"Sanctum" by Sarah Fine

SANCTUM - Sarah Fine (released October 2012)
(First book of the Guards of the Shadowlands trilogy)

I kept putting off reading this book, and I'm glad I did - because it was worth the wait!  The title didn't appeal to mean and the cover didn't do anything to draw me in, but the book was incredible!  I was pleasantly surprised.

If you're a fan of What Dreams May Come, then you will definitely like this book.  Nadia, Lela's best friend, shockingly commits suicide and Lela begins to dream about Nadia in Hell aka "The Dark City".  Lela, a once troubled teen herself, falls to her death while in a trace, so she can help Nadia escape the Dark City.  Only getting in and locating Nadia in the Dark City isn't as easy as Lela originally thought. The Mazikin are the hunt to recruit weak souls into their fold, and the Guards are there to destroy the Mazikin and make sure no souls escape from the Dark City until they are ready to be judged.  Lela has a run in with Malachi, the leader of the Guards, when he discovers that she doesn't belong in the Dark City.  Malachi then has to decide if he should help Lela on her futile quest save Nadia, or get Lela out of the Dark City before she succumbs to the Dark City.

I loved this book.  I am a huge fan of What Dreams May Come  - I love the concept of connected souls and of hell having different sectors for each sin.  I find it fascinating that hell for suicides is a personal and lonely hell, and the souls usually don't even realize they are dead.  The story of Nadia and Malachi were heartbreaking, and I couldn't help but want to save them myself.  I also loved the idea that suicides could be saved and re-judged once they accepted what happened.  I also liked the idea that even love was possible in such a dark and depressing world.

Final say - I loved this book.  If you want a read that will make you question your beliefs about the afterlife, this book is for you.  If you want a book about deep friendship, this book is for you.  If you want a story filled with suspense and forbidden love, then this book is for you.  I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, and I will more than likely read this book again soon.

"Poison Princess" by Kresley Cole

POISON PRINCESS - Kresley Cole (released October 2012)
(first book of the Arcana Chronicles)

Could easily become my new favorite book series!

The title alone would tempt me to pick up this book, but adding two very attractive models to the cover, and it's a for-sure pick up.

Over the summer, Evie was admitted into a psych ward because of hallucinations she was having about the end of the world, only to find out, they weren't hallucinations...  On her sixteenth birthday, the Flash happens, causing the end of the world.  But the end is just the beginning for Evie and the other Arcana.

Before the Flash, Evie was a  popular, fairly wealthy girl, with a dream boyfriend living in Louisiana... who had hallucinations about controlling plants, evil witches and Death, and the end of the world.  On the first day of school, after her summer spent in a psych ward, five new students, including Cajun bad boy, Jack, transfer from the Bayou to Evie's school because a new levee is built.  While Jack puts Evie on edge, but the reader can't help but fall for him.

After the Flash, everyone and everything outside burned to ash - including Evie's best friend, Evie's boyfriend, and all plant life.  Evie is trying to keep things together on her farm with her mother, while she keeps having hallucinations, but once her mom gets hurt, Evie is lost.  Until Jack, the Bayou knight in a tight black shirt who rides a motorcycle, comes to see Evie and "rescue" her.  Only problem is - Evie believes she is apart of a larger war going on, involving the Arcana, and she has no idea what to do!

Poison Princess is told as a story that Evie is telling to a stranger that offered her refuge from the world, but her "rescuer" isn't all he's cracked up to be.  The reader sees the world, and Jack, through Evie's eyes the entire time, so they get to try to figure things out about her and him right along with Evie - which I love.  (I hate figuring out important information chapters before the lead character does.  [Ref. The Hunt])

Cole wrote the characters with such truth.  I love how Jack acts like an asshole one minute, and then steals your heart the next.  He acted like a true 18 year old boy, which made him feel so real to me.  The same goes for Evie.  Her insecurities, doubts, and attitude made me believe I was listening to a real 18 year old girl.  The love story between Jack and Evie is heartbreaking and frustrating, but in a way that makes you want to keep reading.  I haven't read a book that got me so emotionally invested in the story in quite awhile!  (The only other book series that have done this to me are Vampire Academy and Hush, Hush.)  It was VERY hard for me to put this book down.  I would stay awake until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning reading because I didn't want to stop!  And when I was at work, I couldn't wait to get home to continue reading.  I was obsessed.  This book was like crack for me.  After I finished, I was very tempted to start over and read again!  I found myself daydreaming, and even DREAMING about this book weeks after I finished read it.  The second book to the series doesn't come out until October 2013 and I can hardly wait!  In fact, I will probably read this book again once I'm done with book I am currently reading, because I loved this book so much.

Final say:  A MUST READ if you are a YA lover!  This book has everything a YA reader would want - action, conflicted romance, a bad boy who is sensitive, and a girl who is believable, but is also secret bad ass herself.  I would recommend this book to anyone, and if they didn't like it - then I don't think we could be friends.

Note:  I reread the book in a weekend again after I posted this, and I feel in love with the story and Jack all over again!  I love, love, LOVE this book!

"Edge of Oblivion" by J.T. Geissinger

Edge of Oblivion (A Night Prowler Novel) - J.T. Geissinger
(Book 2 of Night Prowler series)

[Note: I read Shadow's Edge several months ago, so I don't feel like I can accurately review it, unless I were to read it again.]  

After reading Shadow's Edge (the first book in the Night Prowler series), I had to read the second one.  Shadow's Edge kept me so intrigued that I wanted to know more!  But, the second book isn't about the original characters - Leander and Jenna.  *SPOILER ALERT* The second book follows Morgan, who plays a large role in the first book, and her punishment for turning against her Ikati tribe.

Morgan betrayed her Ikati tribe in the first book, yet you don't even think of her as a "bad guy".  Morgan's punishment is to find the headquarters of the Expurgari (the people who wish to exterminate the Ikati), but she only has 14 days to it.  If she fails, Xander, a trained assassin and her "keeper", will have to execute her.  But, of course, Xander and Morgan develop feelings for each other and Morgan goes into heat, so... there is a good amount of romance involved.  Steamy sex scenes, lots of action/fighting, and well developed characters keep you turning the pages for more!

Morgan is such a strong, free-willed female character, that the reader can't help but sympathize with her and root for her.  Even in the first book, where she isn't the main focus of the story, you like her almost immediately. Her ballsy attitude and no filter personality made me laugh and love her all the more.  Geissinger writes his characters in such a way that the reader immediately loves or hates them with such  passion that the reader becomes personally invested.

Final say:  If you like action and sex, read Edge of Oblivion.  You don't have to read Shadow's Edge first in order to understand Edge of Oblivion since the focus is on different characters.  Edge of Oblivion was a page turner and hard for me to put down.  Once I finished, I still thought about the story for several days later.  I fully plan to read the third installment, even if it doesn't deal with Xander and Morgan or Leander and Jenna.

"The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda

The Hunt - Andrew Fukuda
(Going to be a trilogy)

If I were browsing through a book store, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book to see what it was about because I would have assumed it was "a boy book"... and I would have regretted that decision.

The Hunt is about a world where vampires are the norm/society and hepers (humans) are practically extinct.  However, there are a few humans left who live disguised as vampires in order to live just a semblance of a life.  Gene is 17 years old, and one of these disguised humans, only Gene wins "the lottery" and is one of seven who gets to hunt the remaining hepers, who are kept in a Dome - that's closed during night and open during the day - at the Heper Institute.  Gene discovers there is another disguised heper in his midst (which the reader can guess almost immediately), and these two have to figure out a way to not be discovered as hepers once The Hunt begins.

Richelle Mead - the author of the Vampire Academy series (one of my all time FAVORITE book series) - describes the book as "BRILLIANT and ADDICTIVE... Think of The Hunger Games with vampires".  And she couldn't be more right!  I could NOT put this book down!  I read this book in about 12 hours over a weekend.  The suspense keeps your attention and makes you want to "just read one more chapter".  It does stretch out the "pre-Hunt" a little too long but the reader will overlook it because Fukuda keeps the readers' attention with heart pounding moments perfectly places throughout the entire book.

While I really enjoyed the book, the reader is able to come to conclusions much quicker than the lead character, Gene, which I don't always like.  I like to realize the twists moment before the characters do, instead of several chapters ahead of them, which I found myself doing in The Hunt.  But that is probably my only complaint.

Final say:  If you like the Hunger Games, then read this book!  It's not as "gory" as The Hunger Games, but it's right up there in the suspense factor.  You really won't be able to put it down.  After I finished, I couldn't wait to start the sequel, which I don't have yet, so I'll have to impatiently wait.

"Born Wild" by Julie Ann Walker

BORN WILD - Julie Ann Walker (to be released November 2013)
(Part of the Black Knights Inc series)

Even a YA lover, like myself, needs to have a little trashy romance in her life. ;)

I normally don't read romance novels, but since my friend picked it up for me, I couldn't NOT read it... The title and cover look like a typical romance novel to me, and that man's body on the cover is delicious to look at so, had I been browsing in the adult romance selection, I may have picked this up on my own, but I'm not sure.

I believe there was possibly a prequel to this book?  They reference another event a couple times in the book, and since Born Wild is a part of a larger series, I would guess that there may be another exciting story about Bill and Eve.

Bill is an ex-Navy SEAL who now works as part of a covert special ops team, under the cover of a motorcycle garage.  (What's not sexy about this so far?)  Eve is a socialite who believes someone is trying to kill her.  Bill and Eve have a history, of course.  Back in college they used to date, but then Bill went off to military training and Eve married another man. (For shame!)  But since Eve doesn't know who to trust and the cops don't seem to be helping her, she turns to her old flame Bill and his covert team, which saved her once before. (The story that is referenced a few times that could possibly have been a prequel.)

The story is full of action, which I really liked!  There's enough action and suspense, that I think even a GUY would like reading this book!  It wasn't all sex, sex, romance, sex.  In fact, for a romance novel, there was very little sex!  A lot of tense, teasing, just-do-it-already build up... but the action and mystery of the story really propelled the story forward.  There's shoot outs, and car crashes, and sexual tension, and father-daughter drama... it's the complete package!  Honestly, I enjoyed trying to figure out - who is actually trying to kill her.  Bill and Eve were nicely developed characters that were believable, and they were genuine enough that you did root for them to air out their difference and end up together.

I actually found myself thinking about this book several weeks after I finished it.  I would play the "epic scene" (not the sex scene) in my head and expand the story in different ways or change little things.  I like books that make you keep thinking about them.  From an aspiring director's point of view - I pictured this story as a movie the entire time I was reading it - which makes it a good book for me.  If I can picture it as a film, then the story is solid enough to stick with me.

Final say: Why not read it?  If you're normally not a romance novel reader - this is a good book to wet your whistle.  If you're a normally a suspense novel reader - you will thoroughly enjoy this book... and the added sexual bonuses.

"Covet" by Tracey Garvis Graves

COVET - Tracey Garvis Graves (released August 17, 2013)

Neither the title or the cover would have made me pick up this book on my own.  Reading the synopsis, did peak my interest a little though because it made it sound like it could be a romance novel - but I was wrong.

Covet is about a woman, Claire, in her late 30s who feels like her relationship with her husband, Chris, is strained because he went through depression when he was laid off, and now he is super busy with his new job, which takes him away from the family because of travel.  But Claire gets pulled over by a cop, Daniel, during a traffic stop, then runs into him again at a Fourth of July parade, and from there, their interests in each other are piqued.

Now maybe I'm not the right audience for this his book because I'm not married and I don't know what it's like to feel the strain and disconnect from your partner, but this book just frustrated me.  The entire time I just kept thinking - Just TALK to your husband!  Why is that concept so hard??  Claire lives this really nice life where she's a freelance graphic designer who works from home.  She gets to spend time with her kids after school, and her friends during the day, who are also stay at home moms in her neighborhood.  Graves tries to create conflict to the story by giving Claire an alcoholic friend, a friend whose husband had a gambling problem, and a friend whose spouse is cheating on her.  I couldn't keep the friends straight and remember who had what problem, nor did I care.  As for Claire's relationship with Daniel - it just felt like a giant tease.  Are they going to cross the line and commit adultery or not?  I was reading the book still thinking - maybe it is a romance novel, I just have to wait...  But it's not!!  I feel like the story didn't go anywhere.  The marriage was in trouble, Claire sought out the hot cop for company, flirting occurred, and then the marriage between Claire and Chris is fixed while Daniel is left out in the cold because Claire is a giant tease.  I kept feeling like SOMETHING was going to happen, but nothing ever did.  I had to force myself to keep reading, because I kept thinking - It will pick up any minute... any minute now...  But no.

Final say:  Pass on this book.  Unless you're a unhappily married woman who is thinking about finding comfort in another man's arms, don't bother.

"Beta" by Rachel Cohn

BETA - Rachel Cohn (released October 2012)
(First book in the Annex series)

I haven't read or seen Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which Rachel Cohn also wrote, so this was my first exposure to her writing - and I approve!

The title and cover are appealing enough that I would have picked it up if I were browsing a bookstore.

The story is about a sixteen year old girl, Elysia, who was made to be a subservient, soulless clone/slave for one of the families who lives in an utopia like island called Demesne.  Only Elysia is discovering that maybe she's not as soulless as she's supposed to be, because she's having feelings she wasn't "programmed" to have.

The concept is very intriguing.  The idea of soulless clones being created to be slaves, or "companions" as they are called, is not only disturbing but strangely fascinating as well.  The people of Demesne don't see anything wrong with having compliant "companions" because they aren't suppose to feel; which makes the reader wonder - if cloning soulless people really could happen, would people enslave them since they aren't considered real people?

Cohn also creates a world that is utterly mesmerizing.  The reader can easily picture the island's landscapes and it's residents in their head, because Cohn paints the picture so clearly without her bombarding them with boring details.  The characters feel rich, and full, and like people the reader would know in real life.  The story is told with precise timing.  It doesn't feel like Cohn is taking too long to tell the story, nor does it feel like she's trying to push too hard to keep the story interesting.  Cohn makes if effortless for the reader to connect to Elysia, since they get to learn about the world right along with her.

I found it was so easy to slip into "being" Elysia in the story.  I felt invested in the character and I kept wanting to keep reading!  I was as hungry for knowledge as Elysia was.  I read the book fairly quickly because I didn't want to put it down.  There are two exciting twists in the book that kept me wanting more.  When I finished, I wanted to read the next one!  I believe the second book is published, and I can't wait to continue the journey!

Final say:  Read the book!  It's quick, easy, and hard to put down.  You'll stay up at night trying to finish it.

"Charming" by Elliot James

CHARMING - Elliot James (released September 2013)

The first book in the PAX ARCANA series.

The title is definitely intriguing.  I would have picked this book up if I were in a bookstore simply on the the title alone. 

The book is about a rogue knight, John Charming, who hunts monsters - vampires, werewolves, Indian Gods, etc.  However, Charming isn't 100% human himself.  He's been trained in the art of killing monsters by the Knights Templar, but once they found out he's not entirely human, he has to go rouge and hide from the Knights, while still fulfilling his swore duty of destroying creatures threatening the Pax Arcana.  (The Pax Arcana, to put simply, is the veil that separates these monsters from exposing themselves to humans.) But of course, there has to be a love story.  (He's a Charming, come on.)  Charming meets Sig one night while slaying some vampires and a forbidden love/love triangle ensues.  Charming becomes a part of a team of supernatural good guys who have to destroy this lair of vampires before they become too powerful.  But Sig's old ass boyfriend, Dvornik, is a prick and doesn't want Charming involved, and jealousy and tantrums follow.

The story has a fairly predictable twist that you can easily see coming.  Charming's inner monologue are entertaining and funny.  The reader definitely roots for him and finds him easily likable.  He's like that smart-ass, sarcastic friend that knows when to deliver a great snarky remark.  Sig is a little harder to like.  The reader feels for her occasionally, but the character is so guarded and bitchy, that at times, you don't really care if Charming and her get together.  I found myself liking the smaller characters - Choo and Molly -  because they more relatable and entertaining than Sig.

Ultimately I would probably read the second book the series to see where the story goes.  It's an easy read and it kept my attention so I kept picking it up to read it every night.  I enjoyed Charming and thought Elliot James provided believable inner monologues, but the actual dialogue between the characters was a little forced and the story was a little predictable.  

Final say: Read it, if you don't have any else to read.

YA Book Reviews

I think I can officially admit that I have an obsession with YA books.  I know I'm "too old" for them, but they are still my favorite!  I can't help it!  I didn't like reading in high school because I didn't like being TOLD what to read; but when I got to CHOOSE, I realized I liked YA.  A LOT.  Especially if they have a supernatural element involved. I'll be honest, at the time I really liked "Twilight" which wetted the palate for all the other series to come.

I have read the entire "Uglies" series, "Vampire Academy" series, "Hush Hush" series, and "Fallen" series.  Those are some of my favorite series and I plan on reading them again after I get through my pile of new books to read.  I'll definitely review those books when I revisit them, but for now, let's just call them "ALL TIME FAVORITES - MUST READS".

I have been lucky enough to have a friend who interns in the publishing world and he went to conventions and got me a plethora of advanced readers copies.  He definitely holds the title for "Favorite Friend of the Month" when we brings me new books!!  And, since I read them, and have opinions about them, I decided I might as well blog about them.  So - that's what this is going to be.  I'll dedicate one blog to one book, before I paperbackswap them out.  So - HERE GOES!!