Book review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margareth Stohl

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Original story
Beautiful Creatures is refreshingly enough without vampires, werewolves, fairys, fallen angels etc. What you do get in this book is dark and light magic, superstition, voodo and many other fascinating things. I find many parts of this story original and intricate. The book is told from a male character's perspective which I think is quite unusual in itself in this genre. We also get flashbacks from the Civil War when both the ancestors of Lena and Ethan lived in Gatlin. This adds debth to the story and makes it more interesting. The Civil War plays an important part in the small southern town of Gatlins history and they have both a museum and an annual play. The small town environment where the community is ruled by the narrowminded women in a local society is one of the things I think works the best in this book. I found it a bit strange that the community treated Lena so harsh from the start though. The adults believed the other girls that claimed there were something strange and evil about her right away. The same adults also removed Harry Potter from the school library earlier, and we know that has happened to many books in real life so maybe I'm just naive.

Love, love, love
One of the reasons I didn't really enjoy this book is the romance. I could probably need a break from paranormal YA, and especially Paranormal Romance which is what I would call this. I would classify this as such because the romance and the relationship between Lena and Ethan is such a large part of the book. I would have preferred to read more about other characters, the back story and not to mention the main plot and what's happening to Lena and her family. I think when you've read a few books in this category you recognize the recipe. A boy/girl who feels left out meets a person from the opposite sex with supernatural abilities. The supernatural one could be dangerous and therefore they shouldn't be together, but of course they just can't stay apart. When I read the first Twilight book and Hush, hush I was all into it and didn't look for all the flaws and annoying details. In this one I can't overlook them. About Lena and Ethan and didn't really feel for them. Lena is too flat and vague and I don't think Ethan is quite credible as a male character. I also missed some tension building between the couple. And even though this is not the worse book in describing only beautiful people (as Mari wrote about earlier), I also thought there were a few too many descriptions of Lenas beauty and not to mention the amazing things that happened when they kissed.

I really thought I would like this book so I have to say I was dissapointed. I thought the story showed promise but the love story partly ruined it for me. It was too long (more than 500 pages) and I got bored and stayed bored for a large part of the book. If I wasn't reading it for a norwegian book blog tour I'm not sure I would have finished it. I know many people really like this book and I can honestly see that it has certain qualities but this wasn't a great excperience for me.


My review:


Source:
Gift from the norwegian publisher Cappelen Damm

Silje

Book Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

My thoughts
White Cat is a paranormal Young Adult book. The book tells a story set in our world, yet a small part of the population are born as workers. They can literally work people with their hands, by touching them they can change memories, bring good luck or bad luck, kill, and some other not quite average things.
The concept is new, or at least something I've never read before myself. Not only is it new, it's intriguing, mysterious and amazing.

Holly Black's writing style has a lot to do with this as well. Black has a rare talent for making you as a reader symphatize with a character, no matter what terrible crimes they have commited in the past. You can't help but feel sorry for a murderer, even though he deserved the hurt. 

I loved the main character, Cassel. It was refreshing to read a book with a male protagonist for once.
Cassel is a murderer, one of the bad guys. Cassel is manipulative, a murderer and very charismatic. He's a saint compared to the rest of his family, murder and theft is nothing extraordinary. And yet I felt sorry for him, I hoped he was innocent and everything was just a big mistake.
Cassel's character developed a lot during the book, he changed as he found out more and more things about himself and his family. Most happenings are predictable, but instead of being bothersome it only made me feel more connected to Cassel. At times I felt like yelling to Cassel what to do, so he wouldn't get hurt or something similar. I just hoped he would figure things out himself.

Despite the heavy subject and crimes, the book isn't dark. I do think the story is heading that way though. At the beginning of the book Cassel was an innocent young boy, at the ending he's deeply involved with the maffia and in great danger.

If you like paranormal books, you should definitely give this one a try. It's a unique read, I guarantee you.

Cover

Don't let the dull cover scare you. I don't get why this cover was chosen, it's in no way connected to the story in my opinion. 

My rating of this book

Source

I borrowed the book from the local library. 

Other links

Find this book on Goodreads

Visit Holly Black's website here

~ Sylke

Book review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

*this review contains some spoilers*

My thoughts
Hush, Hush is a paranormal Young Adult book about angels. Lately there's been a bit of a craze about angel books, more and more pop up. While I absolutely love most angel books, I thought this one was a bit too complicated and similar to Twilight.

I liked Patch. Patch was awesome. Nora, on the other hand... not so much. We all know Patch is nothing good, even Nora does. She ignores her instincts to run away whenever she sees him, and often she's doing the opposite of what she originally wanted to do. And she doesn't ignores this instinct with just one boy, but two. It doesn't only confuse her, it confuses the reader too. I can tell you already that you don't know what's all happening until it's explained either hundred pages further when you already forgot it, or in the end.

And that's my next problem: There were way too many villains in this book, three namely. It made thinks confusing. It was just too much. Neither of these villains have a very clear way why they want Nora dead, though Patch and Chauncey had the same reason. Dabria was just being the jealous ex I suppose. Also, Patch had some great chances, but let them slip away. He didn't know what he wanted. One moment he wanted to kill Nora, the other moment he doesn't because he's in love with her. But I thought Angels couldn't feel things like love? You're left with a lot more questions than answers, which is also why I decided to read Crescendo and Silence.

The writing was alright. I liked how Fitzpatrick described certain things, and I also liked Vee. It was just the weird storyline and annoying characters that made me give this book only 3 stars. It could have scored 4 easily by writing style in my opinion.

However, if you love mysterious, intriguing and dangerous stories about angels, this is definitely a book to read!

Cover
The cover is stunning, the falling angel is a nice way to describe the topic of the book.

My rating of this book



Source
I bought the book at a Dutch bookstore.

Other links
Find this book on Goodreads
Becca Fitzpatrick's website
Becca Fitzpatrick's twitter



~ Sylke

Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

My thoughts:
I know you’ve probably heard what I’m about to say many, many times over the last couple of weeks, but I’m still going to repeat it: No matter what you think about vampire novels, please give this book a chance. The Immortal Rules is anything but traditional, and most importantly it is GOOD. (And by good I mean awesome to the point where I had trouble doing my job because I kept telling myself to read “just one more page” on my Kindle app.)

Forget sparkles, forget vampires who can walk outside during the daytime as long as it’s cloudy, forget about the nice vampires who can choose to live from synthetic blood. Julie Kagawa has finally brought back the real vampires, the monsters who will attack you in the dead of the night, the ones who can’t control themselves around humans. And then along comes Allie. Allie despises vampires and everything they stand for, yet when she has to choose between becoming one of them or die, her will to survive is too strong. I love how Kagawa made us see that this was not an easy choice for Allie, and it made me respect her that much more.

Allie goes through many phases in this story, and I loved following her through all of them. She not only has to fight to survive, but she has to make up her mind on some big moral issues as well; will she try to hold on to her humanity, or just give in and truly become one of the monsters? And through all of it, Allie remains an incredibly likable character. I especially loved how she, despite having to rethink everything she’s ever known, always acts purely on instinct, on what feels right to her. I have a feeling that by the time the Blood of Eden series comes to an end, Allie will be right up there in the same category as Katniss, Katsa and the other kick-ass girls of YA.

My favorite part about The Immortal Rules was how every time I thought I had things figured out, when I thought I knew where the story was headed, everything was turned upside down in ways I never saw coming. (Actually, my very favorite part is that Kanin, the name of Allie’s maker, means bunny in Norwegian, so I kept imagining a bloodsucking bunny instead of a terrifying vampire. But asides from that;) But the twists and turns never felt forced, and every time the story took a new direction it felt completely natural. Which I guess just shows what an amazing storyteller Julie Kagawa is.

The Immortal Rules is the kind of book that you should read as soon as it’s released, because this is not a story that will be forgotten. This is only the first book of a series, but I have a feeling that Blood of Eden will become big. Bigger than The Iron Fey even, which is saying something. And you don’t wanna be the only one left out of that, do you?

Cover: 
It's got the right creepy vampire feel to it, but I'm actually not a huge fan.

My rating of this book:


Want to know more?
Add The Immortal Rules to your Goodreads wish list
Visit Julie Kagawa's website
Follow Julie on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from NetGalley

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz

Finding your eternal soulmate – easy.

Stopping a true-love-hungry evil – not so much…

After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although…it’s not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a sixteen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain-especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close….

But something dark and hungry is using Emma and Brendan’s deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma’s crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.

My thoughts:
(Note: Spellcaster is the second book in the Spellbound series. There will be some spoilers from the first book.)

Spellbound, the first book in this series, was a great introduction to Emma and Brendan, their curse and their status as soul mates. The story wrapped up very nicely, but I was still excited to read more about the characters, and especially looked forward to seeing Emma get to practice her powers as a born witch. In fact my only complaint about Spellbound was the lack of witchcraft, and Spellcaster totally changed that.

Whereas Spellbound focused on the curse put on Emma and Brendan many lifetimes ago, Spellcaster is more about the here and now. Yes, we still get some awesome little looks into their past, but the evil hunting them is something that their previous lives never dealt with. I have to admit, I figured out who the “inhuman force” was long before the characters, and wish it had come as more of a surprise, but there was still much else to keep me on the edge of my seat. I really felt bad for Emma, that girl just never seems to be able to catch a break, but at least she gets a much more active role in defending herself in this book.

Which brings me to the witchcraft. More witchcraft means more of Emma hanging out with Angelique, and even if I still think she’s overly theatrical and a little too enthusiastic about danger, she really grew as a character in Spellcaster, and two chapters are actually written from her point of view. As much as I loved seeing her side of things, it felt a little abrupt and awkward, and interrupted the flow of the story a bit. The witchyness itself reminded me of the first couple of seasons of Charmed (please don’t tell me I’m the only one who was a huge fan of that show, despite the cheesy monsters?), with rhyming spells that all sound kind of badass when read out loud. (I tried.)

The romance between Emma and Brendan is heating up in Spellcaster, and even if their relationship is a little overly dramatic for me at times, it does draw a good picture of true, young love. And I really can’t complain about multiple scenes where Brendan has his shirt off either – he’s definitely my newest YA book crush;)

If you liked Spellbound, you will definitely like Spellcaster as well. It is fun, fast and action-packed, and this is where the characters really come into their own. And once again the ending wrapped up all the important questions, but I would still love to revisit these characters again if Cara Lynn Shultz decides to make this a trilogy some time in the future. (There are currently no plans of continuing this series, as the author is working on a new project.)
Cover: 
Not my favorite, but I do really like the fonts used.

My rating of this book:


Want to know more?
Add Spellcaster to your Goodreads wish list
Visit Cara Lynn Shultz' blog
Follow Cara on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from NetGalley

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

My thoughts:

As soon as I read the summary of Slide I knew I was going to like Vee and her weird ability to slide into other people's minds, and I was right. I always feel like abilities like this balance a fine line between believable and cheesy, but I loved the explanations of how Vee's sliding works, and it really seemed like something that could happen. We didn't get to know much about why she has this ability, but I am sure that will be explored further in the sequel.

From the moment Vee slides into an unknown mind and sees Sophie lying bloody on her bed, the hunt is on. Who killed Sophie, and why? And now that there's a killer on the loose, is anyone really safe? I love mysteries like this, and I kept thinking I had it all figured out, only to find my jaw dropping at the end when everything is revealed. So not what I was expecting!

Vee was a great character, and I really felt like I could understand how it was to deal with an ability like that. She did make some stupid choices, but only the same ones I would have made in her situation. I really wished she would have confided in her best friend Rollins, or at least asked him straight out about why he was acting so weird, instead of just kinda giving up on their friendship, but I can see how it was hard for her to trust anyone. Zane was great, and I really liked what he added to the story.

The murder mystery, Vee's special ability and her relationships to both Rollins and Zee (as well as that to her former best "friend") all made Slide a thrilling read that will leave you guessing until the very last chapter.

Cover:

I think the picture with that tagline, "Sometimes you can't look away" gives a deer-caught-in-headlights kind of feeling. I like it!

My rating of this book:

Want to know more?

Add Slide to your Goodreads wish list

Visit Jill Hathaway's website
Read Jill's blog
Follow Jill on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from NetGalley

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

My thoughts:

I am a huge fan of Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters, and have to admit that I let out a little squee of joy when A Temptation of Angels showed up in my mailbox. When I realized it was a standalone I got even more excited - finally I'd be able to read a good story without a cliffhanger ending!

And a good story it was! I have to say that the setting reminded me somewhat of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, the same dark, dirty London streets, and I absolutely loved it. There's just something about this period in time, the role women had in society, the way everything was supposed to be so "proper", that makes it even more fun to read about a character like Helen.

Helen has been raised without any awareness of her powers, but her parents made sure she has the skills necessary for her future. "Find the exit" might not be a common game, and most girls Helen's age would be taking needlework and piano lesson over fencing, but she has never thought of her education as weird. Not until the day when her parents are murdered, and she finds herself needing everything they've taught her. I really, really liked Helen. She is so determined to get revenge for her parents, to do whatever it takes to catch the bad guy, and yet she's insecure, she's lost in this world where her parents can no longer protect her, and she is confused, trying to decide who she can trust. I loved how she knew absolutely nothing about her powers, yet was determined to learn, to do her share in the battle against the Dictata.

There is a bit of a love triangle, but even as Helen is trying to make up her mind about both guys and what they mean to her, there is never much doubt about who she truly wants, and by the end she makes a final decision. It was very refreshing with an ending with no lose ends. I would love to read more about Helen and her future adventures, but for now her story is settled.

In A Temptation of Angels Michelle Zink has once again created something completely original. I loved the idea of angels protecting the world, and it is very much a classical tale of good vs evil, of friendship and romance, of loss and sorrow, and most of all of a young girl coming into her own. If this is not on your to-read list already, add it now!

Cover:

Dark, dreamy and mysterious - I love it!

My rating of this book:

Want to know more?

Add A Temptation of Angels to your Goodreads wish list

Visit Michelle Zink's website
Read Michelle's blog
Follow Michelle on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from publisher

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

My thoughts:

Another 2012 debut novel with a gorgeous cover, and a story to match! I made the mistake of starting to read Everneath right before bedtime one day. Big mistake. Seriously, this book will suck you in from the very start, and there's nothing to do about it but continue to read!

Everneath tells Nikki's story from the before and the after, and I loved how this let us see exactly what lead to her decision to join Cole in the Everneath, as well as how much had changed in the months she was gone. I could feel her desperation, her fear and anger, and even after getting to know the consequences, I could actually understand why she would make such a horrible decision. Because who of us haven't gone through times where the promise of feeling nothing - no hurt, no betrayal - would be very tempting?

Cole. Ugh, how I hated him. He has got to be one of the most manipulating characters of all time, and I just wanted Nikki to stay away from him. Or kill him, but the whole "immortal" thing makes that a little harder. And yet he's incredibly charming, sincere despite all the omissions of the truth he keeps making, and you can tell he's trying so hard to understand why Nikki wouldn't want to join him for all eternity.

I think my favorite part of Everneath, aside from the amazing use of old mythology in a new setting, was the relationship between Nikki and Jack. You can tell they have a history way beyond what's spelled out for us, and they are both so very willing to fight for what they have. Unlike many unhealthy YA romances, this is one I would happily let my (future) teenage daughter read about, as it shows true love, kindness and a connection beyond mere attractiveness.

Everneath is an amazing debut novel, one I'm sure will be getting many more five star reviews in the weeks to come, and I can't wait to read the yet unnamed sequel, as well as anything else Brodi Ashton might write in the future.

Cover:

So pretty! I'm a little tired of the girls in pretty dresses, but I still love this cover!

My rating of this book:

Want to know more?

Add Everneath to your Goodreads wish list

Visit Jodi Meadows' website
Read Jodi's blog
Follow Jodi on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from NetGalley

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

My thoughts:

My first impression of The Gathering Storm was a little overwhelming, because there are a lot of names and titles to keep straight. Most of the characters are at different times addressed by their double first name, their nickname, their last name and their title, and this was a little confusing at first. But don't worry, you'll get into it!

I absolutely loved the St. Petersburg setting! The snow and icy winds contrast perfectly to the warm ballrooms, and the descriptions made me feel like I was really there. I am impressed by how accurate all the details seemed (I am no expert on Russian history, but everything was very believable), and I let myself get carried away by all the gallant gentlemen, the sparkling diamonds, the colorful balls and the paranormal aspects that lie beneath it all.

Katerina was a great lead character. She was so strong, always trying to protect everyone around her, yet also questioning herself and her power. She does make some stupid decisions, but only the kind that any teenage girl would have made in her situation. I loved her determination, and felt myself cheering for her to find a way out of the mess she was in. I also liked her relationships with George Alexandrovich and Prince Danilo, two very, very different young men. Let's just say that they both of them have their own secrets, and their own reasons for wanting Katerina.

The Gathering Storm is a very promising debut from Robin Bridges, and a wonderful start to a new series. I am excited to see what comes next!

Cover:

It matches well with the story, even if the girl on the cover looks nothing like what I imagined Katerina to look like. 

My rating of this book:

Want to know more?

Add The Gathering Storm to your Goodreads wish list

Visit Robin Bridges' website
Follow Robin on Twitter

Full disclosure:
ARC received from NetGalley

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book review: The Radleys by Matt Haig

I wanted to share a few of the covers made for this novel. Leave a comment and let me know which one that ticks your box! I have to say that I don't think the "girl in a dress"-trend is suitable for every story...

The Radleys is trying to live life like a normal middle class family in a small English town. They have their problems just like any other normal family, but some problems are way out of normal.

Clara is on her way home from a party when she commits a cruel murder. Shortly after the murder an, until now, unknown uncle shows up at the Radleys to save the day. Helen and Peter, the parents, can no longer hide the dark family secret from their children....

My thoughts:

Among all the vampire novels out there I felt that The Radleys was a little treasure, it was different. This is a vampire story about being a family and accepting who and what you are. There is a bit of romance but the real thrill of the story is whether or not the family will go all dark side on us. Matt Haig's writing style was somehow very calming, making me relax and enjoying every second I was with the Radleys. All the characters are believable and you want to know what happens to them. My very favorite character was 'uncle Will', the dangerous guy with some serious issues.

The chapters in this book were fairly short, some of them no longer than tre-four pages. Each chapter starts with a quote from The Abstainers Handbook(second edition), the Radleys try their very best to be like everyone else(the humans).

The Radleys was a fun and entertaining read, it was a bit darker than some of the vampire stories we all have read in the past years but I feel that this was yet another thing that was very positive about this story. 

Some of you draw parallels to Twilight when reading my review but rest assured the only thing the vampires in the two stories have in common is their choice of lifestyle. I strongly believe that this book has a higher appeal to both genders than Stephenie Mayer's Twilight saga has.

I'm sure many of you instantly thought of Harper Lee's infamous novel To Kill A Mockingbird you noticed the title of this book. Let me tell you that there was no error in making that connection because Matt Haig said in an interview with Publishers Weekly that Boo Radley was his initial inspiration for writing this story:

Were you influenced by Boo Radley of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?
Yes, Boo, pale-faced, misunderstood suburban outsider, was definitely my inspiration, though I later discovered Radley means "of the red meadow," which can have vampire connotations.

The Radleys is kind of a crossover novel between YA and adult, I know some countries has published both a YA and adult edition of the book.

A book that is well worth a few hour of your time! Before you go I have to tell you that a movie adaptation is in the works and the producer is Alfonso Cuarón. Alfonso is known, among other things, for having directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Book trailer:

Cover:
My favorite one would be the German cover, the one with the tea cup. My least favorite is the girl in a dress cover.

My rating of this book:

- You should read it!

Want a second opinion?
Susan K.Mann 

The Book Smugglers

Want to know more?

Visit The Radleys homepage

Add The Radleys to your Goodreads wish list.

Visit Matt's homepage 

Follow Matt on Twitter 

Full disclosure: Review copy from the Norwegian publisher.

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.

Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

My thoughts:
Paranormalcy was way more fun than I ever had expected from reading the blurb, and after attending an author event with Kiersten White I really see where the humor comes from. Evie is one of the most entertaining girls I have read about in a long, long time. Everything she knows about being a teenager is learned from watching soaps on TV, and she longs for a normal life filled with typical teenager things like going to high school, attending prom and *gasp* having her own locker. She has never questioned her abilities or her job with the IPCA, until she meets Lend.

I wish I had gotten to know Lend a little better, but he just seems to be the kind of closed off guy that doesn't open up easily, and I still enjoyed the times Evie spent in his cell just hanging out with him. The plot had plenty of twists and turns, and toward the end of the book I was just as clueless as Evie in trying to figure out what would happen next. The ending definitely left lots of room for more action in the sequel Supernaturally, and it will be fun to see if Evie finally gets her normal life.

Cover:
I love the cover, but it gives off a much more creepy vibe than the book itself.

My rating of this book:

Want to know more?

Add Paranormalcy to your Goodreads wish list

Visit Kiersten White's website
Read Kiersten's blog

Follow Kiersten on Twitter

Full disclosure:
Checked out at my local library

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.