SON OF WAR, DAUGHTER OF CHAOS by Janette Rallison (July 2014)

From JanetteRallison.com: Aislynn is accustomed to watching for the enemy. Her parents instructed her from the time she was young to look for people with the signs: greater than normal strength, eyes that can glow green, and the ability to jump long distances. Over the years, Aislynn has come to view her parents’ fears as quirks—things that get in the way of having a normal high school life. 

When Aislynn’s mother dies under suspicious conditions, her father doubles his restrictions. But all his precautions can’t stop the boy with glowing green eyes from finding Aislynn. She realizes too late she’s been drafted into an ancient Egyptian war, whether she’s prepared or not.

Genre: YA Paranormal

Audience: Young Adult

Length: 368 pgs

Rating: 3+

Review: Okay. I admit, I had a really hard time deciding how to rate this. It was so fun. So Janette Rallison. So well written, witty, and a good book. So why only a 3+ instead of like a 4+ or 5 like it probably deserves? I had a serious, serious problem with one of the love interests for Aislynn. Going into my issues would produce major spoilers, so I won't. I just . . . disagreed. We'll leave it at that.

But, beyond that, it's a good book. It has some fun action and some unique plot twists and turns. It was well written and well thought out. I enjoyed it and to be honest, read it really quickly. I love Aislynn, and most of the characters (hahahaha). They were each pretty solid.

Content

Sex - 1 (Some somewhat passionate kissing and hickies. Ha!)

Language - 0

Violence - 2 (It's an action book but nothing gory or graphic.)

Overall Rating - PG-12, just for themes, etc.

Review: DIE FOR ME (Revenants, 1) by Amy Plum (HarperCollins, 2011)

From AmyPlumBooks.comhttp://www.amyplumbooks.com/books/: 

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Audience: Young Adult
Length: 344 pgs

Rating: **+ (I liked it.)

Review: First off, excellent concept. The idea of people who save the lives of other constantly, who battle evil. I love the idea. I was swept in at the beginning and was right with Kate as she discovers Vincent and who he is. Then in the middle it swung off the tracks for me. I think I wanted something packed with action, and if I'd read this as a basic romance with some thrills, I would have seen it differently. The middle became all about their relationship and much less about the larger plot that involved revenants--and that's what I wanted to explore. So, unfortunately, for me, by the end, the action felt contrived and settled fairly easily. The middle also felt like Twilight, but in Paris. The author began with some distinctions between the French culture, but also as the book went further along, it lost that. The characters--besides Kate and her sister, who are American--all spoke like Americans, using colloquialisms that the author corrected early on. Not sure if I'm interested enough to read the second and third books.

Content:
Sex - 2+/5 She and Vincent cut off a passionate kiss that both infer is very close to leading further. They kiss passionately several times. Kate discusses nude people in art. There is a nude model in Jules' apartment when Kate visits.
Language - 2/5 Constant vain use of "God." Two instances of "Damn"
Violence - 3/5 Lots of discussion of people dying and how they died. Fighting. A detailed and gory fight scene at the end.
Substance Abuse - 1/5 They got to clubs and other characters drink alcohol, though Kate drinks only Coke. She drinks "bubbly" at her birthday dinner.

Source: Bought on Kindle during a $1.99 promotion

Try this. Like Young Adult Paranormal Romance? Read PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White.

Review: A WINTER SEA by Susanna Kearsley

From Amazon: History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Audience: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Length: 544 pgs.

Rating: ***+ (Really liked it)

Review: First off, I've read some reviews who have trouble with the way this book alternates between the present and past in the POVs. I personally loved it. After only a few chapters, I got to where I could tell the author was about to shift again, making the transition really smooth. I loved the romance between Sophia and Moray, and though I doubted and thought I'd hate the ending, it turned into something that I really loved. **SPOILER** In the end, Sophia has to send her baby to trusted friends to keep her safe and pretend as though the baby isn't hers. I hated this, probably because my personal opinion is that if I wanted my kids safe, that safety would only be with me. Probably the biggest reason I rated it lower. **END SPOILER** I wanted to see more of the contemporary romance with Graham. All I really got was that Carrie was inexplicable drawn to him and that she was physically attracted to him, and then only small bits about why she fell in love with him. Sometimes the narrative falls into something akin to a history lesson, though it fits in. Hard to explain that. Since Carrie is the *author* and narrator, it really actually fits, and I, as a history geek myself, was really engrossed by these cool bits--but I could see where it would bog down other readers. It reads very slow. I kept having to put it down, read something quicker paced, then come back to it. However, once I passed about two-thirds through, I didn't put it down. All in all, I adored the interesting historical facts and the endnotes that the author included to show that so much of it was actually real. Wow. The Research. I'm absolutely boggled by all she would have had to do. It also had some truly, truly fantastically beautiful lines. Such as one from the countess on having her children apart from her, "My heart is so scattered round the country now, I marvel that is has the strength each day to keep me standing."

Content:

Sex 2/5 (Scenes are implied only)
Language 3/5 (Mostly for what word it used--Christ in vain--I think about seven times)
Violence 2/5 (A lot of war is talked about, Moray describes a graphic scene at the end, Sophia is assaulted by the gardener)
Overall rating - PG-16

Try this. Want more wonderful but heartbreaking historical fiction? Read LONGING FOR HOME by Sarah M. Eden.

Review: BECOME (Desolation) by Ali Cross (2011)

From alicross.com: Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared. 
When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

Audience: YA

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 344 pgs

Rating: *** (I liked it)

Review: So many cool things about this book sucked me in right away. The vivid description of the MCs birth and the cool way the author envisioned Hell. I liked the mythology that backed up the story and the obvious research the author did to fill the story out with great details. I loved the character Miri - how she was so good and so flawed at the same time. The same with Lucy. They both stood out as very real characters. A few times I got lost in the details, not quite sure what the characters were trying to accomplish in certain scenes or for stretches of time. For the first half, I followed along with the purpose of the book, understanding what Desi was doing and what significance the events had. The latter half was harder. I'm not sure if it was because I read fast and missed things or something else. I think readers who enjoy this genre will enjoy this book.

Source: Kindle copy downloaded during a promotion.

Content: Rated 1-5; 1 being minor instances, 5 being intense instances or saturated)

Sex: 2+ (There are no sex scenes described, but it's discussed and implied as part of Daniel's lifestyle)

Violence: 4 (There are multiple fights described in detail.)

Language: 4 (What I would call the minor words - damn, hell, a.. - are used frequently throughout.)

Overall rating - PG16

Try this Like YA Paranormal? Check out Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY trilogy.

Review: PIVOT POINT by Kasie West (HarperTeen, 2013)

From Amazon:  Knowing the outcome doesn't always make a choice easier. . . .

Addison Coleman's life is one big "What if?" As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It's the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie's parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the "Norms," or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback's girlfriend. When Addie's father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she's unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she's willing to live through . . . and who she can't live without.

Review: AN UNLIKELY MATCH by Sarah M. Eden

So you guys all know the story of how I got this book into my hands. My *signed*, amazing copy of AN UNLIKELY MATCH came to me via my sister, who shall ever be praised on this blog.

From Sarah's website (Yes, I've started referring to her by first name. She called me lovely. Well, my choice in books, but that's a minor detail. We are best friends now. Just try and argue that.) *clears throat* Anyway ... the blurb: The future has never looked brighter for once penniless Nickolas Pritchard. Now in possession of an unforeseen legacy from a distant cousin, he can finally woo the exquisite Miss Castleton, belle of the London Season. What better setting for matchmaking than Ty Mynydd, his ancestral home nestled in the untamed hills of Wales? Ideal, indeed ... except for the ghost. 

For nearly four hundred years, Gwen has walked the halls of the home in which she lived—and died a mysterious death. But despite centuries as the reigning force within her ancient residence, nothing prepares her for the charm and unexpected appeal of Englishman Nickolas. 

Review: PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White

I'm not quite sure where I first heard about this book. It could've have been seeing the cover on a blog hop. It might have been on lit agent Michelle Wolfson's blog. Wherever I happened across it, I'm SO glad I did. SO glad.

From Amazon: "Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only one who can see through glamours.

But now Evie’s dreams are filled with haunting voices and cryptic messages—and she’s realizing that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal."


The Rating: ***** + (I loved it so much I bought the rest of the series, including pre-ordering the third book)


The Good: 
I have an absolute weakness for witty writing. Witty in a romance and cute lines that make my heart melt. Witty in a fabulous YA voice that just rocks. That's PARANORMALCY. I love, LOVED Evie's voice. I loved her character. I wanted to be best friends with her. (And also Kiersten White, but that's actually called stalking.) The girl loves pink -- she is so someone after my own heart. Her love interest was adorable in this fabulous teenage boy way. I'm so engrossed in Evie's world that I can't wait for the second book to get here and I'm thanking my lucky stars I only have to wait until the middle of July for the third one. Phew. Even if you're not a paranormal fan, you'll enjoy this book.


The Bad:
There's not a lot to say bad about a book I wanted to rate 100 stars. There were some tense changes that popped me out of the first couple chapters, but that's only because I'm a stickler like that. If it happened later, I didn't notice -- I was too engrossed. And I didn't like the other guy, Reth, who wanted Evie's heart, and I felt like I almost should have.


The Recommendation:
When a book has a line as awesome as, "[My driver's license] ranks right up there with lockers. In fact, sometimes I put my license inside my locker, and it's so cool I worry that the whole thing might explode with the sheer coolness of it all." -- Well, let's just say you know it's worth reading, right? And buying all three books? (I didn't even look it up at my local library. Because I'll probably read this book again, and giggle over the line, "His lips -- oh, bleep, his lips.") That says it all.

Disclaimer: Mild (oh-so-very-mild) kissing. And some bleeping, but no actual swear words. Okay, it's really actually quite hilarious in context. There's nothing in this book I'd worry about a 12-year-old girl reading. :D


Buy (no seriously, like right now) PARANORMALCY here.
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