Written In Red by Anne Bishop

"Get this into your head, Meg Corbyn. We don't let humans live in our part of the world because we like you. We let you live here because you can be useful, and you've invented things we like having. If it wasn't for that, you'd all be nothing but meat. Which is something you should remember.

Perhaps this day of exasperating consumerism isn't the most suitable day to talk about my time spent with Written In Red but I've been waiting for days to harp on its magnificence, so you'll just have to pardon me.

I started this tale of gripping world-building and heartwarming characters on March 9th... and I just finished it this past Thursday at 2:13am. So you can imagine how creative my frustration-born snarls were this past month at every bold intruder seeking to thwart my slow yet heady race to the elusive finish line. All kinds of distractions crept into my days so that every time I was forced to put the book down, I'd turn a little more of my frustration onto the read instead of blaming my goshdamn life. To the point where I suddenly began to dread re-immersing myself only to have the story remind me how misguided my misery truly was.

You see, in the abstract and technical sense Written In Red shouldn't have appealed to me in the least. I like whimsy and beauty in my writing, less intimidating page length in my book, and a little more obvious romance among my characters because obviously I'm an easily intimidated fanciful hussy like that. So when I was faced with practical, straightforward writing, a whopping 450+ pages, and a smidgen of romance, I expected to find myself printing a return label at the end of this very long, unattractive tunnel.

Instead I'm gazing at it reverently, utterly content with the story I was met with. A story in which I discovered a winding love for a female protagonist who somehow balances kindness, ignorance, and spine without irritating or disenchanting me, for a slew of secondary characters who steadily grew on me in spite of, or maybe because of, their scope, and a world built upon layer after fascinating layer that I got to explore thoroughly. It isn't everyday you can enjoy all those qualities in such a long book and still come out beautifully moved and wholly entertained.

And it all began with the mention of an H.L.D.N.A sign (Human Law Does Not Apply).

"I talked to the members of the Business Association and we all agree that while the woman in the wanted poster bears a strong resemblance to our Liason, they are not the same person."
Monty opened his mouth to disagree, then realized there was no point. Wolfgard knew perfectly well that Meg Corbyn was the woman on the wanted poster.
"We have, of course, taken precautions. Meg Corbyn is now residing in the Green Complex, where safe access is only possible by prior arrangement. I live there. So does Vladimir Sanguinati and Henry Beargard."
Message understood. No one who tried to reach Meg Corbyn when she was asleep or otherwise vulnerable would survive.
Then his face took on a feral look that was terrible to see on an otherwise human face. "Human law doesn't apply in the Courtyard, Lieutenant. No matter what anyone else thinks, Meg Corbyn is ours now--and we protect our own. You make sure you send that message back to whoever made the poster."

Now the Grandfather of the Sanguinatti wishes for Meg the sweetblood to be treated with care. She had thought of the evergreens instead of summer green when she gifted a scarf to Winter, who wears it happily. She remembers library requests and old movie deliveries and treats for the ponies who deliver the mail. She both irritates and calms Simon Wolfgard, coaxes his nephew away from his fear and trauma, and gives the Coyote, the Crows, and the Hawks entertainment every morning. Eating Tess's meals and indulging Jenni the Crow who likes the shiny things and enjoying Henry the Bear's music. It's all the things she thoughtfully does for the various inhuman creatures that surround her that bridge the connection between the two coexisting species whom had never fully understood one another before and now had a better chance of doing so.

Meg is the gateway to trust and respect on both sides, and maybe even affection. Witnessing this slow progression of change is entrancing and amazingly inspiring. It's happy, even among all the viciousness that does and must play out to maintain order. Normal and queer, brave and shy, innocent and tough, Meg makes me want to jump straight into Murder of Crows even after this tormenting month. Because she's the heart of this story, and everyone the heart touches comes alive on the page.

And if I hadn't already committed to reading Anne Bishop's Black Jewels this would've sealed the deal. But my commitment was made when I bought the omnibus for the trilogy several months ago, so I'll just settle for saying that reading this made me want to start quicker than anticipated.

Massmarket Paperback / 487 pgs / March 5th 2013 / Roc Penguin / Goodreads / $7.99

My copy was purchased from Amazon.com.

What did I rate Written In Red?

Reaction to... Night School by C.J. Daugherty

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
In the UK cover design, all there is is a big-faced girl kind of blurred out of focus doing some weird pose with her hand. Other than the red hair, nothing about that cover is cool. Now in my country, we’ve done something a little different. Or A LOT different, and it is so much more awesome! Deliciously enigmatic with all the nighttime stuff going around in the background while an ominous-looking building peers out from the shroud of black and blue. I like that, with the girl heading towards it on the bottom, it looks as if it’s the only light out there, giving the illusion of the possibility of a safe place, when really safe is the last thing it is.

It’s really beautiful, and maybe if I liked this book, I’d have given in and bought it. But, oh, right, I didn’t like this book. I wish I was as impressed with this story as I am with the foliage on the cover.

SUMMARY: Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Allie is a sad, cynical, bitter teenager who makes a mockery of the system every chance she gets, having been arrested a few times in the same year by engaging in rebellion and all that. At last, with her most recent arrest fresh in their minds, her parents have had enough. They’ve had enough of the poor behavior, poor attitude, and lack of respect for the rules; it doesn’t matter that her brother, Christopher, has been missing for a while and that this is really the cause of Allie’s malfunction as a person. So they say, as many parents have done before them—why didn’t my parents ever suggest boarding school, I wonder?—that it is off to Cimmeria Academy for her, where everyone seems to have been attending all their lives and The Rules are suspiciously strict (girlfriend can’t even whip out an iPhone without a serious case of dramalama because The Rules say no computerized technology, and so it makes sense why these kids are so damn crazy).

Little does she know, however, that Cimmeria Academy is not an ordinary boarding school (didn’t you guess?). Everyone is super secretive around her, and though she makes some friends, people are drunkenly falling off buildings and getting attacked by growling "foxes," turning up with their throats slit in the middle of a raging fire, and her headmistress is super hush hush about Allie’s family’s connections, until even the fact that Allie makes a half-insane best friend, two boys are at each other’s throats over her, and she’s actually starting to fit in somewhere, is not enough to mollify Allie. And so the dogged quest for answers begins.

WHERE WE GO:
So the setting of NIGHT SCHOOL by C. J. Daugherty is a boarding school shrouded with mystery. Allie’s never heard of it before, even though it’s obvious that many English rich kids from important families are in attendance. I tried not to roll my eyes at the typical paranormal book setup we’re getting here: girl with an attitude problem ends up on the doorstep of a strange school with even stranger architecture, after which her parents leave her behind and are never heard from again (because what’s a paranormal book without uninvolved parents?). Once she realizes she’s been thrust into a dangerous situation, she receives evasions for her questions, is attacked and manhandled, is fought over by two boys with testosterone issues, and STILL WANTS TO STAY. We recognize this story, yes?

I realize that it looks like I’m in the minority here—what with all these five star ratings on goodreads—but this story is bland and uninventive. Boring. I could’ve ignored that setup I mentioned, because sometimes paranormal book plots don’t stray very far away from each other, but only if that setup had been developed and built upon with interesting layers. Instead the plot meanders to avoid telling us what’s really going on and maybe in an attempt to get me interested enough to care. I didn’t.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Allie, Allie. Al. Whaddup, girlfriend? What the hell is up? At first, she started out as ordinary in that I’ve read many, many main characters just like her. But as I went along, I noticed that there is a little something special, something distinctly Allie about the way she snarks. I started to see some personality, and though I really think she should’ve phoned somebody for help after about five or six chapters in, I did appreciate that she wasn’t willing to take any answers at face value, which were really just shoddy cover ups, even if they were delivered to her by school officials. She questions things and tries to see straight, even if people would rather block her view and continually try to.

But then there came this point where she began to blend into all those other forgotten MCs I’ve sifted through before. Her one defining trait had to be her humor, which I admit, when paired with Carter West, is diabolically awesome and very good fun. I would continue reading this series, on my own time, if only to read scenes between these two. Not so much because Allie likes to climb onto his lap a lot—which is only hot after the first twenty times and then even my eyes start to spazz—but because they have excellent bantering that is very rarely done well when it comes to YA couples in a paranormal setting. They read as friends who like each other and like kissing as opposed to just a girl and guy getting hot for each other.

However, I kid you not, the rest of the characters are a DISASTER area. One girl starts out as a good friend but later turns into a neglected child off her rocker and on the booze. A boy originally liked by the main character is freakishly on top of her every move, showing up randomly and making creepy romantic suggestions, and when she does fall prey to his charm and whatnot, he attempts to take advantage of her. When Allie confronts him about it, the scene that followed made me *head-desk* hard because it read like: “Oh, what’s that? You didn’t drug me so that my inhibitions were lowered enough to go outside with you where you proceeded to grope me without my consent? You just kept refilling my champagne glass every chance you got, making sure my glass was never empty in the hopes to get into my pants when I could barely slur my own name? Oh, well, all right then. Thanks for the honesty.” Like. WHAT.



So she decides never to forgive him or be alone with him, but she tells no one except her immediate friends, who also do nothing (unless you count Carter's menacing glares *rolls eyes*). The whole thing is totes treated like a nonissue, so that bugged me. IMMENSELY.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Carter And Allie Say Funny Things to Each Other... Often

I’m still trying to figure out how this is a paranormal book. Can somebody explain this to me? It has all the telltale signs of a really unimaginative one, but there were nothing but little hints, like growling or “exceptional” hearing or speed. But, honestly, I kept waiting for someone to rip off his shirt and howl into the moonlight, or for Allie to wake up to puncture marks on her neck with all the bedroom window opening going on, but, uh, nada. So kind of a letdown after ALL THAT.



I don’t get where this book was trying to go, but I appreciate the effort. Not really. I’ll read any sequels in my own time and only because I enjoy some of the dialogue, and would maybe enjoy learning answers to stuff. But as far as plot goes, characters (and, eww, the villain is not scary) and setting, this is an unimpressive start to a “paranormal” series.

Hardback / 400 pgs / May 21st 2013 / Katherine Tegen Books / Goodreads / $17.99

I received an e-galley of this book from Harper Collins via Edelweiss.

Reaction to... Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
As most of you know very well—and for those of you that don’t, you’ll probably agree with me anyway—I don’t really like the US covers of the Elemental series. I feel like since the Aussies get SUCH sexy men on their covers, it’s only fair, just, and wise to do the same for us. And so when you compare the two sets of covers side by side, it’s really NO CONTEST.

SUMMARY: Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He has learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can't seem to afford any allies.

He's up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there's Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She's not hostile. She's bold. Funny. Hot. But she's got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down - which means he'll have to find someone he can trust.

When I heard Brigid was flipping Nick Merrick’s story to include Hunter’s first, I was like WHAT THE WHAT? Why would you DO THIS THING? I couldn’t fathom—as much as I enjoy Hunter’s character—anticipating a story about a non-Merrick member more than a sexyandamazing flesh ‘n blood Merrick. Heck, I even said as much when I talked a little about my thoughts on BREATHLESS, a devious little teaser as to what we can look forward to in Nick’s bound-to-be-amazebeans story! And then… you know what happened.

I read the hell out of this damn book, and now I TAKE IT ALL BACK.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
The bummer about this installment taking so long to GET HERE is that I kind of forgot what Hunter Garrity—our manly protagonist in SPIRIT—did to piss everybody and their grandfather (including his) off. OBVS, as the story goes on, a refresher is given, but I really wish I wasn’t left in utter suspense while I desperately wracked my brain for stuff I already knew. Once it’s up here, it stays there, but the trouble is, after a while, it gets to be like walking through a desert in search of a well. But, as I went on in the book, I came to realize something vital (and this is part of why this review won’t run the risk of spoilers): IT DOESN’T MATTER. I mean, it does, when you have a full-grown hot-tempered Fire elemental shoving soup up your shirt, but this story isn’t really centered around ALL THAT. More, this is a book very much grounded in emotional development of a really sad character—which I’d never have thought to label him as in the first place. AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT AWESOME.



WHERE WE GO:
In the literal sense, in terms of background and setting we stay in familiar territory, except now we’re in another person’s head who lives in a different part of town. Emotionally and mentally though? We traverse the dark spaces in Hunter’s mind and get caught up in the strenuous tug-of-war on the battlefield located right in his heart. Poor kid.

But because this is Hunter’s book, we FINALLY get so many answers to questions that have been pecking at our craniums. Hunter’s been this giant enigma throughout the series, and neither I nor the Merrick brothers could ever count on really knowing him, his motives, his past, and how that all was set up to play into the future of the Merrick’s and whether or not they’ll survive this assault on their lives, their family (and its extensions), and their home. NOW WE ALL CAN. So many things have eased up, clouds have disappeared and what I found behind them is enough to make me positively full of gleeful gibberish over where I anticipate this story will go.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
But onto the part of this story I really want to talk about, as 1. it’s the most exceptional aspect and 2. it’s always my favorite aspect to discuss in any book scenario. Hunter Garrity is one of those characters I always have a soft spot for, and what’s so surprising is that I didn’t expect him to fall into this category. There are those characters who seem strong and tough and confident, outwardly, but internally they’re just a disaster area with caution signs posted everywhere, a little reminiscent of perhaps a crime scene. These characters are what I like to think of as Lonely Souls. They carry the weight of the world (or, in some cases, worlds) on their shoulders, but what they don’t realize and usually come to do so is that it’s of their own choosing. A lot of the times they aren’t to blame for doing things the way they have been, because of ALL they’ve experienced and ALL that they feel is at risk if they lose control.

Hunter Garrity is no exception. He stores everything inside, not realizing that he’s desperately in need of another emotional storage rental if he’s going to keep on bottling his reactions up. And I think his battered soul would agree with me when I say, the price is skyrocketing. Hunter is at his breaking point. He believes himself alone, and at this point in his life, that’s truth. Partly because there’s no one around that listens anymore and isn't batshizz CRAY and partly because he’s pushed everyone away who might’ve and still would if given the chance. That doesn’t change the fact that his imminent emotional collapse is HEART-BREAKING. Like, It will do some damage to your soul, if you’re not careful.

Added to that, Hunter is in the unfortunate position of feeling as though he has sides to choose from; he’s convinced himself he hasn’t already made that choice. What is lucky is that there are people in his life who care for him enough to be patient while he works through everything, piling still more love in my soul for the Merrick bros. And as this process stretches—full of mistakes and wrenching moments of doubt—I came to love Hunter.

Gabriel laughed low, under his breath, but not like it was really funny. He turned and walked back to Hunter. "No, jackass. I blame you. Where'd you learn how to be a friend anyway?"
Hunter stared at him. "What does that mean?"
"It means you need to pick a fucking side."

Which is, ultimately, what SPIRIT did for me. It gave me the chance to love a character I wouldn’t have otherwise, because I was so blindsided by the fearsome Merrick foursome, proving what an incredible job Kemmerer has done with this installment!



THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Every Time Hunter Nearly Breaks
2. Gabriel Forces Hunter to Get a Clue
3. Hunter Finally Lets Go On His Mother's Shoulder
4. Kate and Hunter’s Wit-a-thon via Text Message O__O
5. Michael Gets Sexyier and Parental-like
6. ALL THE SEXY UP IN THIS BOOK

"I'd like to kiss you," said Hunter softly. "But I'd really like to try it without any lies between us."
For some reason, that made her eyes burn, and she worried that tears had found their way into her eyes.
His thumb stroked along her cheek, terrible confirmation.
"I don't remember how to do that," she whispered.
A smile found his lips. "How to kiss?"
She squished her eyes shut and shook her head quickly. "How to be true."

THE ENDING. Did I not claim that that is a terrible thing to do in a review, in my last post? Do I have many of my questions answered? Oh, si. Does that mean I am satisfied enough not to wonder anymore about this series? Oh, you sweet naïve fools. Don’t ever convince yourselves of that as a possible outcome after reading this series. The fact that my mind has been looping “I WANTS IT NOW. GIMME THE SIEGE OR PERISH.” the last hour I’ve been writing this review purely because of anticipation as opposed to desperation for answers SAYS ALL THE NECESSARY THINGS, okay?

If you have any doubts about starting this series, let me help squash them: I have a keyboard on my right and a club on my left, which would you prefer?

Paperback / 301 pgs / May 28th 2013 / Kensington Teen / Goodreads / $9.95

I received a copy from Kensington Teen via Netgalley as part of a blog tour hosted by The Midnight Garden.

Reaction to... Fall of Night by Rachel Caine

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I’ve actually been digging the “Big Face” covers of Morganville in these latest few installments, mostly because Claire is looking so fierce. Her look says, “See my fist? I’m going to introduce it to your face if you look at me wrong. And see this fist? That’s Shane’s fist and it’s going to break your face if you look at me at all.” Well, maybe it doesn’t say ALL OF THAT, because, well, Shane doesn’t punch EVERYBODY. It just sounded funny to the ears when I wrote it.

SUMMARY: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble...

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make...

It’s certainly not a secret passed between the gossipy cyberhands on Twitter that Morganville is my unequivocal favorite among 99% of all paranormal series I’ve read. The fact that Rachel Caine can consistently write up to fifteen books on the same set of characters and FAIL to make it boring speaks great things of this series in itself.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Some effed up shizz happened in Bitter Blood, the last time we were with my favorite foursome of ordinary-teens-gone-wrong. For the sake of not-too-spoilery updates, the vampires had just reclaimed Morganville after facing their toughest enemy yet with the help of the humans. Despite the truth of that, vampires had been superseding control and doing all the wrong things while drunk with their restored power. And when an unexpected enemy takes advantage of this freshly sparked tension between the humans and vampires, Shane, Claire, Eve, and Michael must suffer, if not worse, along with everybody else leading to a giant bruise on their friendship. To separate herself from all that noise, Claire Danvers is now on her way to MIT in attempt at true independence and maybe a little reflection. But, the answers she finds aren’t exactly the ones she expected to hear.

WHERE WE GO:
As always, the plot of FALL OF NIGHT doesn’t suffer in being yet another installment in the Morganville Vampires series, which is as normal as the sky being blue, the grass green, and whizzing in the toilet. It rides a steady pace then picks up, not too dramatically but a lot toward the latter half. It would seem that Morganville may not be the only place where everything goes sour and blood flies everywhere. And FALL OF NIGHT also shows us that Claire Danvers will never be without enemies, no matter where she goes.

Even though for about 7.5 eighths of the series we’ve been in Morganville, it’s a kind of home to me almost as much as it is to the main characters. I can never get comfortable in it because there’s always something new, but that’s the place I like to be. The backdrop of MIT and Boston were every bit as disorienting and decidedly un-fun as Claire finds them to be. Like walking into the men’s room, we—Claire and I—were both instantly aware we weren’t in the right place.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Which brings me to why this book, though another excellent addition to the series, was so hard to enjoy for more than half the book. Not only are we not in our familiar playground, but my other three favorite people, you know, Michael, Shane, and Eve, were not around. There was no waking up with Shane, hearing Eve jump in the shower, seeing Michael open the fridge for a bottle of… well, I can’t say without spoiling. But you get what I mean. You’re completely stripped of everything good and familiar and it’s really, really hard to adapt. No matter how cool Jesse, the Boston vamp, seems or her potential as a playmate for Myrnin. And that’s my cue to pick up with the DISTINCT LACK of Myrnin, another of my favorite characters. It’s supremely difficult to survive a Morganville book without Myrnin around for at least… ALL OF IT. But most times we have to settle for say, half of it. And WE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE THAT MUCH.

Not a quite a complaint, because I know where Caine took us was necessary but I couldn’t fully invest myself in FALL OF NIGHT because of all that. Even in spite of…

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Shane and Claire on Peter’s Unsuspecting Bed Linens
2. Claire’s Rationalization for Her Departure
3. The Reunion of Our Favorite Band of Misfits Who Fight Vampires

The Morganville Vampires, for me, is an untouchable series. No matter what anyone does or doesn’t say about it, my love for it WILL NEVER DIE, never be influenced by the hype or lack thereof. But, people, don’t be daunted by the amount of books in the series. Yeah, fourteen can sound like a hefty pile in your Amazon cart or your library checkout list but each installment breezes by and even if you don’t always remember every transgression against the citizens of Morganville leading to the dramalama in every plot of the series, THE CHARACTERS are what stay with you. Because it’s super rare that you find a truly tight, forgiving, loyal group of friends with a bond that has weathered so much. Each character within that closeknit circle is hilarious and witty, badass and independent, and clever in their own ways. And outside of them? The character development stays strong and brilliant and addictive. In short, I will give you two high-fives if you read this series. We can negotiate a fist-bump and maybe even a piece of cheesecake, we’ll see.

Hardback / 352 pgs / May 7th 2013 / NAL / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy from NAL Penguin unsolicited for review. THANK GOD.

Reaction to... Angelfall by Susan Ee

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
At first, I didn’t think much of the cover of ANGELFALL by Susan Ee but after closer inspection, adjusting the ol’ eyeglasses and such, I realized the cover may not be flashing its stunning qualities, but perpetuates a subtle draw that has something to do with how perfectly fitting to the story it is.

SUMMARY: It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

As ya’ll may already know I consider Small Review to be one of the most outrageously mag bloggers out there in the known blogoverse and so any recommendations she’s bestowed onto me, I immediately comply. No, I slide across tiles to my desk chair and reach for the mouse in desperation wherein Amazon becomes my sole focus for the REST OF LIFE that day. Because I have to buy that book, no matter WHAT it may be. In this case, ANGELFALL is her latest personal recommendation and, well, now you know why I’m reviewing this now…

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
The apocalypse has come, truly beginning when the angel Gabriel was shot down, displaying mankind’s lack of welcome to the say the least! Since that time, humans unknowingly entered a losing bid in the war—if you could call it that—that followed.

The streets are deserted mostly in the day, and then there are those who risk the wrath of the angels to prowl at night. Gangs, people-eaters, demons and angels—neither of whom are good—and nighttime is perhaps more dangerous than being seen in the light. But Penryn must take that risk, alongside her family of two more—a schizo mommy dearest and a paralyzed younger sister. And when her dangerous mission loses her all she loves and protects, she means to do all that she can to restore her family—even if it means touching shoulders with an Angel, one who’s seen few joys himself (which he demos with bountiful sarcasm!).

WHERE WE GO:
THIS is exactly what I want a post-apocalyptic place where angels be beasting to look like! It’s surreal to us because, had you not had Walking Dead to refer to, could you really perfectly picture a seemingly deserted world, where humans are barricaded indoors and predators skulk in all the dark corners? Ee creates a vivid darkness in her world that translates beyond just what the scenery looks like but into the very manner of Penryn. It’s survive, flight, or die in this new world, and trust is as broken as the telly. Our world is dilapidated, hungry, and frightening, where the mad run amok and the angels prey from overhead. It’s quite perfect, right upfront. It even has questing… QUESTING.

But that perfection continues as we explore each avenue of this new reality on the journey toward restoration of what Penryn has lost, and what Raffe, the reluctant companion Angel, seeks to gain. Hope is dim, resistance is awakening, and through it all there’s this bone-chilling terror of the unknown, which has gained in numbers since normalcy took the right out of town.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
But, oh, angel boys, all that dark and dismal stuff, as delightful as it really is, isn’t as AMAZING as every hilarious syllable that slips between our two reluctant companions on this unexpected quest. Raffe isn’t a jerkface, not really. He’s impressively sarcastic and lickably corded ALL UP ON his person, yes, but he’s not your typical bad boy blah blah blah. He’s sweet, in his way, and honorable. Blunt, can’t forget blunt. There’s just something so addictive about his character! Hook him up with Penryn—not literally, yet, I’m afraid—and she’s a little less intense, a little more prone to smiling and thinking of things other than the world’s unending doom and her torn family. But one thing I absolutely dig about my girl Penryn here is that she neither loses her tenacity nor her practicality, even if it makes her cruel or unhappy. She has a clear-cut goal, one that won’t be deterred even by a badass angel with a tendency toward crankiness and humor at the same time.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Penryn Kicks Ass All The Time
2. Penryn Can Save Herself And Maybe Somebody Else Too
3. Angel Soothes All The Nightmares
4. Angel Mangles Scorpion Monstrosity
5. Angel Delivers Penryn *MEGA SWOON!*

I’m kind of mad. ANGELFALL by Susan Ee has pretty much ruined all other angel books for me, because—Unearthly aside—I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book like this more. It’s how each character kind of needs a *HUGGLE-GLOMP*, how the world can be so bad and yet Ee beautifully incorporates hope and pride in mankind. So my expectations for books with twisty angel lore have reached the glass ceiling, I’m afraid. Poor angels. But, lucky me, Ee is writing another one. Now, if she could only make the release date, I don’t know, tomor—EFF THAT—right now then we’d be all good under the hood.

Paperback / 284 pgs / Feb 14th 2012 / Feral Dream / Goodreads / $6.99

I bought a copy from Amazon because of Small Review.

Reaction to... Dastardly Cradle Snatcher, Victorian Magnus, Lotta Death, and a Sideless Love Triangle

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I have only one thing to say about this: Where was the cover designer for The Infernal Devices when both City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls was released for everybody to hate see?

Now, now, darlings, be careful with those freshly sharpened pitchforks. I’m only mostly serious.

SUMMARY: Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
There's so much pain in this series, it's very hard to remember an ending without some of, well, that. And so for those of us who devotedly and determinedly white-knuckled our way through to the very last line of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, we know exactly where our beloved friends stand. And yes, I use the term 'friends,' for what better term could be applied to ones so beautifully dear?

This series is rapidly becoming notorious for its anguish-riddled love triangle but bear in mind that it's not ALL of the focus. There is so much to be resolved here: the question of Tessa's origins, the solution to corruption born where only good should thrive which is nearly as nefarious as the Magister himself, whose malicious intent has to be stopped OBVS, and the repercussions of the treachery faced in the last book all ON TOP OF the remaining desperate query. Who will Tessa choose; is there ever really a simple choice to such a complex tangle of souls and feelings?



WHERE WE GO:
With all of the above said, there's a ton of stuff to be handled before the ties are snipped and tucked away. And because of that Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare can't begin simply. Clare reminds of you that lump you've been carrying around in your throat for a while but forgot about and the choking feeling arises again. Jem, Tessa, and Will aren't in a harmonious place as combined force of a friendship. The links are strained yet the strength they were founded on remains. There's a withholding of truths and feelings, and a suppression of others. Guilt, shame, love, selflessness, and need battle for supremacy within each of them and it's a struggle knowing intimately of the struggles within each of them and not seeing a clearly defined, necessarily happy conclusion.

But beyond those internal battles, outside forces are invading with threats. Jem's war against his sickness is coming to a head and his chances aren't looking so good with the Magister shadowing its progression and striking hot at the most (for us) inopportune moment as big bad villains tend to do. There's also the matter of the Lightwoods, and this unwanted attention from the head honchos of the shadowhunters club. AND the devious Magister isn't relinquishing his demand for Tessa, his reasons all over the place and still mysterious. Each of these problems takes up time and in a new place which are forcibly endured by our very weary and not yet fully recovered friends.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
I love that Will, Jem, and Tessa are in frame more than most, but the other characters get their moment to bake or bask or whatever in the sun. Sophie, Gideon, Gabriel, Charlotte, Henry. All of them by this point have become so precious, and so does our surprise Herondale visitor, who is both kick-butt and female Will and altogether perfect and perfectly suited to this whole cray cray shebang.

And if everyone pairs up in some way then I refuse to be unmoved by it. It's fantastic that love can dwell where it shouldn't, that it finds a way even in it's most unsuspecting and reluctant of hosts.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. The Tender Bromance Goodbye
2. The fact that I got everything I didn't know I could want
3. THE HUGE TWISTS that I didn't completely see
4. The quotes at the beginnings of all the chapters
5. The Desperate Expression of Passion in Prison
6. The wisdom of Magnus and the beauty of that one time with Will on page 235 to 236...
7. THE EPILOGUE
8. And especially... all of it

Where do you go from here? No, seriously, I'm lost and I don't want to find myself all alone on a deserted road with a single broken telephone in a suspect-looking telephone booth. But, really, in all seriousness, how do you just jump back after something like this? The Infernal Devices is so rich and impactful and beautiful that it's impractical to expect something more from me, from you, us, than this satisfying desolation that leaves nothing for anything else unless it's equally powerful. And yet the heart can't take anything more after THIS BOOK that is so much and perfectly enough.

How do you get over a story of weakness, will, and heart, of fools and their better halves?
I'm not quite sure I want to find out.

Hardcover / 568 pgs / March 19th 2013 / Simon & Schuster / Goodreads / $19.99

I received a pre-ordered copy from my awesomecake mommy.

Look At the Pretty Dragon Wings

Teasers and giveaways. How much more generous can I be? (More) No spoilers!

"Don't worry," Adrian murmured. "The dress stays on."

Gotcha! Guess you'll have to buy the book now. (More) No spoilers!

Infinite Days Lead to Stolen Nights

That awkward moment when you miss a blog tour stop. Shhh! I don’t think they’ve noticed. (More) No spoilers!

Who you gonna call? Demon Trappers!

Because Atlanta is about to be toasted by Hell’s fiery ire. (More) No spoilers!

Armentrout, Do You Have A Death Wish?

Because I know some people who can help. NAMELY ME. (More) No spoilers!

Do Worry, Gypsy Girl, Everyone Will Fail To Save You

I’ve been In Deathed, so hellooo palette cleanser. (More) No spoilers!

Vampires Are Hotter When They Have Brothers

What the heck do you mean there's no more Drake brothe--I mean Chronicles? That's like saying bread makes you fat. Punch any fetuses lately too? (More)

Silver by Talia Vance Book Review – “I’m not going in some creepy cave with a guy I barely know.” “I know I shouldn’t rush you.”

Title: Silver by Talia Vance
Author Info: Bio | Website | Twitter
Publication: Sept 8th 2012 by Flux

“ Beauty is pointless when no one is looking...

Story Arc: Series, Book 1 Paperback: 374 pages Age Group: Teen, YA

Genre: Paranormal Romance Excerpt(s): pgs 26% + 60% -------- Purchase --------

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The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa Book Review – “Ah, this brings back memories. Don’t they remind you of a pair, ice-boy, from way back when?” Ash snorted. "Don't remind me."

Title: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Author Info: Bio | Website | Twitter
Publication: Oct 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen

“ My name is Ethan Chase...

Story Arc: Spin-Off, Book 1 Paperback: 379 pages Age Group: MG, Teen, YA

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Excerpt(s): 35% + 90% -------- Purchase --------

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Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine Book Review - "Ah, Morganville. Where dressing to hide bloodstains was just good daily planning." [SPF]

Title: Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine
Author Info: Bio | Website | Twitter
Publication: Nov 6th 2012 by NAL Penguin (US edition)

“ Morganville, Texas, isn’t like other towns...

Story Arc: Series, Book 13 Hardcover: 352 pages Age Group: YA

Genre: Paranormal Romance Excerpt(s): pg 220 -------- Purchase --------

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JLA Blog Tour - Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Cursed
Story Arc: Standalone with Potential for a Series
Publication: September 18, 2012 by Spencer Hill Press
Hardcover: 312 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Age Group: Teen, Young Adult
Source: Borrowed from Molli
Excerpt(s): None
Content: Violence, Sadistic Bullying, Light to Heavy Kissing, Death, Attempted Murder

I'd been having an amazing dream--right up until the point I felt something small and furry moving over my chest...

ARC Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Title: Glitch
Story Arc: Series, Book 1
Publication: August 7, 2012 by St. Martin's Press
Paperback: 371 pages
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy, Dystopia, Paranormal Romance
Age Group: Teen, Young Adult
Source: St. Martin's Press via Netgalley
Excerpt(s): from 31% in e-reader
Content: Sexual Exploration, Violence, Kissing, Implicit Death

I felt it coming this time...

ARC Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Title: Lies Beneath
Story Arc: Series, Book #1
Publication: June 12, 2012 by Delacorte/Random House
Hardcover: 303 pages
Genre: Mermaids, Paranormal, Mythology, Urban Fantasy
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Content: Killing
Source: Random House via NetGalley | Quote(s): Yes

I hadn't killed anyone all winter, and I have to say I felt pretty good about that.

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge.

They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls.

Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

The cover isn’t the only thing not working for me

Have you guys SEEN that cover? I get that the girl must be one of Calder White’s three mermaid sisters, BUT wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to have—gee, I don’t know—Calder himself on the cover? I WANT TO SEE A HUNKY MERMAN, darnit. But, I digress. The cover of Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown isn’t the only thing that puts me off to this book now that I’ve completed it. I DESPISE that this book has such intriguing, fascinating mermaid lore integrated in the story, AND YET Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown falls prey to the SO OVERDONE romance factor in paranormal books. Guy meets girl with malicious intent, guy sees how amazing girl is, and suddenly they want to go off and make out on the hammock in the forest. Lily herself is so annoyingly impervious to his history, his makeup, his purpose in her life, HIS APPETITE FOR BOB'S SAKE, that I wanted to bash some SENSE into the girl.

But why does Calder White have to do the falling? Why CAN’T, for once, the guy go in there with an I’m Going to Kill You purpose in my mind and actually follow through with it. WOULDN’T THAT MAKE FOR A MORE INTERESTING STORY LINE? I can guarantee no one would see that coming. Or maybe he takes pity and has mercy on the girl for an entirely different reason, so long as that reason doesn't have to do with him suddenly, SWIFTLY developing unexplainable feelings for the girl in question. I realize this is starting to sound like a rant, but GOSH DARN who made off with all the originality while our backs were turned?

In the beginning

Man, I was really getting into Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown initially. Calder is at the Bahamas pondering his kill-free winter and his remarkable self-control to maintain his current record. He’s starting to get a tad twitchy about his expanding appetite, which he’s been stubbornly taming for an unclearly defined reason that still puzzles him. Just as he's ready to say to hell with dieting, he gets a call from his heartless people-eating mermaid sister. So, yeah, Calder is a merman. And he’s supposed to migrate back home to Lake Superior with his family, which consists of three sisters—Maris, Tallulah, and Pavati. Of course, he’s expecting this call, predicting the conversation to be about his no-show all winter and how the weeks are counting down until he can't resist the pull to migrate anymore.

Fortunately, THIS call is actually different than what he expected. Turns out, the object of their revenge has FINALLY found his way back to Calder’s home. Now the debt left unfulfilled by Jason Hancock’s father will at long last be satisfied. RIVETING, right? I know I was (riveted, that is). Throw in Calder’s seizure-like transformations from merperson to human, and all the deets in between about their species and I had to swipe at some stray bits of foam dotting the corners of my mouth. WHO is Tom and Jason Hancock and WHY are the EVIL MERMAIDS so ticked off at them both? What does this alleged contract have to do with Calder’s mother’s death? And why must Jason pay the penalty resulting in a horrible death?

Then there’s all the questions that surface about how mermaids are able to shift forms, procreate, and so on that I don’t see how anyone could be bored at this point.

When things get fraked up

Part of this wicked mer family’s plan is to lure Jason into the water. To do that they need a reasonable and logical stand-in to use as bait. Jason might’ve heard the stories of creatures slithering through the ocean from his father, might’ve taken them to heart SO someone very vital to his life will have to draw him into the danger-infested waters of Lake Superior. OF COURSE, that makes the target one of Jason’s two daughters. The mission? Get close, REAL close and earn trust. Blah blah blah, you know how it goes in all the BEST espionage movies and paranormal books. What I didn’t understand? These are, may I remind you, EVIL mermaids with superpowers, including the one to shift into human form. Why is it inconceivable to snatch him from his bed and drown the shizz out of him? Why go about making and attempting to execute this REALLY convoluted plan when things could be so much more simple?

After that decision’s made is when things lean toward the sticky and eye-rollably TYPICAL. Calder White is enchanted by Lily Hancock’s astounding self-control and instincts toward his true nature, he is crushing on her flair for the dramatic, her wannabe modernized Victorian poet wardrobe, and her love of poetry. After so little time I had to shake my head. And Lily, of course, is all feigned resistance and snooty attitude toward his self-assured conversation tactics and so on. PLEASE, I am so OVER this set-up.

Where are the smart girls who don’t believe in sunshine and flowery images of sweet little mermaids reminiscent of Ariel? Where are the SANE girls who COMPREHEND when Calder is saying, Look, I’m a killer, right to their faces and ACTUALLY RUN AWAY? I’m sorry, but if I find out my beau is the feeding-on-humans type (unless we're talking Edward Cullen here, because then I'm sunk) with the fins and everything, I’m more than likely going to be out the nearest Exit sign quicker than Speedy Gonzales.

Eventually, I got tired and BORED

I liked having a guy’s POV to turn to. I enjoyed reading from Calder’s perspective, learning about his foggy history and how he came to be part of his family, came to be a merman. His push and pull toward humans, their emotions, etc. He’s relatable in a way that’s unexpected, not so much because he’s, you know, A CREATURE OF THE SEA, but because he seems empty at first. A husk of a person. And then you just start to see how lonely, miserable, and uncertain he is. A person with questions, and needs, in which I could resonate. There’s this repulsion of his kind, of him and how he and his sisters teem humans to survive, and yet it’s easy to feel strangely close to him. I still wouldn't date him, though.

Even so, at some point a little more than halfway through I got tired of trudging through a rather predictable plot, no matter how many twists were incorporated to make the trimmings a little more unique. I kept persevering despite the boredom that eventually caught on, however, because I also realized that I was actually interested in the outcome. Never mind that I’d already invested SO MUCH TIME into Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown by that point.

Ultimately, I enjoyed a decent chunk of the novel, excluding the latter half, and although I wasn’t altogether pleased with the cliché ending—apart from one nicely done, unexpected twist—I feel relieved that I finished Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown instead of the alternative. Now it’s not looming in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown is a story I can see myself forgetting in the near future, and so I won’t be overrun with urgency for Deep Betrayal, the sequel.

"But how do you do it, Lily? What are the mechanics?"

WAIT. It's not what it sounds like.

"Forgiveness? I don't have a choice. Or at least, no other good choices."
"I'm not sure I can forgive them for what they tried to do last night..."
"Forgiveness isn't just for them, Calder. It's for you. Forgiveness is freedom. It's something you do for yourself—to keep who you are intact. Now that I think about it—in some ways, it's kind of a selfish act." (86%)

Rating: Guilty Pleasure

While Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown drifts away from the bubbly, lighthearted, and frivolous mermaid books that are better at giving you warm and fuzzies than all sorts of chills, I wasn’t utterly impressed. The mermaids are vicious, yes. The lore intriguing, certainly. However, after the first half of the novel, the plot started leaning toward predictable, the romance crossing into the been there, read that region to the point where I was more turned off than I expected. Powering through that last half took a lot of patience, and, once I was finished, the conclusion didn’t quite fulfill my needs. Although I won’t be returning, or, more reasonable to assume, eager, for the sequel, Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown definitely deviates from the quintessential carefree, happy mermaid tales and goes somewhere delightfully dark and practical.

OTHER REVIEWS: Maji Bookshelf The Midnight Garden

SIMILAR TITLES: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova

Got something specific in mind? Dare I believe I might NOT have covered something you wish to know? If so, let me know down in the comments section. Don't be shy!