Joan3000

This was a strangely fun book.
I couldn't relate at all to anyone and the main character had some issues (mainly laziness), but it was better than I expected.
I really liked Andrew. He was sweet and an all around nice guy. In this kind of books the guy is either a jerk for most of the story, or kinda boring. Andrew was nice and much much more put together than Rickie. And watching him with Noah was a pleasure.
Noah was a bit high-maintenance 6-7 year-old. Not because of his dietary needs, but because he was kind of a whinny kid. I might be a bit harsh on this though, not sure.
Anyway, I liked it. :)

I haven't read a Sarah J Maas book I didn't like yet, so it's not a surprise I loved this one too!
Finally, after the last book, which was more a transitioning phase, things are starting to really change.
Plots are revealed and pieces are set into place for the next installments, but at the same time we get a couple of long awaited face offs.

I loved this book and all the new characters! I'm very excited to see what happens next with Dorian and Manon. They were the ones left with the biggest hurdles I think. Dorian's emotional and Manon's very real.
I really love Lysandra's character too! The ghost leopard bit was great and the scene at the end with Lorcan had me in tears! :)

Can't wait for the next book!!

I really liked Enclave and I hoped this series would be just as good. 
Even though the story could have been great, since it had all the necessary elements, something just didn't connect for me.

 

In the end, I was left with this feeling:

-Edie might have been very smart, but it didn't come through. It felt a bit forced. So she likes nerdy stuff and she is good at physics. (Apparently, since the only thing I heard her say that was physics related was 'Einstein', but I'll take it in good faith.) 
-Kian might have been great as a boyfriend, but he felt almost cowardly and a bit bland. He was sweet though. But his wishes were wasted! Why ask for a car? Even if it was a nice car, it's just not worth it in the end, unless you plan on asking for the insurance, taxes and damage costs that are gonna happen inevitably!
-Her friends weren't around long enough to feel anything for them. (Except maybe for "the girl whose name starts with a D and I can't be bothered to look it up at the moment".) To be honest, no one was around long enough to really like them. Not even her boyfriend. 
-If I was one of the bad guys I would have found 50 ways to make her spend those wishes by chapter 12. What were those guys waiting for and what's the point of having bad guys with no restrictions and almost superpowers and heroes with no real advantage in any domain??
-And that brings me to the mind-boggling number of villains and potential villains! Why?? Every other person was out to get her. I actually think there were more bad guys than good overall. Even counting the cameo characters.

 

[spoiler]And the initial bad guys were taken out almost randomly by supernatural bad guys, for no apparent reason. Seriously, what was the end game? And what was even amusing about Edie's choices?

[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler]And then there is the mother. She is almost like a robot for half the book and then suddenly she turns into this great mom, only to die in two freaking chapters!! WTH! That was so random I can't even begin to make sense of it. Normally that would be a very moving part, since mothers dying always gets to me, but this time I had only just started to think of the mother as someone other than a guest. I did feel for Edie and her dad, but still... Random!!! 

[/spoiler]

So...


The story has good potential and the characters could use some work, but they are not lost causes. I will try the second book, but if things don't start to evolve more naturally I'm quitting.  

I hope for a better encore.

 

 

I should have finished this one sooner, but I had to be in a very good mood to read it without getting too sucked into the sad parts. And trust me it had them in spades!

 

Kit was semi-depressed from start to finish with an extra big dose of depressed in the beginning. She got better as the story progressed and the madder she got the better, but she was so afraid most of the time that I didn't even recognise the badass Kit from Blade Song. True she went through something horific, but she had gone through waay worse from her grandmother and she didn't buckle. I don't really get why this time got to her so much. True she lost her sword, but she didn't have that then either so it wasn't that she lost her cruch. But what was it?

 

Doyle gets cooler every time! :D Not just a tiger, but now he's an aneira too? He 'll turn out badass! Especially with Kit as a teacher. Wait till he grows up. I won't a series on him. Great spin-off, no?

 

I was really sad when Es died. I really liked the old lady. She had the badass grandma vibe. I didn't really get why that had to happen. It looked like overkill to me. Completely unnecessary!

 

If I wasn't pissed off at Damon from the last book I'd be impressed by his efforts in this book. But the guy really messed up. Like I said before the whole thing with him walking away just felt forced. Especially after the hundred times he said he was in it forever before. So this book just wiped all that weirdness from my mind. Damon went back to being the considerate, caring, badass and surprisingly patient in this occasion guy I liked. Too bad he got a reprieve from this battle. I wanted more figting this time around. But I kinda look forward to when hopefully he and Justin finally decide to go at eachother. That 'll be fun. As long as it's merely to blow off some steam and not because Justin turned bad or he decided to make a move on Kit again.

 

Questions:

Was the voice in Kit's head her grandma's or was she projecting? The first one is more likely, but if it is how's she doing it?? And more to the point when are the areina gonna get more proactive and come to "collect their dues"? And wait till they find out the other juicy bit about Doyle! They'll either love him or hate him. I don't doubt he 'll blow them off, but they're bound to want him. With the perks of a shifter he'll make a hell of an aneira. Or they could get all racist on him and declare open season on his furry behind. Well it's bound to be interesting at the very least! So far I can't even find a link to a fourth book though so that can't be a good thing for the waiting period before the next book. I cross my fingers and hope it is at least in 2014 and I won't have to wait over a year.

Win an advanced copy of WILD THINGS, the ninth book in the Chicagoland Vampires series, plus swag! http://chloeneill.com

I should have finished this one sooner, but I had to be in a very good mood to read it without getting too sucked into the sad parts. And trust me it had them in spades!

Kit was semi-depressed from start to finish with an extra big dose of depressed in the beginning. She got better as the story progressed and the madder she got the better, but she was so afraid most of the time that I didn't even recognise the badass Kit from [b:Blade Song|14915175|Blade Song (Colbana Files #1)|J.C. Daniels|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340831600s/14915175.jpg|19164337]. True she went through something horific, but she had gone through waay worse from her grandmother and she didn't buckle. I don't really get why this time got to her so much. True she lost her sword, but she didn't have that then either so it wasn't that she lost her cruch. But what was it?

Doyle gets cooler every time! :D
Not just a tiger, but now he's an aneira too? He 'll turn out badass! Especially with Kit as a teacher. Wait till he grows up. I won't a series on him. Great spin-off, no?

I was really sad when Es died. I really liked the old lady. She had the badass grandma vibe. I didn't really get why that had to happen. It looked like overkill to me. Completely unnecessary!

If I wasn't pissed off at Damon from the last book I'd be impressed by his efforts in this book. But the guy really messed up. Like I said before the whole thing with him walking away just felt forced. Especially after the hundred times he said he was in it forever before. So this book just wiped all that weirdness from my mind. Damon went back to being the considerate, caring, badass and surprisingly patient in this occasion guy I liked. Too bad he got a reprieve from this battle. I wanted more figting this time around. But I kinda look forward to when hopefully he and Justin finally decide to go at eachother. That 'll be fun. As long as it's merely to blow off some steam and not because Justin turned bad or he decided to make a move on Kit again.

Questions:
Was the voice in Kit's head her grandma's or was she projecting? The first one is more likely, but if it is how's she doing it?? And more to the point when are the areina gonna get more proactive and come to "collect their dues"? And wait till they find out the other juicy bit about Doyle! They'll either love him or hate him. I don't doubt he 'll blow them off, but they're bound to want him. With the perks of a shifter he'll make a hell of an aneira. Or they could get all racist on him and declare open season on his furry behind. Well it's bound to be interesting at the very least!

So far I can't even find a link to a fourth book though so that can't be a good thing for the waiting period before the next book. I cross my fingers and hope it is at least in 2014 and I won't have to wait over a year.

Nicki is a private investigator who in her efforts to find a teenager who run got involved with the wrong croud she finds herself in the middle of a centuries old feud between two deadly vampires. Jasper wants to kill her in order to control her psychic powers and Michael hopes to use her to lure Jasper into a trap. Things go off track though when (surprise surprise) Michael starts to get more and more involved into Nicky's life and they find themselves more and more entwined by the day.

Overall the writing was good and the plot had a flow. The characters where quite good too. If it was a little more unpredictable and a little less for lack of a better word cheasy I'd rate it higher. But while the action parts of the plot were ok, even if not original, the romance part was too much like all the other paranormal romances for me to say honestly that it stood out. Not that I didn't enjoy it anyway, but it just didn't stand out.

I liked Nicki's powers though and now that she 's having a boost from Michael as well it's bound to get better. One thing I would like to point out that I liked here was that vampires were not the poor tortured souls that were just misanderstood. Vampire equals killer. Wether they are on an vegetarian diet like Michael or on a killing spree like Jasper they have the same urges deep down. And Nicky doesn't fall over herself to try end save Michael's soul as soon as she finds out the truth. She doesn't forget the darkness that has unsettled her about him from the get go and she doesn't make excuses for him.
It makes you respect her more.

Well that was interesting in lack of a better word...
I liked the characters, maybe I didn't love them, but that could be just because of bad timing. They had depth and they had both gone through a lot, so it only made sense that they seeked out normalcy. They relied on one another and they pushed eachother towards self-improvement.

Why was it necessary though to tell us at every turn that Echo smelled like cinnamon. After a while I had a strong inclination to visit the bakery on our corner and check out the goodies. :P
And the whole siren, goddess, whatever thing was a bit excessive in my humble opinion. I don't think there is a guy on earth that thinks those words every five sentences no matter how in love he might be. But even if it was meant to be romantic it hit off the mark with me since I couldn't help rolling my eyes after the umpteenth time I read it. Dude she has a name!
Also, that proposal that came out of nowhere after two weeks of being together was a bit much. The guy was supposed to have trust issues. He might have fallen for her pretty quick, but marriage? It's overkill. Thankfully, he dropped the issue after that and settled for just going to the same college, which at least makes sense.

Anyway, I know I sound like a cynicist and trust me I am not, but some things just seemed out of context to me and it threw me off. 

On the other hand, this book had some great messages. A lot of guys could use a lesson in self restrain when it comes to a girl just not being ready to have sex. Noah was a great example of a guy who wants to take things further, but gives a girl space and time if she needs it without bitching about it at every turn or trying to guilt her into it. Which is never a pretty picture.
I am also impressed by the attention this book payed to people with bipolar disease. Many people who haven't seen a bipolar person in their manic state might think that Echo's mom might have been a stretch, but there are many people who suffer from this on various degrees and if it goes untreated cases like this one aren't impossible. But Echo's mom wasn't just sick, she was simply a bad parent. Even on her meds she cared more about hurting her ex husband than repairing her relationship with her daughter. Bipolar and self-centered is never a good combination.

I have started the second book so you know I'll be reading more of these series and I hope I'll like the second book even more. 

3.5 stars.
I feared that this would turn into a triangle, but Beth wasn't conflicted in that department. She didn't encourage both guys only to start whining later about her having to chose. I respect that.
Boy that girl was unlucky! If karma exists she either was a super villain in another life or life owes her many flowers and candy in the future.
I liked the uncle. As far as paternal figures go he was a good one.
Why though both here and in Pushing the Limits the moms are crazy and a father figure is always the steadying force. Seems kind of sexist...
Anyway, Ryan was really sweet and they had good chemistry with Beth.
Kinda felt sorry for Isaiah, but what can you do? Not visiting her in the hospital and cutting her off was kind of a dick move though.

Well that was interesting in lack of a better word...
I liked the characters, maybe I didn't love them, but that could be just because of bad timing. They had depth and they had both gone through a lot, so it only made sense that they seeked out normalcy. They relied on one another and they pushed eachother towards self-improvement.

Why was it necessary though to tell us at every turn that Echo smelled like cinnamon. After a while I had a strong inclination to visit the bakery on our corner and check out the goodies. :P
And the whole siren, goddess, whatever thing was a bit excessive in my humble opinion. I don't think there is a guy on earth that thinks those words every five sentences no matter how in love he might be. But even if it was meant to be romantic it hit off the mark with me since I couldn't help rolling my eyes after the umpteenth time I read it. Dude she has a name!
Also, that proposal that came out of nowhere after two weeks of being together was a bit much. The guy was supposed to have trust issues. He might have fallen for her pretty quick, but marriage? It's overkill. Thankfully, he dropped the issue after that and settled for just going to the same college, which at least makes sense.

Anyway, I know I sound like a cynicist and trust me I am not, but some things just seemed out of context to me and it threw me off.

On the other hand, this book had some great messages. A lot of guys could use a lesson in self restrain when it comes to a girl just not being ready to have sex. Noah was a great example of a guy who wants to take things further, but gives a girl space and time if she needs it without bitching about it at every turn or trying to guilt her into it. Which is never a pretty picture.
I am also impressed by the attention this book payed to people with bipolar disease. Many people who haven't seen a bipolar person in their manic state might think that Echo's mom might have been a stretch, but there are many people who suffer from this on various degrees and if it goes untreated cases like this one aren't impossible. But Echo's mom wasn't just sick, she was simply a bad parent. Even on her meds she cared more about hurting her ex husband than repairing her relationship with her daughter. Bipolar and self-centered is never a good combination.

I have started the second book so you know I'll be reading more of these series and I hope I'll like the second book even more.

This one sounds like it could be a movie...

 

  If you loved Divergent, you must try at leas one of these:

 

                                                 via BuzzFeed

Oh this was kind of weird but good! :D
Morganville is finally moving towards some place and I like it. The characters are growing up and the grown ups are defined more clearly. 
You can't read a Rachel Caine book and expect anything else than an action packed, intense and cleverly written plot. Bitter Blood delivered all those things and left me waiting for the next book one more time! There aren't many series that can keep readers hooked after that many sequels... So what's more to say?
I love the characters, I love the world this books are set in and I really really like the fact that I've gotten to the 13th book in these series and I still consider the story fast paced and intriguing. :)
The atmosphere was a bit heavier in this book. Morganville was never a walk in the park, but there was always someone who remained relatively happy. Here I couldn't for the life of me name one person that got it easy or wasn't half-way depressed or mad... The gang has been scattered, at least temporarily, and it remains up to Caine how she'll decide to write the end. 
I won't say much more, but I can't help mentioning for the billionth time, as I have in all my reviews of this series that I LOVE MYRNIN!!! :D Seriously the guy is a mad genius and in here we finally got the chance to look inside his head! And boy did I like that! I'll miss the vampire bunny slippers! How cute was he when he was apologizing to them both for leaving them behind? I laughed so hard! 

 

In memory of the fallen slippers!:D

I really liked reading from Ethan's pov!
His perspective of the fay was understandable and I felt kind of bad for him for a while. His fighting skills were hot, but his attitude sucked from time to time. I really hope he gets over his more brooding side in the next book. He 's reminding me a bit of Ash in his more solemn phase. 
Kenzi though stole it for me! She was a definitely a character I'm rooting for and I 'd love to read a bit from her PoV too.
Keirran was a sweet guy up until he got brainwashed by the Queen of the Forgotten. His relationship with the Summer Fae is ironically similar to Ash and Meghan so they'd better be more understanding. Now from all the characters I Keirran is the one I am the most worried about. From what I've seen so far he's more like his mother than his father, but he seems more gullible than Meghan did after the second book. He seems more fragile somehow. Awesome powers aside...
What got me thinking though was one thing the oracle had said to Meghan in Iron King. I don't remember the exact phrasing, but the gist of it was that her child would only bring her sorrow and anguish. Now if that isn't a bad omen I don't know what is.
I had really missed Grim, Puck and the others so I'm really glad they all showed up even if it was for a little bit. Grim was there for a bit more than the others, but I want more Puck next time!!! The two times I briefly saw him were hardly enough. And I also wouldn't mind Ash and Ethan having it out. More Ash that way too! :D
It's kind of weird though how children and parents are looking the same age. They must be used to it, but it always takes me a while to bring it all together in my head.

Anyway, this was a very good start for the spin-off and I hope the rest will be even better! :D

This had better not turn into another Allegient!!!

I don't think I can take much more heartache so soon.

It was amazing once more to see how realistic the world and the characters are! I get so emerged in what's happening that when the book was over I just kept trying to turn the page because I thought "No, it can't be over already!".

Obviously I loved the book! June is one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed every second of watching them struggle and push forward to survive.

Day was hot and cold throughout the book. One minute he was the sweetest and the next he became all jealous and unfairly cruel. I never can stay mad at him though! 

Anden was such a nice guy I couldn't believe it! You don't find them often in politics... I hope he'll find someone to be happy with. Not June though because as much as I like him I like Day more. It amazed me once more how young all the characters where! Of course I knew their age when I started the book, but every time they faced hardships and obstacles and they just kept fighting on I kept thinking "wow and they are only fifteen!"

Tess was annoying for the most part. I know she's supposed to be this sweet good hearted girl with a hopeless crash on Day, but that very crash made her bitter and petty for the most part. And Day was not clear with her from the beginning which let her blur the lines more. Instead of shutting her down immediately he kept encouraging her, intentionally or not it doesn't matter, until they both got hurt. He sooo grit on my nerves when he kept thinking how pretty she was and how much she had grown up. Dude just pick a girl already and stick to it! 

The plot wasn't that hard to figure out, but I enjoyed the writing so much that I didn't mind the predictability of the whole thing. This is I think the first book where the constant change in characters point of views in every chapter doesn't bother me at all. I quite enjoyed it actually. :D
Talk about a cliffhanger though! Before seeing that there was another book coming up in the series I was sooo scared! 

Recommend the series to everyone! It's an amazing world that will captivate you! And the characters are beautifully written!