Review: Ignite by Erica Crouch

Ignite by Erica Crouch
Series: Ingite #1
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Source: Netgalley
ISBN: 0991789741
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Pages: 346

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Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifer’s vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed.

As Hell prepares for war - spreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an army - the lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice.

With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side she’s willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark.

Ignite was a beautifully written novel. I usually don’t enjoy books about angels and demons. They just aren’t my thing, but Ignite I truly enjoyed from start to finish. I came across it while reading a blog post from Books for a Delicate Eternity about Chiara’s favourite books, so I decided to give it a try. And am I glad I did. I was really surprised to see that Ignite was the author’s debut work.

Pen, a fallen angel, was an intriguing main character. It was refreshing to read from the “evil” point-of-view as oppose to the protagonist always being innocent and pure, two things that are main character definitely was not. Pen fell from heaven a very long time ago after her brother, Azael, lost his faith and decided to follow Lucifer. Pen has always been a loner and had only Azael to lean on. Pen’s relationship with her brother was very close. They were a team. An evil duo. Pen killed. Azael reaped. While Pen had done terrible things, things she think she can never repent for, she is strong even if she doesn’t think so. She was quick witted, well read, and a well written character.

Michael was the sweetest boy I have ever come across of in fiction. He had this sweet innocence to him. From the start there was a connection with Pen. It wasn’t a romantic connection at first, but something was there. He believed that Pen still had good in her no matter what she had done in her past. He believed that she could still be saved. His pure faith that Pen was still good and wasn’t soulless was so sweet. The romance was nicely developed. It wasn’t too quick, but slowly built to an epic Romeo and Juliet romance. The scene with Pen and Azael while Michael was hiding killed me.

“I’m an angel, and so are you. You’ve fallen, sure, but you are still an angel. I can feel who you are, your true spirit. I can see the soul you believe you lost. It’s still there inside you.”

Both Michael and Pen are struggling with their sides. Michael is questioning Heaven’s view of what’s right and wrong and Pen thinks her past can never be redeemed and is struggling with leaving her brother, her only family. I feel like Pen's struggle with leaving her brother was incredibly important in her journey.

“You want to fit in, stay with Azael. But what he does, and what you’ve done, isn’t who you are inside. You don’t belong in Hell.”

My Rating:

Tour Stop: ParaWars: Uprising by Caitlin Greer

Today I'm featuring a book called ParaWars: Uprising. ParaWars: Uprising is a Paranormal/New Adult Book written by Caitlin Greer.

ParaWars: Uprising by Caitlin Greer
Series: ParaWars #1
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Pages: 215

The Paranormal Uprising brought myth and legend out of the shadows and into real life. The war that followed tore the world apart. Two years after the Uprising, twenty-year-old Kendry is learning the hard way that the battle lines aren’t as clear-cut as human versus para. And the hard way means being hunted down by both human militants and para separatists. Trouble is, she has no idea why.

On the run with only her mysterious gargoyle guardian, Kendry knows that finding out why she’s on everyone’s most-wanted list will be no easy task. It means charging headlong into a war she’d hoped to avoid, and is woefully unprepared for. So when she realizes that everyone in her life has been lying to her, discovering that she’s somehow the key to ending the war is the last thing she needs. With both sides tearing up the world to find her, it’s decision time for Kendry—keep running, or stand up and fight.

About The Author

Cait writes YA and NA stories that range from sci-fi and fantasy (because she loves making worlds and things up), to contemporary (because she kind of sort of fell into it and discovered she’s not half bad). Her best friends growing up were the combined works of Robin McKinley, Madeline L'Engle, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, and too many others to mention.

She drives a Jeep, loves the outdoors, takes pictures of everything she can, and writes obsessively. A martial artist and a former teacher, Cait is owned by two cats who started out incredibly small, and are now incredibly huge.

She currently live in Utah, but Virginia will always be home.

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Excerpt:

He shrugs, and then gasps, because the moon chooses that moment to peek over the horizon. Rock turns to skin across him like a fiery line of embers, until it encompasses him, and my gargoyle friend is stone no more. 

His face reveals a moment of pain and pleasure so intense, and then it’s gone.

“Just like that,” I say, unable to keep the awe out of my voice.

“Just like that,” he whispers. His eyes are still unfathomable.

ParaWars: Uprising was an action packed book. Every fantasy creature you can imagine is in this book. From minotaurs to werewolves to gargoyles to gods to fae…I could go on a very long time listing them are all in this book. Caitlin Greer has created a seamless book that merges fantasy, science fiction, and new adult together.

Kendry world changed two years ago when the Para came out of hiding and announced to the world that they exist, and soon after the world crumbled. Para and human militia are fighting along with those from both sides who just want to co-exist. Kendry and her mother have created a semblance of life in a small town until the day an army stormed her town and kidnapped her mother.

ParaWars had a bit of a rocky start for me. I was enjoying it, but it didn’t blow me away. But something happened about 1/3 of the way in and I was hooked, and time I finished this book I was amazed. The book’s best feature was the characters. I came to love each and every one of them Buc and Sam the minotaurs, Shelley one of the only other humans around and her friendship with Kendry, and Caleb and Thom’s bromance. One of the things that made this book great was the variety of characters and how each of the creatures worked together.

Kendry has a lot thrown at her very quickly once this book gets going. As strong as she was I’m glad the author didn’t get let it bounce off her. You see Kendry fall apart and react how a normal girl would. There are tears, anger, and emotions. Kendry states in the book that she had to grow up quickly after the Uprising, but she realized she is still acting like the teenager she was when it happened. You can see glimpses of this throughout the book, which made her character very real.

You’re right. I don’t understand. I’m young and stupid, and I behaved even younger and stupider than I am. I should be in college, partying and panicking about graduation in a year, not traipsing around the wilds of Virginia looking for my mom. I thought I’d done a lot of growing up, dealing with the world falling apart. I was wrong. I’ve been acting like a teenager, the same teenager I was when it all happened. But I’m not, and I haven’t been for a while.

The romance in ParaWars didn’t always take centre stage, which was nice, but when it did it shined. Axel is the best friend and hot new guy all wrapped up into one smoldering gargoyle. He was so stern and stone like towards Kendry, but it was blatantly obvious to everyone that he cared about her. Axel just wanted to protect her, not fall for her. Axel would do anything to protect Kendry from the dangers she knew nothing about. I loved the parts where he would fluff up his wings and surround her, protecting her from the danger. Even with Axel protecting her Kendry still fought with him over making the decisions concerning her without her input. She stood up for herself and made him realize she can defend herself too.

My Rating:

Review: Tamed by Douglas R. Brown

Tamed by Douglas R. Brown
Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing
Source: Netgalley
ISBN: 9781936850723
Release Date: February 13, 2013

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Werewolves are real.

And they make excellent pets.

Owning one of the legendary creatures is the latest fad. The WereHouse insists their werepets are loyal, docile, and 100% safe, but what happens when these gentle giants turn on their masters?

While on a routine EMS call, paramedic Christine Alt is attacked by a rogue werepet. She escapes with her life, but the encounter leaves her with more than just scars. As her body begins to change, she discovers the WereHouse is hiding a terrible secret, and they will stop at nothing to keep her from exposing them.

Tamed is a werewolf tale with a twist from the author of the The Light of Epertase trilogy.

A werewolf as a pet? Yes. You can even trust them with your children. They are docile and loyal to their masters. One werepet will set you back $250,00 plus an additional $50,000 yearly maintenance fee. I loved them premise of this book as it definitely was a different spin from the normal werewolf book. Usually I'm not a fan of werewolf or paranormal fiction, but this one was different and overall I really like it.

If you are looking for a light, but action filled book then this is the one for you. I'll be honest the first half the book was pretty slow to get through, but once the plot was thickening and the twist on the werewolves started to show I gobbled it up. The book is definitely more action then world building or character development, but it was still an enjoyable read.

I liked the character of Christine. She wasn't whiny, but just your average woman trying to respond to a medic alert. The romance was a little forced and with a little expansion in the book it could have come across as more natural. It just seemed a little sudden for her to met the guy and fall in love within a span of a few hours.

I didn't see the surprise at the end coming with the Steven character and did wonder how he was going to tie into everything in the book. But it was a happy surprise!

My Rating:

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Library
ISBN: 9781406331417
Release Date: 2007
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When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

I've heard a lot about these books over the years, but the synopsis honestly did not interest me. I'm not a big fan of Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal books. I usually prefer my YA to be either science fiction or contemporary fiction. But after watching the trailer for the upcoming The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie I was intrigued and eventually wanted to see what all the hype was about.

I know a lot of people LOVE this book, but it just wasn't for me. I didn't love this book. It was okay, but mostly I was bored throughout the book. I probably won't continue with the series or the spin-off series.

I found Clary to be a pretty weak heroine. I like a strong badass leading ladies in my books. It just seemed that she was whiny at times and too dependent on others. Also, Jace's attitude annoyed me. I get what the author was trying to do by making him arrogant bad boy, but lovable. I didn't get the lovable part he just seemed like an asshat.

I didn't hate the book, but just thought it was meh.

My Rating:

Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.

Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)

But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets...then makes the mistake of falling in love with...Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future...

If she even has one.

This is the second year in a row that Insatiable has been on my TBR List Challenge. Last year I didn't even come close to finishing the challenge, but this year I'm going to give it my best. One down eleven more to go.

I've read a few a Meg Cabot's chick-lit books in the past and have really enjoyed them. They are fun, light, witty, filled with charming banter between the characters (and god knows I love a book with good banter).

This is the first fantasy/paranormal novel of Meg Cabot's that I have read. I definitely had my reservations when I heard of it (vampires really?) Mostly because I'm not a huge fan of the whole vampire fiction. But, let me tell you Meg Cabot did not disappoint. I loved it! It wasn't perfect, but it had all the greatness that I loved in her chick-lit novels, but in a paranormal version. Mysterious, romantic main character? Check. Your average single girl in the city? Check. Sassy and loyal friend? Check.

Meena is just a regular single gal out for a walk with her dog (why is she out at 3:45 am??) when she is attacked by bats only to be saved by Lucien. Almost instantaneously Meena falls in love with Lucien only later to be shocked that he's a vampire, and not just some regular vampire, but the Prince of Darkness, ruler of vamps.

“Um, let me see. What’s not to like, exactly? His old-world manners, his dark good looks, or the fact that he’s way into me and is probably going to be the father of my children someday?”

But, along comes the sexy vampire slayer, Alaric. Hero complex and all. Of course, Meena and Alaric do not get along at all. It may have something to do with the fact that he is slightly cranky and argumentative or that he broke into her apartment and held her and her brother captive (even if he was just trying to protect her from the Prince of Darkness).

“Talk about having a hero complex. Why was he always trying to do that? Didn’t he know it was only going to get him killed?”

I loved both Lucien and Alaric, both for very different reasons. When I first started the book I honestly did not see the love triangle coming. I must have been daydreaming, because it was pretty obvious. But poor Alaric must compete with not just some regular Joe, but the Prince himself.

In the ending I felt like like Lucien wasn't truly as sorry as he pretended to be, but was only trying to buy her back and manipulate her.

My Rating: