DNF Review: Initiation + Excerpt

Click here to read a character interview with Octavia!

my thoughts in a few sentences: Despite the fun setting of a boarding school chockfull of paranormals roaming about, and the one romantic interest that intrigued the hell out of me, I couldn't endure a heroine who pretty much posed as a nuisance at every turn and continue with the confusingly plotted story line, in which we are thrust into the story with little introduction and background information, wholly expected to understand what's going on with very little clues to work with. Even if that were all, there is only one character in the story that pulled any interest out of me and the rest fell flat to my estimation, striking me with slight interest, a mild curiosity that wasn't enough to propel my reading pace.

hooking first line:"Trust No One. The wooden plaque hanging over the bed couldn't be any more in-your-face. "

Rating: Did Not Finish | Self-Published • Blog Tour • Paranormal Romance • 12/25/11 • $14.99

Review: The Summoning

The Summoning

by Kelley Armstrong

Add it to Goodreads?
Purchase at Amazon?
Release Date: July 1, 2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Special Shelf
About the Book:

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either...

Twelve Years Earlier... Mommy forgot to warn the new babysitter about the basement...

None of the hype wrapped snugly around the Darkest Powers series could've prepared me for the darkly edged mystery, the quick-paced plot, and the band of teen characters passed off as mere crazies that no paranormal fiction reader should do without! From the appetizer of the story, in which a teeny-tiny Chloe is lured into the basement of her house by something sinister, to the action-rampant, sinfully addictive full course, Armstrong tossed me into a supernatural world that held me as much captive as the characters turn out to be by the work of the operators of Lyle House. The entire series itself is so powerfully hooking that there is absolutely no way to avoid extending out a hand with an expectant, More, please, which comes out sounding less like a tentative question and more like a resounding demand.

Normally, Chloe Saunders would be the last fictional girl in the world I would choose as the lead to an explosive paranormal series such as this. But, as I progressed through the story, I realized that there would've been no one more perfect. Chloe goes through a stage of genuine denial about the ghosts she's seeing - it doesn't help that the "experts" at Lyle House are persuading her to believe that there is something psychologically unbalanced at the root of her behavior, her "hallucinations." However, as the pieces begin to fit, Chloe begins to believe in what she's been otherwise enforced to dismiss. I like a girl who can keep her wits about her in a brutal situation, who can formulate her own opinion, make up her own mind based on the evidence given. She's not stupid in the least. At first glance Chloe is a self-proclaimed Plain Jane with a yearning to be something more exciting (a relatable wish), but she's smart and, over the course of the book, she develops some spine.

Unraveling the deeply disturbing mystery of Lyle House and the kids' connection to their ominous captors while simultaneously  being introduced to the other characters is as entertaining and riveting as a soap opera, as dangerous and creepy as a murder mystery novel/movie, with minor (perfect) touches of teen drama you can only find in your average American television drama series. A jealous girl quick to exact predictable revenge in surprising ways, eerie adults waiting and watching every move being made, and unknown consequences for misbehavior that give off waves of untold horrors make for an irresistible plot line and an unbidden desire for answers that compels you to move through the book swiftly!

There is no immediate romance, and I don't mean instalove. There are romantic interests of a kind, but no romance is introduced in this book. Still, the name Derek being passed around in squees and shouts between bloggers around the blogosphere was enough to coax me to read these books. And because I obtained some pre-knowledge on this area of the novels, boundless excitement for the romance to play out hummed throughout my time reading the book and it's sequels.

The Summoning is a flawless kick-off to the electrifying Darkest Powers series, and in my eagerness to read more, I forgot to note favorite parts in the book before returning this book to my library. This book is so amazing, though, that I'm almost certain I would've wanted to copy and paste the whole book! This is a series that, if you haven't by now (a minor setback, really), must be taken up and read immediately!

Review: After Obsession

After Obsession

by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

Add it to Goodreads?
Purchase at Amazon?
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library Check-Out
Rating: Eye-Catcher
About the Book:

Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.

You are mine. You all will be mine. These are the words I hear every single freaking morning since my friend Courtney’s dad died...

I'd never read anything written by the Carrie Jones and Steven Wedel before After Obsession. I'd never read Jones's Need series, so my first time being exposed to her writing came in the form of After Obsession. And while I see the potential there, and I'd LOVE to say that I really enjoyed this book, I was majorly disappointed. What starts with a totally intriguing opening morphs into a non-engaging, 'where have I seen this before?' kind of tale. Despite the fresh spin on a relatively common paranormal element and the glimmers of humor derived from the fun dialogue, I was disappointed in the weaving of the story and the quickie romance that ensues after the main characters meet!

Although Amy has her moments of humor and quick wit, that wasn't enough to tide me over throughout this story. She comes across as dull and boring. Relatable? Yeah, kind of. But she isn't a lovable heroine, who sucked me into the story and made me want to stick around. I actually found her family to be much more interesting!

Gramps and Benji are great supporting characters that definitely know how to tug laughs out of you. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the cast! Courtney, Amy's best friend, is going through a tough time, what with her dad floating around in the deep blue sea and, you know, a DEMON has turned her into the next Regan MacNeil. Yet I kept asking myself, do I even care? And the answer was no. I didn't give a crap about this poor girl suffering from being constantly jumped by the aforementioned demon. I couldn't make a connection. And I didn't understand what was so amazing about Courtney and Amy's bestfriendship. Why are they best friends?

Alan, though slightly more alluring (at first), turned out to be another dislikable character. As the main romantic lead, I want some spark, some delectable chemistry, and that something that makes you want him. He's nothing more than a pretty face with a super cool heritage and a poor choice in girlfriends if you ask me. Amy is not all that in a bag of chips, and I just didn't get the romance.

As the story progressed it's enjoyability decreased steadily, boring me more and more, until it got to the point where I ended up skimming the last half of the book. The resolution? Blech. The ending didn't move me at all, didn't motivate me to read on about this couple should this evolve into a series. Overall, I hope After Obsession isn't a reflection of what's to come during Need, which I recently picked up from the library. I'll be majorly disappointed to discover the same lack.

After Obsession is just another beautiful face, with nothing stunning inside to discuss and nothing worth concocting a brilliant plan to trap your parents into buying the book.

ECs start out as pleasant, the cover and synopsis draw the eye, but are ultimately deceiving. They keep your attention absorbed for a certain amount of chapters before you realize, sadly, that they're not the books for you... (My Rating System In-Depth)

Aimee: “Attention, people talking about me: I. Am. Right. Here,” I say, pulling my hand away. I decide to go somewhere safe and conflict-free. “Look, Alan, I’m not going to ask about Oklahoma and moving because - no offense - I’m sure it sucks and you’re sick of it, so I’m just going to bring you slam-bang into my life, unless you want me to ask you the required questions, because I will, because I care, but I don’t want to be.. I don’t know. I don’t want to bore you with the same old-same old.”
His lips quiver. He leans back and starts laughing again. (31)