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Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Read by Natalie 2010-2012
Natalie recommends this as a great read. The story is cool, dark, funny and very entertaining.
The first book in this trilogy Immortal Beloved is a very cool book and a great start to what I hope is a fantastic series. It is told to us by Nastasya, a 479 year old immortal who has spent all of her life carving out a path of destruction and excess, both to herself and others around her. Having lived through unspeakable horrors and afraid of getting attached to anything for fear of actually being happy and then losing it, this is her coping mechanism, until one day she finds herself unable to cope anymore. Running from witnessing her supposed best friend Incy paralyse a cab driver after he threw them from his cab, Nastasya is mortified at what she has become. Her acceptance of what Incy did and more importantly her willingness to walk away and ignore it, scare her. So she runs, leaving London and ending up at a small rural place in North America. Here she finds other immortals – both teachers and students, those going through “rehab” like her, learning to cast off their past mistakes and learn from them. At first reluctant to change and unable to see the reason for why, she gradually becomes more accepting of it and finds herself both unwanting and unable to leave, despite it being the polar opposite to how her life used to be. Here she is learning more about herself and the history of immortals, including her own family, and with each day she finds herself leaving the darkness that has plagued her for centuries. However this is soon shattered when another rehab immortal, Reyn realises who she is and she realises who he is. Their pasts, both shocking and destructive are linked and soon come back to smack them right in the face, just when it looked like they were finally getting on and acting on their attraction to each other. Told in the first person by Nastasya (who has a hilarious inner dialogue), the book features flashbacks to various points in her long life, which tell the importance of who and what she and Reyn are. Some questions are answered, but some are not. However, by the end of the book she has finally worked out what she wants and with this realisation we are left hanging for the second instalment on the trilogy.
Darkness Falls is the second book and production delays saw fans, including myself, on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Finally receiving my copy of it, I can safely say I sat down and devoured it in the space of a few hours and was not disappointed. Picking up almost immediately after Immortal Beloved finishes, Nastasya is still at River’s Edge and still battling her demons, both the immortal variety and her attraction to Reyn. He on the other hand is open about what he wants – Nastasya, and although she is clearly attracted to him and occasionally gives in to temptation, she knows she has to first heal herself before she can ever consider being with him. Their pasts are heavily linked, being similar in age but also scars. While Reyn’s family was responsible for the destruction and death of Nastaya’s, her family was also the reason for the death of Reyn’s. Despite being mutually drawn to each other, this remains an issue between them and Nastasya struggles with letting it go and believing Reyn is truly changed. In amongst all of this, she is also learning more and more about immortals and the magic they possess, particularly her family’s dark magic and her own poor behaviour over the centuries (some great flashbacks of her life tell these stories). Despite all of her learning’s though, Nastaya’s starts to have horrible dreams about her former friends, particularly Incy who appears to have gone crazy and when her own spells start to go wrong, she believes her darkness is leaching out of her, destroying everyone around her. Running from River’s Edge in order to protect them, Nastasya finds herself once again with Incy, who just happens to be nearby. Although he appears completely sane, Nastasya is wary, her lessons from River’s Edge giving her a new perspective on immortal magic. While she does fall back into her partying ways, she soon starts to realise Incy is both nuts and not the friend she thought he was. Struggling with how to deal with this new knowledge, Nastasya finally learns that he has been stealing power from humans and other immortals and his plan is to either join with Natasya and share her power (she is the sole heir to one of the original houses of immortals) or if he can’t do that, kill her and forcibly take her power. Faced with Incy’s real motives, Nastasya has to call on everything she has learnt and finally start to embrace everything from her past and that of her family, trusting that she can use it correctly. Returning once again to River’s Edge, Nastasya starts to realise that there is both good and bad, but everyone has the freedom to make a choice including her. Now knowing that she is not alone in this, Nastasya finally, finally chooses to be with Reyn (yeay, the final chapter, so sweet!) but also to set her own future legacy.
I can safely say I LOVE this series. Immortal Light, the final instalment is not out until January 2013 and I am already excited about it. What I love about it first and foremost is Nastasya. Her inner monologues are truly hilarious and the second book had me laughing out loud at times (rock and hard place, hilarious). I also love how emotionally affected she is by her past behaviour and that of her family. Her struggles with this are so realistic and honest, that you can’t help but feel for her, even when she makes stupid decisions. Throw in the fact that she is independent and strong, willing to walk away from what she wants because she knows it isn’t what she needs right now and then is finally willing to take a chance even though it scares the crap out of her, and she is a great role model for all female readers. And then of course you have Reyn, who just oozes sexiness and Nordic Viking charm, you just want these two to work it out and thankfully it looks like they might. My only bug bear is the lack of updates on Cate’s website! Please Cate can you update more frequently – deleted scenes, extras, excerpts from the third book would be much appreciated! For everyone else, pick this series up, it’s a great read.
Matched and Crossed by Ally Condie
Read by Natalie December 2010 and 2011
Natalie recommends as beautiful and thought provoking start with a boring and convoluted middle.
Wow, I have to say I loved Matched, it is beautiful, sweet and very thought provoking. Cassia is 17 years old and is about to be Matched. She lives in a Society which tells her who she is going to marry, what job she will have, the number of children she is allowed, where she will live and when she will die. The Officials in this Society govern everything – the 100 poems, 100 stories and 100 songs that people can enjoy, the food that they eat, the clothes they wear and the skills that they learn. Technology is apparent, but it is on a need to know basis only. Everything is done for a predicted statistical outcome. Curfews are enforced; clothing is worn only for comfort; food is consumed solely for nutritional purposes; blue, green and red pills are carried at all times and deviating from these rules can earn you warnings and Infractions. The worst of these, Aberrations and Anomalies can end up somewhere else, removed from this “perfect” society. No one questions this, because it is considered a fair price to pay for a long, happy, healthy life.
On the night of her birthday, Cassia goes to her Match Banquet and in an unusual twist is matched with someone she knows, her best friend Xander. The Society has predicted that he is the best match for her – the most likelihood for a happy marriage and healthy beautiful children. Both Xander and Cassia are given micro-cards with detailed information on the other, so they may learn more about their spouse in the 3 year lead up to their Contract. Although Cassia thinks she knows all there is to know about her best friend, she still takes a peak and when she does, someone else’s face briefly flashes across her screen. She knows this face too. He lives down the street, adopted by the family who lost their own son in a freak murder many years ago, a quiet boy who is their friend, but seems almost invisible. Cassia is nervous about what this means – has the Society made a mistake, how is that possible? However when an Official reassures her that is was simply a cruel joke, that she is still Matched with Xander, Cassia tries to forget about Ky, the face of the man she saw. This however, proves to be impossible as Cassia finds herself spending more time with Ky during their assigned free-rec time and she discovers there is much more to him than she realised. Although he blends in and seems to be average, this is far from the truth. He is always watching, always listening, always pretending just to fit in. He also knows how to write, a secret technique that has long disappeared and as he agrees to teach this to Cassia, he also begins to tell her his story, his life in the Outer Provinces before he was brought to the City. As Cassia’s eyes begin to open to all the things she has missed out on, she realises that he may actually be her perfect match after all and she starts to risk everything. Don’t go gentle, the words of an illegal poem her grandfather gave her, start to make sense, while the Society and its rules do not. When the Officials step in and Ky is taken away, Cassia learns the cruel truth about what has really happened. Undeterred at what she now knows and in love with Ky, she sets out to find him, with help from both Xander and her family.
Crossed, the second book in this dystopian trilogy is now told from both Ky and Cassia’s POV. As we witness Ky in the Outer Provinces where he has been sent on a bogus mission to protect the Society against the Enemy, we learn more about both the Society’s created world and the real world outside of it. Cassia in the meantime, is working in a labour camp where determined to find Ky, she risks everything by sneaking onboard an air-ship bound for the Outer Provinces where she believes he is. A last minute visit from Xander (who is mysteriously still her Match despite her previous infractions) sees him both helping her and cryptically begging her to see and remember him. With the help of her new friend Indie, Cassia arrives in the Outer Provinces only to discover Ky has left with two other Aberrations, abandoning the remaining workers to the Enemy who attacks them nightly. As Cassia recognises the landscape as Ky’s old home from his earlier stories, she sets out into the mountains to find him, while at the same time hoping to also find the Rising, a resistance group that is fighting the Society and communicates and trades through illegal poetry and stories. Believing she will not only find Ky, but that he will join her in the Rising, Cassia also faces dangers from Indie, a girl who is not to be fully trusted and even Xander who is not entirely what he seems. Ky in the meantime is struggling with his abandonment of the other workers as well as the death of Vick a fellow Aberration who helped him bury the dead each night. Now travelling with a young boy Eli, they are desperate to find the Farmers, a middle ground group that are neither Society nor Rising, but chosing instead to live peacefully amongst themselves. Finally, after near misses and almost death, Cassia and Ky are reunited in the canyon and they are forced to decide who they will ultimately join.
I had a number of issues with this second book, not least of which was its convoluted and often boring unveiling of the plot. For some reason Condie’s writing style seems to have changed, so what was once a beautiful read has now turned into something that is trying too hard to be more than it is. The use of poetry and stories, now illegal in Society, as trades and even secret messages for the Rising was also a little bit stupid to be honest. I found it amazing these words would be so powerful when written down, yet mean virtually nothing when spoken. The backstory of Ky and the secrets he hid is maddeningly and frustratingly revealed and I just didn’t feel convinced by it. I also didn’t buy why he couldn’t just tell Cassia, a girl he has loved for years, what it was that stopped him from joining the Rising, why do these male protagonists do this all the time? Cassia was at times amazingly stupid and none more so when after journeying for days and almost dying in her desperate quest to find Ky, she leaves him to find his own way to the Rising, instead preferring to tag along with Indie. Really, would you really do this to the one you loved? Of course the ending sees them once again missing each other by a day and now both in the Rising they are sent in different directions to aid the resistance movement. A final chapter from Cassia hints at a possible reunion with Ky (or will it be Xander), but we are going to have to wait until November 2012 to find that out. Here’s hoping it can tap into the magic of the first book, rather than the almost boredom of the second.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Read by Tracy in November 2011
Tracy recommends this as a modern day Mills and Boon
The world is made up of four species - Humans, Witches, Vampires and Daemons. The Humans try to ignore everything via the "bury your head in the sand" method. Witches, Vampires and Daemons had made a pact millenia ago to co-exist but not mingle and therefore not draw human attention to themselves. Sounds good doesn't it. Dr Diana Bishop is researching a keynote speech at the Bodleian Library at Oxford when she comes across a previously thought lost manuscript (Ashmole 782). She finds the manuscript not what she required for her research and sends it back into the hidden depths of the library. Her lack of understanding brings her to the attention of fellow witches, vampires and daemons who all eagerly want the manuscript as it is believed it holds the secrets to the different species. I liked her discussion on scientists being mainly made up of vampires thanks to their solitary work habits and patience. She is soon drawn into the sphere of Matthew de Cleremont a 1500 year old vampire, and although witches and vampires are not supposed to consort things soon turn from hostile to steamy as Matthew encourages Diana to draw on her previously unused magic skills and unravel the secrets surrounding the manuscript. This book does dispell most of the current vampire thoughts i.e. here vampires don't have fangs, can work in a normal job, are able to eat and drink and can go outside in the sunlight, pretty much everything except they are also incredibly wealthy and live forever. The three species even do a weekly yoga class together. What originally seemed like an interesting premise about the differences in the world soon turns into a romantic novel in the same group as Mills and Boon and Matthew starts to end every sentence with a French love word. This is the first book in a trilogy so I hope the next two cut to the chase and get over the should they, shouldn't they scenario and let us see how the families can stand together whilst facing the hard heartened Congregation who have dictated Diana and Matthew's future.
The Fallen Angels Series by JR Ward
Read by Natalie 2009-2011
Natalie recommends this for those who like Fallen Angel porn and convoluted stories
An adult's only Fallen Angel series, the first book in the series is Covet, the story of Jim, a regular guy who just happens to die, meet a bunch of angels and is instructed to save 7 people before the evil demons do or else the world will end. His first soul is Vin, a man who is blinded by money and greed, but who is swayed by a desperate prostitute and her young son.The second book Crave, sees Jim on his next mission having succesfully saved his first soul and going 1-0 against the dark side. While he thinks he understands the rules of the game and even which soul he is supposed to save, things aren't always what they seem. Is it Isaac or Matthias or someone else entirely? The dark side, contested by Devina, the shape shifting Demon may just get the upper hand in this one, as she pulls a couple of tricks out and the soul to be saved turns out not to be the one Jim thought it was. Now 1-1 in the series, Envy takes us on to the third soul, Veck who we met at the end of the last Brotherhood novel. A volatile homicide detective, he is also the son of a serial killer. Having lived his life in his father's shadow particularly after he discovered his mother's body, he can feel the darkness growing inside him, even if he can't explain it. Sent to watch over him is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly. Of course, not just interested in making sure Veck does his job by the book, Reilly is also pretty keen to get in his pants. Just as their relationship takes off, Veck becomes the main suspect in their murder investigation. Is he being framed or is he much more like his father than everyone thought? And of course, can Jim save this soul and take back the lead in the quest to save all of humanity?
The series is going to loosely follow the seven deadly sins and while plot doesn't really matter too much when you read these books, if you watch out, you might see some of her Brotherhood characters drop by as the timelines are basically in snyc. This series is also steamy like the Brotherhood books, but not quite as catchy. The first book did have a lot of ground work to lay though, and while the second book was better, it was still a little too convoluted. I actually thought the third book was a sure sign the series was going downhill. I don't know what it is; the pointless storylines in heaven featuring stupid 17th century English accents, the two side-kicks Eddie and Ad and their strange sex life, Jim's weird quest to save a soul he doesn't even know or the completely implausible nature of the human relationships that form the basis for the storyline - but something just doesn't work. The big thing the brotherhood books have going for them is the characters continue to show up in all of the books, currently 9 in total, which means there is a lot more development to both their personality and relationships. In the Fallen Angel series the only recurring characters are Jim and his heavenly helpers, so the main players need to quickly jump into bed, declare their love and become inseperable in the space of about 20 pages - it just doesn't work. Also, if you are a fan of her Brotherhood, you'll start to notice too many similarities in our tragic heros, from the way they walk, talk, dress and act. It all just starts to blur into one, and I for one, prefer the fangs any day! The 4th book, where it looks like Matthias will get another chance at redemption is out late 2012.
Under The Dome by Stephen King
Read by Tracy September 2011
Tracy recommends for a tongue-in-cheek look at small town America
I have to say I am not a massive Stephen King fan, I used to be but then got absorbed into James Herbert and his Rats trilogy and after that felt that King was not really in the same horror story genre. I picked this book up as the premise appealed to me. A town is trapped under a dome and can't escape so the intricacies of peoples lives plays out. The town in question is a small American town called Chester's Mill. The dome is invisible like a force field - nothing can enter or leave, well nearly, there is a small amount of air and water able to seep through. On the day the dome arrives we are soon drawn into the lives of the main players in the town which are soon segreated into them and us. Dale Barbara, ex-army but now small order cook who hated the towns' selectmans son (Junior) and his mates after he beats them in a fight and is in the process of leaving town when he finds he is trapped. This is the first storyline and introduces you to Big Jim Rennie who controls everything and nearly everyone in the town and you are then drawn into the antagonism between Barbie and Rennie and in particular Rennie's desire to rule. He isn't unhappy that the dome continues to stay in place and ignores the request of the President to place Barbie in charge with his experience of managing people and combat. The children of Chester's Mill are soon having seizures which advises that halloween is going to be the end for the town and different dreams start to become reality. As Chester's Mill starts to suffer from an enclosed environment i.e. the pollutants start to cloud the dome, the temperature rises and light is reduced, King paints a bleak picture. Of course anything that can happen in nature is surpassed in the political undertones in the book and panic starts to grow which allows those less than normal people in the town to start to follow their insane fantasies. Luckily a resistance group soon forms, which covers a minister, newspaper editor, families, policewomen, medical staff and an old drunk in conjunction with Barbie, who are able to work out the reason for the dome and how to escape it. Unfortunately this comes towards the end and too late for many, although in all honesty you have to say there aren't many redeeming souls to save if you look at how some of the residents believe that the crisis gives them the right to treat people as anything but human. This is a long book (877 pages) and is full of different characters, sometimes too many that they aren't given enough space for their stories. I would love to say this is a fictional book, but somehow think there are many small and even bigger towns out there that have become caught up in the spell of a strong person for good or bad. Although not only are the baddies caught up in political corruption, they are also involved in murder, drugs and theft - you name it, it goes. There is little horror in the book, although King does describe the methods of death in some detail, it is more a discussion about how we all react in a crisis and I can see this book as a TV mini-series or even a movie in the future.
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Read by Natalie September 2011
Natalie recommends as a little bit of a slow start to the new series, but I will reserve judgement until more books come out
Bloodlines is the spin-off series of the hugely successful Vampire Academy. Said to be the first in a 6 book saga, Bloodlines is this time told from Sydney, the Alchemist who helped clear Rose’s name in the previous series, point of view. Still paying for her alleged alignment with the vampires, Sydney is awaiting her punishment when she is suddenly pulled from her bed in the middle of the night. Sent on a new mission, this time Sydney has to go into hiding with Jill the only relative of the new vampire queen Vasilisa Dragomir and protect her from those who want to remove Lissa from the throne. Posing as sisters, together with their brother’s Eddie (a dhampir guardian) and Adrian (bitter former boyfriend of Rose) they enrol at school in California and attempt to blend in. As Sydney battles with her feelings towards both vampire and dhampir (human/vampire hybrids) – both are viewed as unnatural by the alchemists, she also attempts to be a normal high school student. However, when a series of murders that appear to be Strigoi attacks are uncovered, together with mysterious new tattoos that appear to be giving Sydney’s fellows students heightened strength and speed, Sydney starts to wonder if more isn’t going on here. Throw in the fellow alchemist Keith, who has mysterious ties to Sydney’s past, Rose’s father Abe who seems to know a lot more than he lets on along with the spirit bond Adrian and Jill now share and Sydney is struggling to just do her job. While not as good as the Vampire Academy series, I will reserve judgement as it is only the first book and I suspect now everything has been set up, the story will progress a lot faster. My biggest gripe is just with how slow everything moves, particularly all the high school stuff, it just doesn't have the excitment or alternate world feel of the Vampire Academy...yet. We do get appearances from characters we loved in the first series, including Rose and plenty of Adrian (there is a clear forbidden romance that is about to develop between Adrian and Sydney – be interesting to see how Richelle pulls that off given Sydney’s hatred of vampires), but I think the best appearance is in the final line of the book when everyone’s favourite – Dimitri Belikov arrives. How he and Adrian are going to work together is going to be a great read when the second book The Golden Lily hits shelves in 2012.
For those not aware, Richelle originally planned to tell the books from multiple points of view,including Sydney, Adrian and Eddie. However, Richelle has since confirmed this wasn't going to work and the series will now be told all from Sydney's perspective. When you've finished reading the book, click here to see how she was originally going to start it....hard to say which one I prefer!
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
Read by Tracy August 2011(OurBookClub book pick of the month for August 2011)
Tracy recommends as an entralling series
George R.R. Martin has created a fantasy world that is becoming increasingly popular all whilst being likened to J.R.R. Tolkien. The first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series A Game of Thrones has been adapted to a HBO Series starring Sean Bean as Eddard Stark and Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister (some perfect casting if you ask me). I am the first to admit that Fantasy novels (other than Lord of the Rings) is not my preferred reading, but felt that it must be more than the usual geeky teenager fodder. There are five books in total in the series with A Dance with Dragons being recently released (after a six year gap) and it is getting some strong media attention, although for Martin the fact that a zealous Amazon employee shipped the books early has him reportedly furious. Originally the series was planned for six volumes, but I would expect an ever increasing paycheque will see Martin expand on that number. Each book is approximately 1000 pages long, so it has taken me more time to read and review than normal (that coupled with a heavy travel load following Le Tour de France). No matter how much I write it seems impossible to put down everything that is going on – you need to pick up the books for yourselves, or if not, at least watch the HBO Series. Check out the
Released in 1996, the first book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series provides you with a background into the history of the seven kingdoms and how they were united. There are several main houses with the majority of the initial book being told by eight perspectives based on the following houses:- Baratheon: King Robert is married to Cersei Lannister who has three children Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. Cersei is daughter to Tywin and sister to Jaime and Tyrion. Robert has two brothers, Stannis and Renly. Stark: Lord Eddard Stark married to Catelyn and has five children, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon. Lord Eddard also has a bastard son Jon. Stark’s are the holders of Winterfell and guardians of the north and allied to the Baratheons after helping to put Robert onto the throne after the last war. Lannister: Tywin was married to Joanna (who died giving birth to Tyrion); they have three surviving children, twins Cersei and Jaime then Tyrion (a dwarf). The House of Lannister is desperate for the throne and will do anything to win it. The seven kingdoms (which is also split between the North and the South) was united under the crown of Robert Baratheon, but all is not as it seems and there is a constant web of corruption as dynasties and houses attempt to claim the throne. It is a complicated plot and I would suggest you have a quick look at the Appendix to get to grips with the different houses and their main characters otherwise you can easily miss some of the plots, sub-plots and sub-sub-plots. With each chapter being individually documented you are taken into the uttermost thoughts and devious schemes of the narrators finding yourself torn between the good and bad characters. There are constant surprises and you are soon absorbed into the world of warmongering. A word of warning, these books are not for the young, they involve some none-too pretty subjects such as incest, rape, murder, treason and treachery, but you need to then put it into the perspective of the time the storylines are placed when fear ruled and your every word and action documented and passed on for monetary gain or more. Initially you are taken in the life of the Stark’s, Lords of Winterfell and the northern lands, who are strong supporters of King Robert, with Lord Eddard Stark being his best friend. On the day that Eddard Stark beheads of man for desertion, his sons find six Dire wolf pups, one for each of the children (including his bastard son Jon), and this finding is fundamental to some of the future storylines. King Robert gives Eddard the office of Hand, one that Lord Eddard feels will be the downfall of his family, but urged by his wife Catelyn, Eddard moves to the capital Kings Landing and is soon involved in treachery at court and finding out how the previous Hand had died. All the main families and characters are from within the seven kingdoms, except the story of Daenerys Targaryen who was forced to flee as a young child. Daenerys is the last of her line that had previously ruled the seven kingdoms before Robert took the crown. She is basically sold by her brother to a band of warriors on the assumption they will help him obtain the crown, but luckily for us this was a misunderstanding as Prince Viserys would be an aweful king. Eventually King Robert meets an untimely end and Lord Eddard is soon at war with the Lannisters, who have to be the most devious family you can imagine and before Lord Eddard can finally solve the riddle of the parentage of Cersei’s children and the death of Lord Arryn he too meets an ill-timed death by the hand of the newly crowned King Joffrey (King Robert's son - or is he?). Another part of the story and to the detriment of the warring factions is the growth and daring of the Wildings and Others beyond the Wall who are becoming stronger and this is the real threat to the realm. Although this is touted as a fantasy novel, there is limited witchcraft and supernatural exploits, it all revolves around political intrigue. Is it the same calibre of quality as Lord of the Rings – I don’t think so, but it is certainly a fantastic story full of twists and turns with every page revealing snippets which is like a jigsaw puzzle and of politics, murders, conspiracies, love, hatred, battles and trials. King Robert Baratheon and Lord Eddard Stark are both dead - losers in the Game of Thrones. The cruel and wicked Joffrey Baratheon is now on the throne at the age of 13 and is betrothed to Sansa Stark, unhappily for her as Joffrey is merciless in his treatment of her. Unfortunately Sansa still lives under the assumption and childish guile that a prince on a white horse will whisk her away. Joffrey's grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister, sends Tyrion Lannister (Joffrey's uncle and Cersei's brother) to guide him and attempt to control Cersei in ruling the kingdom and keeping more than a tenuous grip on the throne. In the north, Robb Stark has been named king and marches against the Lannister forces. In addition both Stannis and Renly Baratheon have proclaimed themselves heirs on the rumour that Cersei’s children’s father is in fact her twin, Jaime Lannister and are not the rightful heirs to the throne. Then there is the ward of Eddard Stark, Theon Greyjoy, who plans to bring his own house onto the throne by capturing Winterfell which sees him purportedly kill Bran and Rickon Stark, but he is eventually double thwarted and is soon out of the storyline. In contrast, Arya Stark, has managed to escape the Lannisters but her secret doesn’t stay safe and she is used as a hostage to the highest bidder. Strangely, the fate of the kingdom may lie in the hands of Jon Snow, bastard son of Eddard Stark, who is in the Nights Watch and Gendry, the bastard son of Robert Baratheon, found working in a forge, allies with Arya and helps her escape. In this book Daenerys is growing stronger and she has developed into a strong minded woman as she moves slowly to gather a force in her determination to reclaim the throne with the aid of her three recently born dragons. In this book, the use of hostages and captives play out in a brutal world where anything goes and alliances mean nothing. Martin certainly does not step away from brutality and his knowledge of medieval history certainly keeps enough relevance and reality to the storyline with his references to royal families and the use of sycophants and courtiers to gain power at all costs. The books are not self-contained, so you need to read them in the correct order as the plot lines flow throughout the series. I would also suggest you don’t leave too long between the books at the plots can be complicated and Martin tends away from recapping previous exploits. This is the third instalment to the A Song of Ice and Fire series and continues much in the same way as the previous books where violence and heartlessness seem to overtake loyalty and fealty. The Lannisters are still in power and with the aid of Tyrion win the battle against Stannis who is now the sole heir of the Baratheon throne after the strange death of Renly. All in all the kingdom is in turmoil with no end in sight and the savagery continues abated. However, there are greater forces now growing and Daenerys Targaryen is gathering an army whilst raising her dragons. The use of wizards and witches is growing and there are strange dark forces at play in all parts of the realm. Sansa Stark continues to be used as a pawn and held prisoner by the Lannisters and is eventually married off to Tyrion. I still think that Tyrion at least has a heart or some honour compared to the rest of his house. Still it is not a happy marriage and Sansa becomes increasingly despairing after the deaths of her brother (Robb) and mother (Catelyn). Whereas, her sister Arya, has formed an alliance with the DogSandor Clegane in an effort to avoid being captured by all the houses now rising to take over the power vacuum left by the deaths of the Starks. However, Bran and Rickon Stark have survived and Bran is using his skills to change to a Dire wolf in his dreams to keep ahead of those hunting them. Strangely enough after Bran and Rickon separate, Rickon is no longer in the storyline. Jon Stark has also taken on the leadership of the Night Watch as all around him fall and the Wildlings and Others continue to assert their influence. This book far outweighs A Storm of Swords as the characters are now starting to come into their own and characters such as Bran and Jon are forging a way through the myriad of treachery. In addition the underhanded planning by the Lannister house draws you in and I certainly didn’t see the Hoster/Frey wedding happening in the way it did. For me Tyrion continues to steal the limelight as he outplots his siblings to cement his place in the family. Of course by now, there are only three of the original six Dire wolves left and they can’t be forgotten as I think they hold the key to the resurrection of the Stark’s at Winterfell and also peace to the seven kingdoms, but I have been wrong before. Daenerys is also struggling to bring her dream to fruition and constantly thwarted in her attempts to unite those around her. Stannis is also still in the edges of the story and is introducing more and more magic into the realm, if only getting rid of someone you don’t like is as easy as Melisandre makes it. Arya is still getting herself caught up in exploit after exploit and alas poor Sansa is just traded from one hostile environment to another where she never seems to take a stand, she is the ideal victim. The biggest change in this book is Jaime (aka the Kingslayer) who has been humbled, or so it would appear. I wish he would see Cersei for what she is and realise that Brianne is someone who is a far better prospect. This is the long awaited fourth instalment to the A Song of Ice and Fire series, taking approximately five years to write and eventually only being the first instalment of story so far which has grown in mammoth proportions and saw this book being split in two with the remainder of the story line being published in A Dance with Dragons.
In this book, Jaime Lannister sets Tyrion free, only to have him kill his hated Father, Tywin, who he realises will never accept him as one of his own children fully. Cersei is starting to lose the plot after the death of Joffrey (thank goodness I say) and has Tommen married to Margaery Tyrell (who happens to be Renly and Joffrey's wife before their sudden demise). In the meantime, Stannis Baratheon, who has proclaimed himself King of Westeros, has installed himself on the Wall and drawn the Black Watch into the war and Jon Snow has found himself to be voted as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and trying to ally the lords of the north against the Lannisters. Thanks to Balon and Theon Greyjoy dying, the Greyjoys are trying to decide a new leader through a Kingsmute through some strange religious zealotry and also choose who will lead them to conquer Westeros for themselves. This storyline also introduces more to the lands of Dorne and the Martell family. Prince Doran Mortell has aligned himself with the Lannisters and jails the rest of his family who disagree with him and had demanded war to revenge the death of Prince Oberyn. We are still following Brienne, the Maid of Tarth, who Jaime Lannister quested to find Sansa Stark and protect her. Of course unbeknown to most is that Sansa Stark is in the Eyrie under the protection (or not) of Littlefinger. And to cap all that off, Arya Stark, who believes her whole family has perished has said to Braavos to build a new life and destiny. I spent most of the book wondering where Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister were, alas their storylines will be in the next book (book 5), but they aren't totally forgotten with both their presence being felt across the kingdom. This book leaves some great cliffhangers and I am keen to get hold of A Dance with Dragons as soon as possible. Read by Natalie 2010-2011 Natalie recommends these as very beautiful & very romantic The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy, although another YA story is a lot more enjoyable than many of the others. The writing is beautiful, the story is very romantic and it is nice to see a female lead that doesn't instantly become submissive and pathetic as soon as she gets her guy. The first book Shiver introduces us to Grace and Sam. Grace has been obsessed by the wolves in the woods ever since she was taken and attacked by them as a little girl. She particularly remembers the one with the yellow eyes who saved her from being eaten. Now 15 years later, she meets a boy with the same yellow eyes who takes her breath away. Sam has always looked out for Grace, either as a wolf or a boy and when circumstances finally allow them to meet they are instantly drawn to each other. When Grace learns the truth about what Sam is, it then becomes a race to keep him in her world. Fighting the winter cold that forces Sam to shift and the knowledge that this would be his last year as a human, they are both desperate to stay together, going to great lengths to do so. As a possible cure is discovered, aided by the circumstances surrounding Grace’s survival of her wolf bite years ago, they risk everything to keep Sam human. This book is both funny and sad, and so very, very romantic. The scene in the candy store will have you swooning. Maggie's writing is very lyrical and descriptive and you can almost feel the cold and taste the flavours she describes. Told from both Grace and Sam's point of view, she does an excellent job of distinguishing her characters from each other. The ending, when you discover if the cure has worked is just perfect and it was hard to see where the second book would take us. Although I was eager to read Linger I was afraid of how the story would unfold, now that Sam has found a way to stay human and stay with Grace. The second book is this time told from 4 perspectives. We still have Sam and Grace, but now also Isabel, who lost her brother Jack when trying to cure him the same way they did Sam, and Cole, a new wolf who chose this life to escape his previous one. Now, Sam and Grace are trying desperately to stay together and afloat, he has to adjust to life as a human again and trust that he is here to stay, while Grace is fighting with her parents who have suddenly decided to play a part in her life and want to remove Sam from it. Along the way, Grace is becoming increasingly sick and no one knows why or seems willing to talk about it. In the meantime, Cole is determined to just stay a wolf and escape his life, while Isabel is trying to work out how to live hers now her brother is gone. These two collide and try to outdo each other's damage, all the while recognising themselves in each other. This book is different to the first and although I liked Cole and Isabel's stories, I really wished we had more of Sam and Grace, they are such a beautiful couple. It is still very romantic, but this time it is also very, very sad and I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated at the lack of communication, the idea that if they didn’t discuss what was happening to Grace, then it would simply disappear. The ending however, when they finally realise what they have to do is very sad, for Grace but especially for Sam. Forever, the third and final book begins several months after Linger. Grace is now lost to the winter and the woods in wolf form having been forced to shift after the toxins from 15 years ago finally built up and Sam is stuck back in Mercy Falls as a human. As the town questions Grace’s disappearance with most of the attention and accusation focused on Sam, he counts down the days to spring when he hopes she will walk out of the woods again. When she finally starts to shift back, it is a race for Sam to get to her before he loses her again, the instability of her first shifts causing them both heartache as they try desperately to get back to each other. After another girl is killed by the wolves however, the hatred of the wolf pack, led by Isabel’s father Tom intensifies and an aerial hunt, designed to eradicate all the wolves at once is set in motion. As Sam finally gets Grace back, close to death after an attack by another wolf, he brings her to his house, determined to keep her safe. As Graces struggles with the pain and uncertainty of shifting back and forth, Sam struggles with what is happening with Grace. While he has survived his cure, Jack (Isabel’s brother) did not, making it a risk to try the same thing with Grace. In the meantime, Cole and Isabel continue to dance around each other. Isabel consumed by anger and loneliness, Cole finally finding something to keep him going – finding the cure for the wolves. Grace and Sam, although desperately in love and wanting to be together, are nervous and cautious, neither of them sure of how the other is feeling, afraid that too much has changed between them – Sam now human, Grace now wolf. When finally they realise that everything between them is the same, stronger even, they rediscover each other and set out to save the wolf pack and themselves. In doing so, Sam finally confronts his demons and fears, the ones he has carried with him since he was a child and Grace finally confronts her friends and more importantly her parents. With help from an unlikely source, they are able to rescue the pack (although not without casualties) and each other. Then there is The Ending. It’s one of those endings that you will either love or you will hate. Having read it a couple of times now and even read other peoples and the author’s thoughts on it – I would say I am part of the former. It isn’t a cliff hanger, but it isn’t a tidy resolution either. But if you read and remember everything on the journey, the science of the wolves, the way Grace and Sam feel about each other, I think it’s obvious what the ending will be, it just isn’t spelt out for you in the way that some people like. In my mind, I know how it ends and I am very happy with it. The books are all slow, melodic stories that are incredibly beautiful and romantic. The love between Grace and Sam is very moving and you never once doubt how they feel about each other, any uncertainty is a product of their circumstances. Cole and Isabel on the other hand smash into each other constantly. They are perfect for each other but they both have too much baggage at this point in their lives, and the cryptic author’s note at the end suggests this may not be the ending you think it is. Yes we are leaving Mercy Falls for unchartered territory, but are we leaving these characters behind? I hope not. Shiver, without a doubt remains my favourite of the books, probably because the urgency and actions of Grace and Sam trying to stay together was so raw and so real, while in Linger and Forever they both suffered with their indecisions and uncertainty. However, the trilogy overall is very good and is definitely worth reading in one go, because there is so much more to this story than the love between Grace and Sam and the wolves (the history of the wolves, the reason for Sam, Beck and the pack, Sam and Grace’s parents, Cole, Isabel, Shelby). Having read them over the 2-3 years they have been released, I feel like it’s been too long between instalments and look forward to going back and reading them all again. Beautiful, moving and so very romantic, these are not your typical YA supernatural romance (no love triangle…..yeay!) and I (a definite non-YA) absolutely adored them. For more, check out Maggie's website. Read by Natalie 2009-2011 Natalie recommends these as light, enjoyable, romantic and frustrating. This series begins with the book Fallen, featuring Luce a beautiful but troubled girl who is sent to a school for misfit youth following a not fully explained incident involving fire and the death of her boyfriend. At the school she meets the mysterious Daniel, a boy she feels drawn too, dreams about, almost seems to know. But Daniel pushes her away, almost to the point of rudeness and then at other times is unbearably sweet to her. What transpires is that Daniel is a Fallen Angel who has spent his entire lifetime meeting and falling in love with Luce, only for her to be taken from him when his identity starts to be revealed. All of this is unknown to the resurrecting Luce and as the cycle repeats itself every 17 years, Daniel is continuously forced to lose her. Only this time the cycle is broken, Daniel can reveal who he is and Luce stays with him. Daniel can't understand why, but as the other Fallen Angels who sided with evil, battle for Luce for themselves, Daniel whisks her away to keep her safe. The book is quite beautiful and romantic, although there is alot we don't know including what Daniel's intentions are and why the others also want Luce. The end of the book sees a truce between good and evil being drawn in order to buy Daniel and Luce some more time....but for what? Torment, the second book opens with Luce once again in danger. This time the Outcasts, Fallen Angels who chose evil, but want to be back with good, have joined the hunt. Once again Daniel is forced to hide Luce away, moving her to a school for Nephilium - the offspring of humans and angels. As Luce is left at the school while Daniel goes off to fight, she is frustrated at being kept in the dark as to what is going on. To be honest, so was I! The book at this point opens up a whole lot of questions and doesn't provide many (any) answers to them. We get some occasional glimpses when Luce starts to work out what the shadows which have plagued her her whole life mean. Sometimes Daniel drops in and gives us little hints but this usually ends in an arguement with neither side willing to budge and actually answer anything. Although Luce is starting to stand up for herself and not just believe everything Daniel has to say, it actually comes off as pretty annoying because nobody just says what's on their mind! If you look for it, you can start to see where the story is going and what the author is trying to do. Luce thinks she has the answer but it's more obvious than she thinks. Why Daniel cannot tell her is the mystery behind it all. The book ends with Luce deciding to take a chance and finding out more about her past lives. This time it is Daniel who is left behind and desperate to find her. The third book Passion is a definite improvement, although it’s a convoluted one that takes the reader on a journey that ultimately doesn’t really tell us a whole lot. As Luce moves back through her past, she starts to see different versions of herself and Daniel, through different re-enactments of their love. Aided by the mysterious little creature, Bill, Luce desperately tries to learn something about her past deaths in an attempt to break the curse Daniel and her face in the present. All the while Daniel is racing after her trying to stop her from altering history. As Luce moves back through time, it’s interesting watching her move through history, learning something more about herself, Daniel and their love with each step backwards. Although things are kept frustratingly out of reach for the reader, Luce starts to realise that their love is real, that what both of them feel is true and that Daniel suffers badly every time she dies, while Luce simply moves onto another life. Faced with this new knowledge Luce believes the only way to truly free Daniel from this pain is to destroy her cursed soul, even if it means losing Daniel forever. However, at the final stop in her travels, when she sees the depth of his love and strength, she also realises the strength and love she has and she can’t bring herself to do it. Just when it looks like they may finally be reunited (and all these travels have been for nothing but to confirm their love), Bill’s true identity and plan is revealed. As Luce struggles with the situation she now finds herself in, Daniel finds himself back in the one place he never expected to be – home. Realising now that it was never about Luce changing things, that his journey after her was so Daniel could change things, he attempts to create the loophole you’d think he could have remembered in the first place. This also gives us a chance to see The Fall when Daniel revealed his true feelings, choosing neither heaven nor hell, but love, as well as learn about the curse he received as punishment and the details that keep present day Luce alive somehow. Finally finding Luce and believing now that the curse has somehow been altered, Daniel and Luce return to Earth. It’s here the book takes a turn for the unexpected and makes the reader wonder what is going on – was it ever really about Luce and Daniel and their mysterious curse or is there something bigger going on? As Luce reveals the details of Bill’s plans, Daniel calls on the rest of the Fallen to help them, finally uniting both sides in their quest to prevent Bill, aka Lucifer’s plan from unfolding. With 9 days to save the fate of the Earth, we have to wait 12 months until the release of Rapture to know if they succeed and discover what this series is really all about, is it true love or is it something bigger? There are going to be four books in the series, and so far they certainly live up to their name - I fell in love with Fallen, was tormented by Torment, but with Passion we get to witness the passionate feelings that Luce and Daniel have for each other all throughout time. What I will say is the books do have some of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. Seeing Fallen on the shelf is what drew me into the shop to buy it, although unfortunately the third cover is not quite as good as the rest. If you want to know more, go to the Fallen Series website. Read by Natalie July 2011 Natalie recommends as a gruesome and gritty vampire read This is one of those cases where I am reading the book thinking, wondering, deciding not to do anything until I finish, where upon I google and discover, yep this is the 4th book in a series where I haven’t read books 1, 2 or 3. Having said that, I’m pretty sure it’s stand alone enough that you can still enjoy it, I certainly did, although I am tempted to go back and read the others to learn more backstory as well as prepare myself for the inevitable and necessary 5th book. So, what’s it about? Well Laura Caxton is a former cop/trained vampire hunter now turned con (the progression to this point is I assume outlined in the first 3 books). Currently serving 5 years in a maximum security prison for kidnapping and torturing a criminal for information, she is soon moved to the isolation wing for her own protection after a minor riot breaks out and Laura manages to incapacitate 4 gangbangers. Being a cop in a maximum security prison is not a good thing, she’s not only hated by the criminals, but also the COs. However, Laura went willingly in there, pleading guilty to her crime and accepting the punishment because that’s the kind of cop she is. Unable to break up with her long suffering girlfriend however, she resigns herself to 1 hour free from her cell a day and one visit from Clara a month. That is until all hell breaks loose when the oldest and last known vampire, Justinia Malvern slips into the prison. These two have a long running feud (something I also assume is outlined in the preceding 3 books) and have battled each other on and off for years. Malvern is hundreds of years old, and while she needs an ever increasing amount of blood just to stay alive, she also has quite a few tricks up her sleeve for getting away. This time however, she strolls into the prison where she now has a buffet of blood to dine on and the convenient situation of Laura being locked up and her girlfriend Clara also visiting. When it quickly becomes apparent that Malvern is using Clara in her game to get Laura to break out of her cell and find a way to rescue her girlfriend, where upon Malvern will convert Laura into a vampire as she has always wanted, Laura soon realises this is an inside job. Determined to rescue her girlfriend and finally kill Malvern, Laura is aided in her plan by her cell mate, the quirky Gert. The two manage to escape their cell when the half-deads under Malvern’s control storm the isolation wing and battle their way to the prison’s hub, fighting a never ending barrage of half-deads along the way. As Clara, a police forensic photographer, who only took the job in a bid to be closer to Laura, also starts to fight back, it becomes a race over the next 23 hours to find Malvern before she manages to once again slip away. While Laura is confused at the game Malvern is playing, she is determined to kill her and end the vampires once and for all. The book is fast paced, raw and quite funny in parts. It is also pretty blunt, both in language and violence, but hey it is a maximum security prison that also has a rogue vampire, so what do you expect. As Laura finally makes her way to Malvern, knowing her girlfriend is safe, she desperately tries to kill her arch enemy. Does she succeed….well there’s actually a bit of a twisty cliff-hanger which leaves you wanting the next novel and definitely made me realise this was an ongoing storyline that I had walked into part way through. A great read if you prefer something a little harder than what the Cullen’s have to offer, I will definitely be getting the next book in the series. Read by Natalie April-June 2011 Natalie recommends this as my absolute new favourite vampire series! Afterlight is the first in The Dark Ink Chronicles, a trilogy following the life of the saucy little firecracker that is Riley Poe. Now a successful tattoo artist in sultry Savannah, Riley was once a train wreck. Getting lost in the dark seedy underworld, she became hooked on drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex and everything in between. The murder of her mother shook some sense into her and with the help of Gullah man The Preacher and his wife Estelle, she got her life together and now runs a successful business and raises her baby brother Seth. Although she puts up barriers to the rest of the world with her alternate dress sense and heavily inked skin, her tough exterior doesn’t completely mask the love and loyalty to feels towards Seth, her surrogate grandparents and best friend Nyx. So when one night Seth and his friends inadvertently release a terrifying monster into Savannah and in doing so become infected themselves, Riley will do anything to help him. Enter the Dupre family. Friends with the Gullah, the Dupres are vampires who with the help of Gullah magic are able to peacefully live in Savannah protecting it from the rogue vampires who threaten to kill. At first surprised, Riley struggles to believe that vampires exist and that she apparently has a unique blood type that is extremely potent to them and which has been masked by the Preacher’s magic for most of her life. What she can’t deny is the intense attraction she has to Eli, the eldest son of the Dupres, and really who can blame her, because damn is he HOT! Possessing incredible strength and speed which coupled with his good looks, French accent and fiery temper makes him the perfect match for Riley (telling someone they are killing you in French – sexy as hell!). Sent to watch over Riley and protect her as they attempt to rescue Seth from the clutches of two evil Romanian vampires, Eli has wanted Riley for a very long time, much longer than she thinks. But a loss of control on his part 12 years ago sees him trying to fight the attraction, afraid that he will kill Riley. This doesn’t last long and when these two give in….well let’s just say it’s hot enough that steam was practically rising off the pages. The story is fun, it’s sexy and it’s well written. The characters are well described and all of them have a role to play and oh, did I mention it was hot?! I will admit to being slightly scared after reading the last line of the Prologue, which just screamed Twilight, but luckily, the rest of the book was nothing like it and it’s safe to say I devoured it in a day or so. Book two, Everdark came out in June 2011 and pretty much picks up straight after Afterlight. Having been bitten by the two evil Romanian vampires, Riley is now going through detox on the Barrier Island with the help of Preacher, her brother and the Dupres. With intermittent periods of lucidity, Riley struggles with wanting to drink blood and attack everyone around her, all the while Eli is there with her, protecting her. When she finally recovers, Eli starts to teach her about her tendencies - her new strength and speed that come from being infected with powerful vampire blood. Oh and yeah an increased libido too, which Eli has absolutely no problem handling! Not used to asking for help, Riley knows how she feels about Eli but is afraid to voice it, hoping instead he will read her thoughts instead. Eli on the other hand has no problem telling her how he feels, and goes to great lengths to show her. Once recovered, the whole group head back to Savannah where they attempt to hunt down the surviving Romanian vamp before he can do more harm. Only now Riley is having conversations with him in her head and terrifying dreams and visions where she witnesses a strange vampire’s killing spree. Seems the vampire blood has given her more than just tendencies and as she struggles with these visions and Eli struggles with sharing her mind with someone else, all hell starts to break loose. Heading to Charlestown to try and stop it, they end up in vampire fight club where mortals are pitted against vampires, but when Nyx, Riley’s best friend is captured by the monsters back in Savannah, she must go against everything she has been taught and head back there to save her, alone. As Eli rushes to help her, the Romanian vamps control her more than ever and we are left on a cliff-hanger that sees Riley leaving Eli behind as she leaves with this evil vamp that we are never sure can be trusted. Thankfully, Elle Jasper had the good grace to include an extract from the third book Eventide (out December 2011) at the end, where we see Riley rescued from the Romanian by that sexy French vamp Eli. Of course if you pay attention to the timeline from the original Prologue, you will see all ends well. I gotta say, Eli is fast becoming my favourite vamp of all time and what makes this series so great is that there is no pathetic, submissive female lead. Instead you have Riley and Eli, both headstrong, both independent, both used to getting what they want and both used to risking themselves to protect the ones they love. Can you imagine what it’s like when these two go at it – yeah, in a word HOT! To say this book is hotter than the first would be an understatement. But it is also a great story, full of great characters, great dialogue, great settings and of course that sexy French vamp! Do yourself a favour and pick this series up, you won’t be disappointed. I for one cannot wait until the third book is out, but in the meantime if you want more, including character profiles, check out Elle’s website Read by Natalie June 2011 Natalie recommends this for an original spin on the supernatural genre Ok, so Die for Me does have some Twilight tendencies and based on the author’s website I can see why. When asked for the inspiration behind her first novel she explained her addiction to Twilight, particularly Edward and after closing all four books for the second time, she sat down to write her own. Only this time she didn’t want to do any of usual supernatural creatures and she also wanted a strong, kick-arse female lead in addition to her romantic male supernatural lead. Well Ms Plum, score points for you, because you certainly achieved this! It would be safe to say that Die for Me is in a league above Twilight. Kate, our mortal female is strong and independent, despite suffering a terrible family loss. Yes ok she does have her angsty moments where she questions a decision, but the difference is, she is the one who made the decision, including at one point, the decision to leave supernatural boy because his life was just too weird (take note Bella Swan). Vincent is a fresh face on the supernatural genre too, a Revenent, he can best be described as a cross between a zombie and a ghost – but in a good way! Yes he has some traits in common with Edward, including a lack of need for sleep, a gorgeous chiselled body and a slightly obsessive/possessive personality. But on the flip (and plus) side he is actually honest with his mortal girlfriend, electing not to hide things from her when she asks, and it is he who is the one heartbroken at her leaving and while he becomes inconsolable at his loss, he still kinda holds his own. He is also swoon-worthy romantic, but at the same time, quite cheeky and funny (unlike for example Edward, who seems to have a pole stuck somewhere it shouldn’t be most of the time). Throw in a gorgeous Paris location complete with river cruises and hot chocolate and well this beats a trip to Forks anyday! So what’s the book about? Well Kate and her sister Georgia move to live with their grandparents in Paris after the death of their parents. Devastated at her loss, Kate immerses herself in books and art until one day she notices a gorgeous guy looking at her. Running into him at several spots across Paris, she soon becomes smitten even when she learns the truth about what he is. Vincent is a Revenent, a person who died in the place of someone else and as a result, was reanimated back to life for the sole purpose of saving others. Under a compulsion to save people, this can also include dying once again in their place, although always with the knowledge that he will be brought back the next day. However when Kate sees this process first hand, she cracks, unable to deal with it due to the similarity to her own parent’s death. So for the sake of her sanity, she leaves Vincent and tries to forget about him. However, after Vincent’s kindred explain his suffering and a possible solution to their problem, Kate agrees to listen. When Vincent suggests he try to control his compulsion to save people and therefore his risk of dying, Kate agrees to be with him, realising the sacrifice he is making. However, when Vincent’s archenemy comes after him, Kate has to face up to the reality of Vincent dying and possibly not being resurrected again. The book is light and sweet and actually has some beautiful and funny dialogue, not to mention a gorgeous front cover. The first in a series, it doesn’t leave you with the usual cliff-hanger, but you can certainly see where the story might go. Book 2 is out in 2012 and I think it’s safe to say I will be picking it up. Incidently, just like her Twilight counterpart, Amy's website also features the opening pages of Die For Me told from Vincent's perspective.....not bad! Read by Natalie June 2011 Natalie recommends as although being a bit of drivel at times, it was different to what she expected. Sometimes I ask myself why I keep reading this stuff, yet always I keep giving them another try! This book had me ready to chuck it in many times, but in the end it did actually redeem itself and although not a huge cliffhanger, there is a sequel out in 2012 which I suspect I will be getting. It’s the usual straight-laced girl, protected by her father, lost her mother, not many friends, ignored by boys despite being beautiful, meets mysterious boy, very hot and slightly wicked, wants girl but always pushes her away type of garbage. Throw in a couple of extras with her crass friend Donny, the “physic” friend Amelia, a cross-dressing/surfer fortune teller and a couple of extra boys for the friends and well I will say that it is different! So the story is that Theia lives with her controlling father. Her mother died giving birth to her and her father obsessively protects Theia believing he can protect her from her mother’s fate. Only Theia is visited in her dreams by the mysterious Haden who also happens to be the new boy at school. Taunting her with his flirting, he is both very sweet to her and very mean to her in the dreams and in real life. Turns out Haden is half demon-half human and depending on which half is talking to Theia depends on how he treats her. He wants to be human, have a soul and stay on Earth, but his mother, the head demon in hell has other plans – she wants Haden to find a human bride and bring her back to hell to provide a spawn and rule the Underworld. Long story short, Theia of course falls in love and tries to save Haden, she gets stuck in hell, he gets stuck on earth as a human with his soul intact but without Theia. Eventually he works out a way to save Theia, bring her back, but it costs both of them and even though they are together, that is where the story ends. The first two thirds were touch and go. Theia bordered on Bella in terms of her annoying pathetic-ness and constant low self-esteem. But the last third was better, maybe because Theia was now evil and the book was now told from Haden’s POV. Yes I will probably read the next book (out January 2012), although I do hope they both get up to some naughty things back on earth before their souls are inevitably saved. Read by Natalie and Tracy 2009 - 2011 Natalie recommends it for people who like their Vampires with a bit more bite, although they are starting to lag... Tracy recommends for this for people with lots of time on their hands! Well, I think it’s official – Charlaine Harris should give up Sookie Stackhouse, let the wonder that is True Blood take its own course, and find something else to write about. Dead Reckoning is the 11th book in the series and my first comment after (finally) finishing it is that it’s, well, just Dead Boring to be honest. After the fire-bombing of Merlotte’s in the opening chapter, not a whole lot else happens until the very end and even that’s not very satisfying with a pile of loose ends which are inevitably going to lead into the next book. While Sookie learns a bit more about her Fae connection and her Grandma’s antics, to be honest, it didn’t seem like anything new, I feel like we knew it all from the previous books or even the previous chapters of this book! Even the steam factor was low, with a single scene between Eric and Sookie finally appearing on page 186 (!) and lasting for only a couple of lines. The whole book instead was puffed out with Sookie’s whinging, her over the top descriptions of her house and house guests and the state of her marriage to Eric, not to mention her repetitious Christian moralising of everything. God Sookie grow a set of balls and either (a) ask Eric what his problem is or (b) do something about it all. Even when she gets what she wants she complains about it. Plus there was hardly any Pam or Eric and let’s be honest, they deliver some of the best lines of the whole book and too much of the stupidly ridiculous Bubba – come on!?. Honestly, I am going to struggle to continue reading these books and much prefer to tune into the TV show any day. Aside from the obvious eye candy, taking the focus off Sookie is also a huge bonus. Unfortunately I think Harris is sailing on the coat tails of the widely successful TV series and forgetting that she actually used to write great stories. This is 325 pages of such boring drivel it’s enough to make me want to stake myself. Overall, there are 11 books in this series and this is for those of us who generally like their Vampires with a little more bite! These Vamps have fangs, drink human blood, don't sparkle in the sunlight and even sleep in coffins or underground. The books tell the story of Sookie Stackhouse in the fictional town of Bon Temps Louisiana, which is full of Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Fairies, and Demons galore. The story is fun and easy to read, although Harris does have a tendency to focus on a favourite character and then write them off when she gets sick of them. One constant is the 1000 year Nordic Vampire Eric, and trust me, for those of us who enjoy the TV series tie-in True Blood, you'll be glad she keeps him around! Having now read all 11 books in the series, I have to say, Harris is starting to really struggle (see comments above). The books are becoming more forced and the plot just plain boring and overly descriptive about random shit that none of us actually care about (who cares what nightshirt Sookie puts on for bed?). Not sure how many "wars" Sookie can go through, but Harris seems to think substituting one creature for another in these wars will make the story new and inventive. Even the steaminess is petering and I don't care what anyone says, but a 1000 year old Vampire who is Sherriff of Area 5 would never, ever wear his hair braided?! For me the books started to drop off around 6 or 7 (when Quinn departed) and I think Harris is cashing in on the success of the TV series, which is only getting better (yes Eric, you continue to get sexier with each episode). To keep reading, she's going to have to pull out something pretty special next time around. Again I read this series based on Natalie's descriptions - luckily you don't have to engage your brain and I knocked off a book a day. It is totally unbelievable what Sookie gets up to and what people seem to ignore is going on - I only wish she could get over her vampire fetish and go for the shape-shifting bartender. I have only managed to see a couple of episodes of the TV series tie-in, but undoubtedly Natalie will wear me down and I will watch the rest under duress unless there is plenty of wine and chippies to help me get through it. Read by Natalie 2009-2011 Natalie recommends this for adults only - this is Vampire porn! The Black Dagger Brotherhood series is for those of us who like their vampires with a LOT more bite. While the names, spelling and gangster talk get a little too much at times and the plot borders on being soft porn, the series is nonetheless like crack, utterly addictive! When I first got into this series, I was lucky that the first 6 books had been released (the author was originally only contracted for 3). This meant I could get a good hit of these boys in one go and many a night was spent without sleep as I devoured their stories. Now however, I am forced into the yearly wait for each new instalment and while her Fallen Angels series helps, it is not even in the same league as these boys. So who are they? Well the Black Dagger Brotherhood is the fiercest and strongest of the entire vampire race. Created by the Scribe Virgin they protect the rest of the vampire race against the evil Lessers, souless, undead humans who were created by the Omega – brother to the Scribe Virgin. The brothers we have met so far include: Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Butch/Dhestroyer, Vishous and Phury. The next 2 books gave us Rehvenge and John Matthew, not yet brothers but the brother-in-law to Zsadist and a reincarnation of the fallen brother Darius respectively. All of these men are strong, hot warriors who are also fabulous in the sack. But each of them is also flawed in some way and tortured by events in their past. It is the females, strong characters in their own right who may be vampire, human or ghost even, who save them and yes this requires substantial time in the bedroom! The latest book introduces us to Payne, twin sister to Vishous, who just happens to fall in love with the human surgeon Manny who is Jane (Vishous’ wife) former boss! What will happen when vampire and human collide? Will a centuries old score catch up with Payne and can Vishous ever heal completely? Although the stories are hot, they are also dark and not everything gets resolved in one book. This keeps you hooked as do the multitude of other storylines and characters who not only provide some distractions along the way, but are undoubtedly going to get their own books in the future. These include two other brothers – Tohrment and Mhurder, Lassiter the fallen angel, Trez and I.Am the Shadows, Blay and Qhuinn the first gay vampire couple and No’One a former Chosen and mother to Xhex – wife of John Matthew (!!). The books definitely follow a continuous overall story arc that becomes more complex and evolved with each new book and so should definitely be read in order. Even though each book tends to focus on a particular couple and their journey to happy-ever-after, there is still plenty of side action going on around them. Also out there is an Insider’s Guide which is worth getting for the gorgeous novella on my favourite brother Zsadist and Bella alone. And in late 2011, there is said to be a 2-part book featuring a novella on Rhage and Mary and a novella on Wrath and Beth as both couples face the decision of trying to have children. Future novellas are also expected on Qhuinn and Blay’s (or Qhuay as fans call them). I am not alone in wanting this book right now, as these two have been driving fans crazy ever since that kiss in book 5! However as book 10 looks to be Tohr's story, it would seem we are in for more pain in their journey to a happy ending. For more, check out JR Ward's website which also features some deleted scenes and Slices of Life side stories – yep Wrath and that letter opener – HOT! And hot on the heels of Lover Unleashed being release was an interview with JR Ward where she dropped a few hints of what was to come! If you are looking for a steamy vampire read that is very different to the normal vamp genre, then I would highly recommend picking this series up – you’ll have you own favourite brother and a serious addiction before you know it! Just keep it under lock and key and away from the Tweens, these boys are far hotter than Edward and Bella could ever be! Read by Natalie September 2010-2011 Natalie recommends this as pretty light, fun and interesting. The Night Huntress novels are the story of Cat, a half-human half-vampire woman who hunts and kills Vampires as revenge for her mother who was raped by one. Hating herself for what she is and constantly reminded of it by her mother, she possesses some extraordinary powers which allow her to surprise and kill the Vampires who try to pick her up. One night she gets more than she bargained for when Bones, a Master Vampire manages to capture her. He doesn't kill her straight away, instead proposing a partnership - training from Bones if Cat helps him hunt and kill Vampires. Bones keeps his motives to himself, and Cat reluctantly agrees, thinking she will eventually kill Bones anyway when she has learnt all she can. Instead of course she falls in love with him and him with her. Trying to keep her relationship a secret from her disapproving mother, they continue to hunt Vampires together and the story behind Bones gradually starts to emerge. Generally the plot of these books is interesting and fun. They don't always go where you expect them too, which is rare these days. This is especially so in the fourth book, when Cat actually changes completely. The fifth book has been my least favourite, as to be honest, it was a little boring. A species war between the Vamps and Ghouls was just a rehash and the steam-factor wasn't even that high (and lets be honest, that's half of why we read them!). This latest book also comes after her two side stories (about Spade and Mencheres), and although you don't really need to read them, the introduction of two new characters might be explained better if you did. The books can sometimes be a little disjointed - ending one chapter with a "tense" moment and then starting the next as if nothing ever happened. However, my biggest gripe is with Bones, who is a 240 year old Brit who has been given a cockney Guv'nor accent by the American author that is at times very over-done and at other times missing completely. Cat is a mostly cool kick-arse Vamp hunter, but at other times she comes off as a bit of an idiot who doesn't actually think before she acts, although to be fair, this has been happening less. It is definitely geared for the older reader and features a fair bit of sex which is pretty full on as Bones used to be a gigolo in his former life and is keen to show Cat everything he can do! I am not sure how much longer the series is going on for, it's rumoured to be a 7 book series. I would suggest wrapping it up soon as it's just getting dragged out a little too much. Still if you're looking for a fun supernatural escape, I would recommend it! For more, check out her website. Read by Natalie February 2011. Natalie recommends reading this if you would like to see how a successful, young, female author manages to push the female gender back into the dark ages. Dear Alexandra A, just a small reminder that this is in fact the 21st century and not only are men and women considered equals, but most woman actually don’t like acting or being treated like a damsel in distress who must be rescued at all times by the love of their life and simply cannot cope when he is not with her. What makes it even more surprising that you don’t realise this, is that you are a young, successful, female author, who quite frankly is a disgrace to your gender. In writing Halo, you have given us Beth who my opinion is now a full member of the exclusive “most annoying female characters to ever grace the pages of a book” club. Here Beth joins the illustrious company of Nora from the Hush Hush series, Ever from The Immortals Series and of course Bella from the Twilight series. This club is exclusively for pathetic, annoying, submissive, whingers who think that their life will end if they don’t feel the protective arms of their impossibly too good to be true boyfriend holding them safe from the rest of the world. And while Beth is certainly in fine company, you have managed to outdo her even more, because while the other members were only mere mortals being protected by their strong, supernatural boyfriends – Beth is in fact a strong, immortal, supernatural girlfriend with only a mortal boyfriend. On top of this, Beth’s supernatural brother insists on the MORTAL boyfriend protecting Beth at all times…..I mean are you serious??? Well done Alexandra, not only have you managed to successfully ignore all advances made by women in finally being treated as equals, you have also written one of the worst role models for young girls that I have ever read. What’s this book about? Well if you insist on reading this mindless drivel what you will get is a story about a group of angels sent to tiny Venus Cove to watch over and steer it back towards the path of love and righteousness. Forbidden to form attachments to individual humans, Beth, the youngest of the angels manages to not only fall in love with the handsome high school captain, but completely neglect her friends and family in doing so – choosing instead to spend every waking moment in his arms. When they aren’t together she is either on the phone to him or lamenting how boring and uninteresting her life is when he isn’t there. Her reaction to their first fight is so pathetically embarrassing I actually nearly threw my book across the train carriage. Please, someone hand me a bucket, because this is just disgusting. Furthermore, after going on and on about how great God is and how He is the almighty ruler of the world and Creator of everything on Earth and that Church is the divine place for people to come together and that love and tolerance are the only righteous ways to live – you go and make God such a bully to the angels that they have no free will, no life whatsoever and even consider falling from heaven just to escape Him. I can’t even bring myself to finish this review I am just so annoyed by your book. The first in a trilogy, you can be rest assured that I will not be wasting my money on the next two books and am heading straight for the second hand book store to offload this one. Alexandra Adornetto was fourteen when she published her first book,The Shadow Thief, in Australia. The daughter of two English teachers,
she admits to being a compulsive book buyer who has run out of shelf space, and now stacks her reading “in wobbly piles on my bedroom floor.”
Alex lives in Melbourne, Australia; Halo marks her U.S. debut. Read her full macmillan authors profile. Read by Natalie 2010-2011 Natalie recommends this as not bad start to another Vampire series! Once Bitten Twice Shy is the first book out of 8 in the Jaz Park series. Sadly the author has now passed away, although she did complete the series and the last book is due out in 2011. On reading the first book, my first thought is that it’s not too bad. Jaz Parks is an assistant CIA assassin whose boss/partner just happens to be a centuries old vampire, Vayl. Together they go undercover hunting out all sorts of evil supernatural creatures as they try to wreak havoc on the world. This first book sees them out to get an evil plastic surgeon who just happens to be funnelling his cash into a terrorist organisation that is determined to raise an evil creature who will consume the weakest souls on the planet before a select group of politicians and vampires step in to save the day. The book is light and fun and clearly Jaz and Vayl have a connection that is going down the predictable path of romance. They both have secret back stories, and we get a glimpse of Vayl’s and most of Jaz’s, which certainly set the scene for the next book. The second book, Another One Bites The Dust continues on about 3 months after the first. Again Jaz and Vayl have a new mission, to chase down a deranged Chinese Vampire who has stolen some high-tech mililtary equipment in a bid to transform himself into a dragon and take over the world. Along for the ride this time are Cole, the former PI that Jaz bumped into on the last mission, the pyschic seer Cassandra who can see the future with one touch and Miles Bergman, Jaz's former college roommate who created the military equipment that has been stolen. Heading to Texas to try and stop the Chinese vampire, Jaz is sidetracked by her dangerous sleepwalking and memories of her dead finace. Help from both her twin brother and Vayl get her back on track and of course they manage to save the day. Ramp up a bit more sexual tension between Jaz and Vayl and this is heading down the predictable path of will they/won't they/come on just do it already. The series is fun, with Jaz managing to pretty much kick arse wherever she goes with the help of Vayl and Bergman's crazy tech inventions. The books do have a lot going on though and sometimes this does bog them down, but they are a light escape into the supernatural world! Having said all that, the third book, Biting the Bullet was not quite as good. I am pretty sure I skimmed most of this, as there was just too much going on and to be honest at times it was boring. In the third installment, Jaz gets to pair up with her brother Dave's elite military team as they try to take down the Wizard, a mysterious entity hell bent on the world's destruction. What better place to do this than Iran where there is already enough oppression and fighting. To make matters worse, there appears to be a mole in Dave's unit who is leaking information on their plan back to the Wizard. Couple this with Jaz's complete inability to get over her past relationship and get it on with Vayl, Cole's sudden declaration of his love for her and of course the usual group of supernatural creatures trying to kill them all and to be honest, I just wasn't that interested. I wish she could just make up her mind, because she talks like she wants to, but then doesn't back it up with actions. Maybe I need a break from this series, because although the author has assured us Vayl and Jaz do in fact get it on, the road to this ending seems to be more painful than usual! Three down, 5 more to go..... Read by Natalie January 2011 Natalie recommends this as interesting with a lot of potential that just didn’t quite deliver. This is an interesting book, quite original and well written (mostly) but I am still not 100% sure how I feel about it. It is the story of Mackie Doyle, who is a Replacement, a substitute left in place of the real Mackie Doyle when he was just a baby. The Replacement is a “monster” of sorts who never should have survived, but somehow he did, probably from the acceptance and love he received from his sister Emma when she found him in the crib in place of her real brother. What’s even weirder about all of this is that this kind of behaviour is common place in Gentry. Every 7 years a child goes missing from its bed. It is replaced by something else, a child that looks similar but isn’t quite right. Usually that Replacement dies and is buried with the family mourning the loss of their child. In return, the town thrives when other towns around it don’t. No one questions what protects the town and no one talks about what happens to all the children who are taken. However one day, Tate loses her baby sister and instead of mourning her, she seeks revenge. Her first task, find out from the Replacement Mackie Doyle what’s going on. Only Mackie is intent on saying nothing, keeping himself invisible and hidden. He knows he is not normal (he has fatal allergies to iron, blood and consecrated ground) but through some unspoken agreement with his family and friends, if no one else mentions it, neither will he. Tate doesn’t take this advice though and pushes and pushes until Mackie is left with no choice (although truth be told, some of his stupid behaviour also leaves him in the same predicament). Eventually he learns the truth about what he is and where he has come from. He learns about the hidden House of Mayhem and House of Misery right under the town of Gentry and he learns the fate of all the missing children. As he attempts to rescue Tate’s sister, he unwittingly draws in his own sister and friends. In giving up his own life for Tate’s sister though, he finally discovers that he can fit in and be normal. The problems I had with the book were mainly due to characterisation. There were some major characters and their relationships with Mackie who weren’t drawn out enough – a classic example is his mother, who herself was taken, only to be returned later on – this and her resultant feelings towards her “son” are never fully explained. Also, Mackie himself is both popular and a freak and somehow this doesn’t quite fit. Having said that the book is certainly quite original, and as the story is not conclusive by the end, I suspect we will be getting a sequel at some point. Read by Natalie December 2010 Natalie recommends this as ok, but there are better Vampire series out there I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this book which is touted by Richelle Mead of
The Vampire Academy Series fame as one of her very favourite vampire series. Naturally I had high expectations, given how much I love her work. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. This is the first in a so far 9 book series called The Morganville Vampires. Set in the small Texas town called Morganville, it is unbeknown to the outside world actually full of and run by vampires. Here people are either under the Protection of a vampire or are open fodder for them. Enter Claire, the brilliantly smart 16 year old who has fast tracked her University career and ended up in this dump of a town because her parents think she is too young to head off to any of the Ivy League Universities that have been trying to recruit her. Bullied viciously in her dorm, she decides to seek alternate accommodation after a mishap leaves her nearly dead and no one else in the dorms seems to care. Enter Eve, Shane and Michael, members of The Glass House, a gothic looking mansion and Claire’s new roommates. After Eve informs Claire of the circumstances of this town, she gradually starts to learn a few more secrets, especially about her roommates – Shane who for some reason came back to this town and doesn’t seem to work, Eve who is a goth and seems to openly insult the vampires and Michael, who sleeps all day and only shows up at night. Lacking her own Protection, Claire’s safety is jeopardised and it is up to her and her new roommates to fix it. While the story was interesting and fun, I just found there was too much going on. Not to mention Claire’s easy acceptance of the town she lives in and her willingness to jump right in and challenge the vamps. An easy book that I knocked off in a day, just a little bit weak in my opinion. Not sure if I will read any more of the books in the series, there are better Vampire stories out there. Rachel has her own website that lets you keep up to date with her adventure stories. Read by Natalie 2009 - 2010 Natalie recommends it for anyone who wants an excellent YA Vampire story with good characters. This series is without a doubt one of my favourite vampire series. While they are geared towards a young adult audience, they pack more punch and are better written than the Twilight saga. Not to mention that the characters in these books are not perfect, they do actually make mistakes, the women are not submissive idiots and well, this just makes it that much more believable and enjoyable. The story has an interesting spin on the Vampire genre with 2 sorts of Vampires: the evil and immortal Strigoi who drink blood and cannot go out in the sunlight and the Moroi, a mortal but friendly Vampire who drink blood, are only weakened by the sun and use the elements for magic. These clans are at war and the Strigoi are determined to either kill or turn all Moroi into their own kind. Standing in the way are the Dhampir, sworn guardians of the Moroi and fierce hunters of the Strigoi. It's here we meet Rose, a fiercely determined and strong Dhampir who has sworn to protect her best friend Lissa, a royal Moroi who is also the last of her line. All the books are told from Rose's point of view, although because of her "bond" with Lissa which was brought about when Lissa accidently healed Rose in death, she can jump into Lissa's head and we see the story occasionally from Lissa's perspective. Thrown into this mix is Rose's sexy Russian mentor/teacher/lover Dimitri who is himself a kick arse Dhampir guardian who believes in Rose when no one else does and is also her soulmate; Lissa's boyfriend Christian, an outcast member of another royal family whose parents willingly turned into Strigoi; the Moroi Queen Tatiana and her great-nephew Adrian who drowns his spirit use with cigarettes and alcohol and is in love with Rose; plus a host of other characters including Sydney the Alchemist, Abe and Janine – Rose’s parents and Tasha, Christian’s aunt. The story starts at St Vlad's Academy where both Moroi and Dhampir attend, although they undergo very different training, and gradually moves onto the Royal Court after graduation. In between Rose makes several journeys, first to rescue and potentially save Dimitri and then to find Lissa’s missing mystery sibling and clear her own name. In between all that she fights the blackness she draws from Lissa as a result of their bond, the confines of being a guardian, the heartbreak at having, loosing and finding Dimitri, the relationship she to tries and ultimately realises she doesn't want with Adrian and finally the Strigoi themselves. I have really enjoyed all 6 books in the series, although the 5th I found to be the least enjoyable not only due to the weaker storyline, but also some extremely sad and heartbreaking moments between Rose and Dimitri and some behaviour from Rose that I just didn't think fit somehow. However, the final book gives all the Team Dimitri fans (myself included) a very happy ending to the series, which was a fantastic journey. While not everything gets tied up, there is a new series starting with Bloodlines in August 2011 which is sure to please anyone who was sad to see this series end (yes, again myself included). These books were originally going to be told in the third person, from multiple points of view and feature previous Vampire Academy side characters in major roles. Richelle has since confirmed that the series will now all be first point of view from Sydney's perspective and we can also expect cameos from Rose (and hopefully Dimitri too!). I guess overall the only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the lack of resolution regarding Dhampir and Moroi, which still continues to be a very class driven relationship. Although with Lissa in her new role, this may change in future books. If you like entertaining Vampire stories with strong male and female leads, I would highly recommend picking this up. And in a move that is sure to please all the fans, the movie rights have recently been bought for the entire series. For more check out Richelle Mead's website. With the release of the final installment in this series, Penguin Australia has put up an explanation for all those Last Sacrifice teaser videos! Click here to find out what they all meant. Read by Natalie 2009-2010 Natalie recommends this as easy reading This is yet another book series on fallen angels and although I read the first book, Hush Hush in one day, I didn't enjoy it as much as Fallen. Another young love story featuring Nora, a girl with no time for boys and Patch, the mysterious new "boy" at school who always seems to show up in the same place as Nora. This also coincides with something dangerous or terrifying happening to her. Ultimately these two fall in love and Nora discovers what Patch is, a fallen angel looking for a human sacrifice (descended from the Nephilim) so that he can become human himself. I think what was disturbing for me was that for a long time Patch's plan was to kill Nora. Sure, he resisted, actually declined Nora's body, fell in love with her and became her guardian angel, but hey that's like having a crazy serial killer after you who suddenly remembers he loves you? Anyway, that small fact aside, it is very easy reading and I did for the most part enjoy it. The second book, Crescendo however, annoyed me. I have to say, I am becoming increasingly annoyed by books where the supernatural boyfriend thinks the only way to protect his mortal girlfriend is to tell her nothing. This then results in mortal girlfriend becoming a bigger idiot than she already was, acting irrationally and then dangerously. Of course when supernatural boyfriend wakes up and "tries" to tell girlfriend what's going on, she doesn't listen, chaos ensues and eventually he rescues her and all is good. These are books written by women who insist on making the female characters complete idiots and Crescendo is no different. In the second book, Nora and Patch are together and in love. Of course as soon as Nora declares her feelings to Patch, he withdraws, she picks a fight, breaks up with him and then goes completely crazy stalking him. Patch however is no saint himself, making minimal effort to tell her what's really going on, despite insisting he isn't a rule follower, so he could quite easily just come out and say it. Throughout all this, Nora learns the truth about her past, Patch once again goes rogue, despite getting his wings back, saves Nora again and they eventually get back together. Just when things are looking up (ie: they might actually have sex!), in step the Nephilim once again and the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Despite some inconsistencies with the writing, some annoying character traits and a few plot devices that were unnecessary, the book was again light reading. The 3rd book Silence is out July 2011, where this time Patch and Nora have to stick together to battle something that threatens the very relationship they've been fighting to have....for more, check out Becca Fitzpatrick's website. Read by Natalie November 2010 Natalie recommends this as being ok...just This is from the same author who brought us the beautiful Shiver (see review below). I had high hopes based on Shiver and I have to say, was left disappointed. Lament is the story of Dee, a musical prodigy who remains invisible to all her peers, except her best friend James. One day the mysterious Luke, a boy who is too good to be true, shows up and together he and Dee win the music concert by making beautiful music together! After this, weird things start happening when Dee starts finding clovers everywhere and seeing strange things. As it turns out, Dee is a Cloverhand - a person who can see The Fae (fairies!). Luke has been sent as the Fairy Queen's Assassin to kill Dee because her musical talents are a threat to the Queen. Luke however, has been forced into his role as an assassin and despite having killed many over the thousand years the Queen has held him, refuses to kill Dee. Why? Oh well, surprise surprise, he has fallen in love with her. Of course Dee manages to fall in love with him too, rescue his soul, free him from his role as assassin as well as overthrow the Queen. Not bad for a 16 year old who doesn't even have her licence and seems to take the whole seeing fairies thing (and newly disocvered mind reading) in her stride. I just found this book to be a little over the top. I know this is the supernatural genre, but you do want a tiny bit of reality built into the fantasy! This, just had none. There is a sequel Ballad, which follows James' story (FYI - he was secretly in love with Dee too) and I presume will also involve some kind of rescue for Luke who despite getting his soul back, was only given one night before he joined the Fae world for good.....Oh I guess I will have to read it and find out! Read by Natalie September 2010 Natalie recommends these as ok, an escape for a few hours! I have only read the first in this series, The Darkest Night. Each book is going to feature a different warrior who is possessed by a Demon straight from Pandora's box, a punishment after the warriors destroyed the guardians of the box over simple jealousy. The first is Maddox, possessor of violence, who is filled with a rage he can barely control. Of course it takes a woman, possessed by her own voices who is able to tame the demon and Maddox in return can silence her voices. It's the usual formula for "paranormal romance" which features heavy on the bedroom action and some side stories with other characters and an attempt at a plot. However, you know it's going to be a happy ending with an opening for the next warrior's story, so honestly, if you just want an escape and not to think too much, just pick this up and put aside a couple of hours! Read by Natalie September 2010 Natalie recommends books 1 and 4, but not so much books 2 and 3 The Blood Ties series is at times amazingly good and at times throw your book against the wall frustrating. It is the story of Carrie, a woman who has sacrificed what little life she has to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor, only to have it all taken away from her 8 months later when she visits her John Doe patient in the morgue. Turns out John Doe is actually Cyrus, one of the most evil vampires on the planet, who attacks her and leaves her for dead. Flat-lining and in the hospital for months, Carrie eventually emerges as a vampire herself, and seeking answers she comes across Nathan, a member of the Voluntary Vampire Movement, who is willing to help her. Of course this means she either needs to join the Movement which hunts down and kills naughty vampires (such as Cyrus) or face the pointy end of a stake. Carrie is attracted to Nathan and he is to her, although both are unwilling to face this fact. Carrie is also unwilling to be forced into a decision, so she sets out to find Cyrus for the flip side of the story. Cyrus lures her in although the connection is masked by the blood tie they share, which allows Cyrus to manipulate and abuse her as he wants and which Carrie seems to both despise and enjoy and is unable to break free of. A series of events happen which sees both Carrie and Cyrus re-sired, relationships strained, destroyed and rebuilt and Cyrus' father (the Soul Eater and Nathan's sire) plotting to take over the world. There were times when this series was really hard work and I would even go so far as to say books 2 and 3 are a waste of time, adding nothing to the story. Carrie is maddeningly frustrating and self-centred but then suddenly amazingly strong and self-sacrificing. The author does her no favours though, making her out to be stupid, self-obsessed, insecure woman who wouldn't know a good thing even if it staked her right through the heart. Nathan on the other hand is unbelievably patient and kind to her whilst also trying to overcome his own heartache, yet she throws in it his face over and over again. It's not until book 4 that Carrie finally grows up and realises just how good he is. On the positive side, these books are definitely
unpredictable and not your mainstream vampire series which makes for an interesting read. It is full of blood, guts, violence and sex and doesn't
hold back on any of it - for some, this might be too much. The final ending may be cheesy to some, but I thought it was perfect, the only
resolution to the story. While I did enjoy these books, I would recommend reading them with a drink at hand, if only to buffer yourself against
some of the stupid directions the author insists on taking you. Jennifer has a website where she has a snippet of her new book American Vampire which I am sure
Natalie has on her radar. Read by Natalie August 2010 Natalie recommends these as ok, something to read when you don't want to think or even really be awake The Immortals is a new YA series that tells the story of Ever and Damon. In the first book, Evermore, Ever (who gives Bella a run for her money in the most annoying character stakes) is recovering from the death of her entire family in an accident that she believes was her fault. Sent to live with her aunt in LA, she becomes the freak at her new school after her near death experience has allowed her to hear people's thoughts and see their auras. Trying to limit her contact and interaction with everyone at school (except her only 2 friends Haven and Miles), Ever tries to avoid the gorgeous new boy Damen, despite the attraction and familiarity she sees in him. Of course what transpires is that Damen is an Immortal, over 600 years old who also turned Ever into one after saving her life in the aforementioned car accident, which was actually the fault of Damen's evil ex-wife Drina! At first Ever is angry about this and weirded out by her boyfriend's abilities, but of course she soon falls in love with him, kills his ex-wife (only after she tries to kill her), makes peace with the death of her family and starts to embrace immortality. The second book Blue Moon, sees new boy Roman come to school. Everyone seems to like him, including Damen, yet Ever can't help but feel there is something wrong about him. When the whole school, Damen, included start to turn against Ever, she must try to work out what Roman is doing and reverse it. Discovering the art of time travel on the night of a blue moon, Ever decides maybe she should go back to before her family was killed, forget about Damen and just start again (even though logic from the first book means Drina would kill her eventually, as that's what she has been doing to reincarnate Ever for the last 400 years). Of course this doesn't work and faced with a dying Damen instead, Ever acts like a stupid idiot and falls for Roman's antidote to save Damen. Save him it does, but it also means they can't touch, kiss or OMG, do the deed (which has been a central part of the whole story, as Ever gets killed every time they plan too). Of course, given Ever is only 16, this is a ploy by the author to conveniently stop the decision on her having sex. The first 2 books are very light and extremely easy to read, but as I said Ever is impossibly annoying at times and the whole thing can be a bit over the top and drawn out. There are 2 more books in the series and I guess I will probably read them when I just want to switch off for a while, but suffice to say, there are better YA supernatural books out there. Alyson Noel has her own website and is also the writer of Young Adult Fiction including
Fly Me To The Moon, Radiance and other Singles Titles. Read by Natalie 2010 Natalie recommends this as fairly crap, I mean the cover alone should have told me that. This is the first in the Nightwalker series and focuses on Jacob, the Enforcer of the Demon race. Despite their name, in this book the Demons are kind, misunderstood souls who only want to live in peace with the humans, but it's the Vampire and Werewolves who don't. However, every now and then, spurred on by the full moon, a Demon will get a little bit crazy with lust and try to seduce a human - and that's when Jacob steps in to enforce. All this is going great for Jacob, for 700 years he has done this and despite the isolation, he is fairly happy trundling along. Then he meets Bella (yes, Team Jacob fans, in this book, Bella and Jacob actually are a couple!), and she stirs something in him. Jacob fights this, knowing he cannot be with a human, although there is something slightly strange about Bella - she doesn't seem fully human. This was of course a convenient little ploy by the author to allow some action in the bedroom and it was a little too much to be honest. As usual, this is also a story of two lost but beautiful people, who stumble across each other, are reluctant at first, but finally succumb, only for the man to become oppressive and dominant and the woman to become a pathetic, submissive idiot by the end. Yep, that's exactly what happened in this book and it was painful to read in the end. Giving Bella strength by sucking energy from Jacob was a poor excuse at making her a strong female figure - I certainly won't be reading any more in the series. Jacquelyn Frank has a website
Read by Natalie 2010 Natalie recommends this for if you have trouble falling asleep at night. This book is just painful. It's written by 2 authors and although it's quite seamless with writing style, it seems as though they both came up with a bunch of different ideas, couldn't decide which ones to include and which to leave out, so just crammed them all in there instead. It is so long and drawn out with huge chunks of text that just goes nowhere and tells you nothing. It is the story of Ethan and Lena, 2 young high school students who find themselves drawn to each other both in dreams and real life. However, it seems Lena might be turned to darkness and between the two of them, they must try to work out why, all the while battling their families and the town's people, who don't want them to be together. One unique angle is that the story is told from the perspective of the male lead, however given he is 16 and the two authors are 30+ year old women, this just doesn't work. Clearly they are out of touch with the way teenagers, particularly male ones think and speak. On top of that we have yet another young love situation where a 15 and 16 year old fall impossibly and irrevocably in love.....how plausible is that?? Still, it's enough to generate a sequel, Beautiful Darkness which came out October 2010. Read by Natalie 2010 Natalie recommends you don't lose too much sleep over this one. This is a series of 3 books (The Mortal Instruments Series), although I have only read the first one. The book had so much potential, with the blurb on the back reading
like a great fantasy novel with a parallel universe existing superimposed over NYC and full of loads of characters including vampires, werewolves, shadow hunters, fairies, demons etc. Its biggest problem was writing for the young adult. I just can't buy a 15 year old falling in love, staying out night and day, returning home covered in blood and this not being a problem? If the characters had been older this would have been a much more believable and entertaining book. I mean come on, what parent lets their 15 year old daughter go to a Manhattan nightclub (strictly a teen nightclub apparently...?) on a Sunday night before wandering home at midnight? Also, there was just too much going on, like the author forgot she was writing 3 books and tried to cram it all into one. Oh and don't even get me started on the relationship between the main characters... Keep up to date through Cassandra Clare website. Read by Natalie 2009 and Tracy 2009 Natalie recommends it for pure escapism purposes only. Tracy recommends if you have nothing, and I mean nothing else to read It would be remiss to have this section and not include the Twilight saga. A worldwide phenomenon, it is definitely not a literary masterpiece, but has somehow sucked us all in, myself included. While Bella is quite possibly the most annoying character to ever grace the pages of a book and the Vampires don't even have fangs, somehow the star-crossed romance between an immortal 17 year old and a clumsy school girl and a possible love triangle with a werewolf works. Why, who knows? Whatever it is, don't think too hard about it, just pick them up, suspend reality and enjoy! If this is a little too hard, check out the movies instead, at least these seem to be getting better with each instalment. And for those of you who want more, check out stephenie Meyer's webpage where you'll find loads of cut scenes, extras and even the first 12 chapters of Twilight told from Edward's perspective....OMG! At Natalie's, I won't say nagging, but something close, insistence I read the Twilight Saga in a week, it is a strange series of books, obviously written for the teenage market with lots of angst and worrying about the most trivial factors - I can't get over the fact that vampires can go out in the day and don't have fangs. I also succumbed and finally watched the first movie 'Twilight' and cannot believe a movie was made seemingly based around Edwards's hair - there is no acting, just lots of long stares, bad make-up and delusional fantasy. Click here to check out stephenie Meyers Book Club discussions questions. Read by Natalie 2007 Natalie recommends this as a good sequel to The Eyre Affair (see review below) This is the follow up to The Eyre Affair and focuses on Thursday investigating the eradication (as in he now ceases to exist!) of her boyfriend by a corrupt multinational company. To do this, she must moonlight as a Prose Resource Operative in the secret world of Jurisfiction, the police force inside books. In doing this, she is apprenticed to Miss Havisham from Great Expectations where she learns to book-jump between books. In doing so she is told that if she can retrieve a vanquished enemy from the pages of Poe, then she may just get the love of her life back. Trouble is, this requires a number of side trips into various other books and a series of coincidences start appearing which may just spell the end for Earth. I did enjoy this book, although there is a lot of rehashing of information from the first book, so I may have read them too close together. Again, there is great play on words and literature. Jasper Fforde has a website which is full of information, including details on his other series (Nursery Crime, Shades
of Grey and Last Dragonslayer). Read by Natalie 2007 Natalie recommends this as a very clever and entertaining book This is Jasper's first book and what a cracker! It is the start of the Thursday Next series, about a literary detective (Thursday) working in a surreal version of Great Britain in 1985. In this version of the world, literature is taken very seriously, with people getting lost (literally) in poems and militants heckling Hamlet performances. All of this is policed by the Special Operatives in Literary Detection, which suddenly has a new assignment for Thursday, where she must solve a series of kidnappings, involving characters from major works of literature. This culminates with Jane Eyre being taken from Bronte's novel and now Thursday has to jump into the book herself to avert disaster, including giving the book its rightful ending. The story is very very clever, with excellent play on words (character names include Jack Schitt) and literature. It is probably helpful to know the story of Jane Eyre (painful reading if you ask me) as well as quirky things about Britain, but all in all, a fantastic book. For more, check out Jasper's website. Jasper Fforde has a website which is full of information, including details on his other series (Nursery Crime, Shades
of Grey and Last Dragonslayer).A Game of Thrones (Book 1) by George R.R. Martin
A Clash of Kings (Book 2) by George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords (Book 3) by George R.R. Martin
A Feast for Crows (Book 4) by George R.R. Martin
The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate
23 Hours by David Wellington
The Dark Ink Chronicles by Elle Jasper
Die For Me by Amy Plum
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by JR Ward
The Night Huntress Novels by Jeaniene Frost
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
The Jaz Park Series by Jennifer Rardin
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead
Hush Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
Lord of the Underworld Series by Gena Showalter
Blood Ties Series by Jennifer Armintrout
The Immortals by Alyson Noel
Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyers
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
