it in this second installment.  This story has it all : noble dragons, loyal elves, fragile humans, and fierce vampires.  Yes!  I just said vampires!  That is what initially brought me to this series-the concept of having a high fantasy with all your classic characters but then vampires were added to the mix.  It definitely gives fantasy a new twist.
I really liked this idea but I noticed I had a hard time getting into the second novel.  There were parts that seemed to drag on and on without really getting to the point.  This was in the beginning but towards the middle and definitely the end, I found myself going, "Oh my goodness, didn't see that coming!"
Vartan is a strong male lead who is noble and always thinking of his country, his people, and his freedom.  It is filling watching Vartan make the choices he makes and the way he puts himself in the path of danger to save one person.  It was also crushing to see his reaction to Tusdar.
Speaking of Tusdar...wow!  He has been crucial to the story; much more than I thought he would.  I really liked him in the first book and so it is nice to see him still around in the second book.  I can't really talk about him that much because I don't want to give anything away, but he is in love just as much as Vartan is with his love.
In fact, we get to see the concept of love from both sides: good and evil.  It is a nice touch to a story that likes to blur the lines between good and evil.  I feel like there is a lot of the gray area in this story.
We also meet some new characters in the story and we finally get a small but explosive peek into what the gods really are doing.
I still find myself confused by the whole concept of the Talonsphere.  I understand what it will do, who needs to activate it (and who doesn't), and the reason it was made; but I guess I am just anxious for it to be brought to the front.
Nevertheless, there are so many surprising twists in the story you will literally be shaking your head, never seeing it coming.  
Darkness Rising is a high fantasy story that takes many different elements into consideration to take us on an  imaginative journey through a land that is on the brink of falling apart without its hero finding his true potential.
I give it four hearts.

Connect with Peter Koevari a few ways:
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