Serial Wedneday

It's Serial Wednesday!
Today we reading Serial #3 of Debt Collector.. we will publlish a review of all 3 serials a bit later.
Not sure if you interested? Download Delirium is free on Amazon today! Just a word of warning... it's does leave you wanting more

Review: Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Pages: 446 Pages (Hardcover)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Paranormal
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Summary:

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike

Rating:


Review: 

“You will always be a monster - there is no turning back from it. But what kind of monster you become is entirely up to you.”

Let me just put it it out there, I am not sure which book I  liked better Immortal Rules or Eternity Cure. But honestly it might be Immortal Rules. Though it doesn't matter much. Since I think this is Kagawa's best series so far.
So while I decided that I preferred the first book, it took me a while to work out why it was. At first I thought it might just be the cursed second book syndrome, that the diving into the Blood of Eden world the first time around was more exciting since it was all new. But while the world building is much more elaborate in the first book, there is actually more action in the second. And I like kick-ass action, so that was definitely not it. Finally I came to the conclusion that it's about Alison actually. Her internal struggles to be exact. While I get why Kagawa did write it the way she did, personally it didn't have as much pull for me as the first time around. Saying that, I also should mention, that I think it's important for Alison's character development. In fact it's a minor thing.

Mostly Alison is still a great female kick-ass lead. Her inner struggles are beautifully set against villains and nemesis and makes you ponder over the monster thing.
The last time I said that Zeke was to goody goody for my taste. Well, he is back and he is the most improved character in my opinion. He is much more real and not half as saintly. But still fiercely loyal, protective, brave and determined to do what needs to be done. He is much more disillusioned ,way more angry and he wants revenge for the ones who were wronged. Which in my opinion was a huge improvement on his character. I got him where he came from, I could relate to him, hell I even thought he was kinda hot!
My favorite character though is Jackal. I am so team Jackal!!  I love his unpredictability and his unapologetic bad-assness and my favorite was his commentary and wit. It was a huge source of entertainment. But while he was seemingly just cold and selfish, there a glimpses of him there, that show that there is more to him than that.

" I have good news and bad news The good news is that the jeep is still where we left it, and I got the damned thing working again."
"What's the bad news?"
"Something took my fuzzy dice.”

I sheathed my blade and glared at him. "And here I almost thought you weren't a complete bastard.""Well, that's your mistake, not mine.” 

"So." His gold eyes shone as he gazed into mine. "I think I'm entitled to a smart comment or two now, don't you think?"... "Yeah", I muttered as his smug look faded into something that wasn't completely obnoxious "thanks" "No problem little sister" the leer returned,... "Comment number 1-how much do you weigh to snap the bridge like that? I thought you Asian were supposed to be petite and dainty."

"Oh well. That's humans for you, always so disgustingly mortal"


Kagawa has actually done a wonderful job with the character building in general. She produced a creepy and scary villain in Sarren and a mentor and philosophical voice in Kanin in Immortal Rule already, in Eternity Cure she established them just like she did with every reoccurring character in this book. As the story line unfolded one fight and one chase after another, more of the past was revealed as well and more about all those characters became clear.

The world building, while naturally not as exciting as Immortal rules, is superb again! Her take on the vampires being that of monsters - thank goodness no cute, intensely staring sparkling anything around here!!-  and the devastating state of the world is interesting and deliciously goth. In this book we get more of a glimpse of the vampire cities and society.

The writing style is unmistakably Kagawa. I love that it's recognizable as hers and still with that is different than the Iron Fey series. Having read everything she published so far, kinda makes it superfluous to say that I like her prose and expect quite a bit from it.  Eternity Cure does not disappoint, in fact I think it exceeded my expectation on this point. It's wonderful to see Kagawa improve with each book she writes.

The plot is fast paced and with several unexpected twists with a devastating epilogue thrown in at the end, that leaves you wanting for more. I honestly can not wait to see what Kagawa comes up next with.

I think this is somewhat Kagawa's most philosophical book. The question of who the monsters are is still highlighted by different character of different races. What makes you the monster and who has more humanity? And Kain acts often as the voice for Alison's search for answers to her internal struggles:“There are no good choices, Allison," Kanin offered in a quiet voice. "There are only those you can live with, and those you can work to change."
 I really like that Kagawa not only created a interesting and beautifully dark story but that I am left with things to think about connected to myself and real life, which is what seriously good fantasy does in my opinion.


My biggest issue though? No, its not the end, despite it's being a cliffy... no no I could live with that. 
It's this:

(taken from twitter:)
So, how long will we have to wait to find out what happens next with Blood of Eden series?

Julie Kagawa: Probably not for another year. Iron Traitor comes out in the fall, then Blood 3 in the spring

WHAT?!! REALLY? I have to wait ANOTHER YEAR to get another dose of Blood of Eden?!!


ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(click on the name for more reviews of this geek)

Review: Carved in Darkness by Maegan Beaumont

Carved in Darkness by Maegan Beaumont

Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages:  408Pages (Paperback)
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: May 8, 2013
Summary:

Past horrors bleed into a present day nightmare

Fifteen years ago, a psychotic killer abducted seventeen year old Melissa Walker. For 83 days she was raped and tortured before being left for dead in a deserted church yard... But she was still alive.

Melissa begins a new life as homicide inspector, Sabrina Vaughn. With a new face and a new name, it's her job to hunt down murderers and it's a job she does very well.

When Michael O'Shea, a childhood acquaintance with a suspicious past, suddenly finds her, he brings to life the nightmare Sabrina has long since buried.

Believing that his sister was recently murdered by the same monster who attacked Sabrina, Michael is dead set on getting his revenge--using Sabrina as bait.

Rating:


Review: 

I don't read a lot of mystery/thrillers. Mainly because I usually figure it all out before the end of the 2nd chapter and end up bored with the story. Although I did figure this one out it took a bit longer and had a lot of interesting twists and turns that had me second guessing myself a few times. I enjoyed the search and the journey to find this despicable mad man. That part of the story I enjoyed very much.

Had the character betrayals been as promising as the twist and turns this would have been a hands down 5 stars! Unfortunately that wasn't the case. In my opinion Ms. Beaumont needed to delve a bit deeper into the characters to make me feel something for them. I had no insight to Melissa/Sabrina other than the horrible tragedy she suffered and the fact that now she is a feeling-less cop. The same goes for Micheal. I get he was suppose to be a cold heartless killer but these two main characters just felt flat for me. Not to mention that the Sabrina hasn't let herself feel anything in 15 years now she suddenly (with out any explanation or growth between the two) she is in love with Micheal within a weeks time. That just annoyed me.

There are a few things that also bothered me with the set up of Melissa/Sabrina's character. I know the attack happened when she was a minor and the files sealed and what not. This woman who is now a Homicide investigator would have had to have had a physical exam and a psych test done before ever even becoming a cop to begin with. Which brings me to my problem. She has screws and plates in her face which would have had to be explained to a doctor and proof of said injuries would have been investigated. Not to mention the scar carved into her stomach reading MINE. Not only would a doctor be seeing some red flags so would a psychiatrist. So how does nobody know what happened to her. A police department doesn't just say "Oh you changed your name. That's alright, no big deal." They are going to look into it. Again someone would know and it would be in her file.

Believe it or not I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to someone who is easily able to overlook the flaws and still see the basic structure of a good story.

(click on the name for more reviews of this geek)

 

ARC Review: Peregrine Harker & The Black Death by Luck Hollands

Peregrin Harker & The Black Death by Luke Hollands

Publisher: Sparkling Books Ltd
Pages: 192 Pages (Paperback)
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Summary:

Peregrine Harker is about to learn you're never too young to die.

London 1908: A secret society stalks the murky streets, a deadly assassin lurks in the shadows and a series of unexplained deaths are linked by a mystery symbol…

When boy-detective Peregrine Harker stumbles across a gruesome murder he sparks a chain of events that drag him on a rip-roaring journey through a world of spluttering gas lamps, thick fog, deadly secrets and dastardly villains.

Every step of Peregrine’s white-knuckle adventure brings him closer to the vile heart of a terrifying mystery – the true story behind the Brotherhood of the Black Death.

Rating:


Review: 

This is a book for the boys. At least that's what I concluded at the end.
To be honest I just couldn't get into this one. At first I thought it might be my mood, so I read something else in between.. and when I came back to it, I still felt the same. So I kinda struggled through it.
See this is not really bad actually. Just not my cup of tea. The writing is kinda classic boy's adventure/fantasy. And I thought I liked those. But maybe not so much?
It's a bit silly and funny, fast paced and has every typical element a ya mystery/historical fiction usually boasts. All is there the undercover agent, bombs, fights, the big showdown and THE girl. Still I was always left feeling like something was missing.
I think my biggest issues were that Peregrine sounded way older- more like 30 or 40 at times not like a fifteen year old guy and I was hoping that there would be more plot or character development as it went on. But that never really happened. In fact both plot and characters felt more and more generic.

This felt more like one of those action spy movies to me and while I do watch those ones in a while, I think I don't wanna read books like that. Saying that though I also have to say that I am sure that many others will enjoy this more than me. As I say right in the beginning it think this one is one for the boys. The 15year old ones that secretly dream of being a undercover agent on dangerous missions and getting the girl at the end.



ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(click on the name for more reviews of this geek)

 

Review: No Strings Attached by Kate Angell

No Strings Attached by Kate Angell

Publisher: Kensington
Series: Barefoot Williams #2
Pages: 320Pages (Paperback)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Release Date: April 30, 2013
Summary:

Balmy ocean breezes. . .sweet coconut oil. . .glistening tanned bodies. There's no better place for romantic sparks to fly than at the beach.

As a professional volleyball player, Dune Cates attracts scores of pretty women who flock to his side. But only one has managed to get under his skin--Sophie Saunders. Unlike the skimpily-clad beach groupies, Sophie marches to a beat all her own. And though she's afraid of the surf, burns in the sun, has two left feet, that doesn't stop her from trying every daring sport available on the boardwalk. Dune knows Sophie spells trouble, and he should keep his distance, especially since he's a no-strings-attached kind of guy. But he can't ignore an overwhelming instinct to protect her. And with the promise of ice cream sandwiches, merry-go-round rides and dreamy sunsets, it's only a matter of time before Dune gives in to the temptation of Sophie's soft lips.

Love is always sweeter in the summer.

Rating:


Review: 
This book was a bit weird to read because it oscillated between 4 and 2 stars.

There is 2 love stories. The main one between Dune and Sophie and the secondary one between Mac and Jenna.

We met all the characters in the previous book (No tan lines). Dune and Mac are back to Barefoot Williams for a month vacation, they are best friends and Professional beach volley partners.

Sophie is a book worm, tremendously shy and with lots of phobia. One of those being she’s afraid of water. She also doesn’t stand sun so well, so each time she dares to go on the beach she is wearing hat, windbreaker and rubber boots. But this summer she decided it was high time to take some risks and emancipate herself from all her fears. She also has a crush for Dune since she was a kid.

Dune is attracted to Sophie and find her absolutely cute, but aware of her shyness he’s hiding his feeling for her. Because of that the romance is quiet slow to kick.

Mac and Jenna has a totally opposite relationship. She is as straight forward and sharp tongued as Sophie is shy and sweet, and externally she and Mac can’t stand each other.

My favorite character in the book is definitely Mac. He was part of most of the 4 stars moments of the book with or without Jenna. This man produces witty comebacks as naturally as he breaths.

The story was sweet but sometimes too sweet for me, thus the 2 stars moments. Another thing that also dragged the story in my opinion is all the "historical" moments.

(click on the name for more reviews of this geek)