Book Review | Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Prince, # 3
Format: Paperback
Source: Won from Author Giveaway
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 27, 2015
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Play with fire, pay the price.

Leila’s years on the carnie circuit were certainly an education. What she didn’t learn: how to be a vampire, or how to be married to the most famous vampire of them all. Adjusting to both has Leila teetering on a knife edge between passion and peril, and now the real danger is about to begin…

Vlad must battle with a centuries-old enemy whose reach stretches across continents and whose strength equals his own. It isn’t like Vlad to feel fear, but he does…for Leila, because his enemy knows she is Vlad’s greatest weakness. As friend and foe alike align against him—and his overprotectiveness drives Leila away—Vlad’s love for his new bride could be the very thing that dooms them both…

ARC Book Review: Santa's Little Helper by H.D. Gordon

Format: Review Copy
Source: Author via Goodreads
Publisher: H.D. Gordon Books
Publication Date: October 31, 2014
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

He shows up in a white box, with a bright red book under his arm... He wears a jolly grin and hat, a suit with gold bells and green yarn... He watches you for Santa, or so his red book claims... But though his grin is jolly, he's not here for fun and games... The children have been chosen, such precious little souls they are... And may the Gods be with them, if they wish to make it very far... For Santa's Little Helper does not say, but knows important things... He knows when you've been bad or good, and what monsters stalk your dreams... He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake...He's picking out his presents...He's got some souls to take.

My Thoughts:

At first, I was nervous for the read...just due to the fact that this was my first horror novel, but boy was I surprised and in a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The twists...the turns...the evil.

I never thought that it was possible to be heart-broken from a horror book (but that is probably due to the fact that I haven't read one previously), though this book definitely broke my heart. I think the reason it did so is because the characters are so young. No, not teenagers, not ten years old, but five. I felt terrible for the kids in this book. I just wanted to jump into the book and save them because I knew their parents didn't believe them. 

This book was beautifully written, although I just found one flaw. Not flaw, but just something that I did not particularly like. The way that the five year old kids spoke. Their vocabulary was very immaculate for their age and they seemed to say things that I, myself, would not expect a child that young to speak. 

I loved the way that each paragraph changed perspectives. Whether it was one of the children talking, their parents, or their teacher -- each and every chapter brought something so wonderful to the book. At first, I was really curious as to why the children were chosen for the book, but then I made my conclusion as to why they were. I believe that each child was chosen because each one had a different background. My thought is that H.D. Gordon wanted us to see how evil effected a different variety of families and their way of life. 

I would highly recommend this read, especially around the Christmas time. If you want a thrilling, adventurous, and frightful story this is the book for you. It isn't a book that will keep you up at night (well, for me it did because I didn't want to set the book down), but you will definitely receive sporadic amounts of goosebumps while reading this novel. H.D. Gordon does a spectacular job at grabbing your attention as well as allowing your heart to feel so many different emotions: anger, sadness and happiness...all intertwined with each page turn.

I received this book through Goodreads Read It and Reap for an honest review.

 

Review | Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

Format: ARC
Source: Won
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Red Hill grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go until its stunning conclusion. This is #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire at her unforgettable best.

My Thoughts:

I know the world ended on a Friday. It was the last day I saw my children.

When I picked up Red Hill I honestly didn’t think that I would be shedding any tears, although the last line above was the ending of the prologue so that should have been a slap in the face that this book was going to be emotional. But I had never read a zombie book before that had made me cry. Sure, I knew that people would die, but in previous zombie books that I have read it wasn’t characters that I had grown attached to or it was those certain characters that weren’t written so well and you really didn’t form any sort of connection to them.

Well, Red Hill is nothing like those previous zombie books that I had read, no one is safe from death and the characters are all written so well that it’s so hard not to form any sort of connection with them. Of course, that just makes it sooo much more devastating when someone succumbs to the infection.

I wasn’t sure how long we could survive, but I knew I wasn’t dying on day one of the fucking zombie apocalypse.

Like I said above, the character development was amazing, especially since this book was told in three different POVs. Usually when there are more than two different characters narrating, I would either like one of them the best and find myself skimming the others or I just wouldn’t connect to any of them at all. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with this book at all. I felt a connection with each of the characters from the beginning, and I found myself interested in what was happening with all of them, instead of just one and that was a huge plus for me.

This book also tore at my heart, maybe it’s because I’m a mother and I couldn’t imagine the pain that Scarlett was going through not knowing where her children where and if they were even still alive. Every day without seeing them must have been agony, but her hope never faltered and I think that made me like her so much more.

Overall, Red Hill is one hell of a rollercoaster, I laughed and I cried. McGuire is one hell of a writer and I have loved every book that I have read by her and I can’t wait to read more of her books.

---Christy

Book Review | Vicious by Victoria Schwab

Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: September 24, 2013 

Goodreads 

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

My Thoughts

I'm really not sure where to begin or even what to say about this book, it is unlike anything that I've read before.  It's unique, unusual and a little peculiar but it's that weirdness that makes this story so amazing. 

This book goes back and forth between the past and the present.  In the past Victor and his roommate Eli are working on a thesis for a class and Eli wants to do his on EOs or ExtraOrdinaries.  Eli believes that there are real EOs out there in the world, that there are people who can do things that normal people can't and he takes it upon himself to figure out how.  Once Eli figures out the markers on how to become EO, Victor steps in because he's a little jealous about Eli's discovery and he doesn't want Eli to get all the limelight.  

"Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick" 

Since we also get scenes from the present, we know that something happened between Victor and Eli but we don't know what until the story unravels.  Vicious is also told in multiple POVs, and while I thought that it would be difficult to understand with the story played out in past/present scenes and in multiple POVs, it wasn't at all.  In fact I think it's part of the reason I found this book so interesting.

I also really enjoyed the characters in this book.  Victor is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but once he meets Sydney we get a few glimpses of his softer side.  Mitch, who I considered to be Victors 'Robin' was also a great character, he seemed to keep Victor grounded and he was also extremely loyal and would do anything for his Batman friend.  When Sydney was introduced to the story, I immediately felt a 'motherly' connection to her.  She was just so young and timid, I can see why Victor and Mitch took a protective sentiment toward her.

Overall, Vicious is a remarkable and intriguing read that I would definitely recommend to not only those who like a little kick to their superheroes but also to those who are in the mood for something a little different, I can assure you that this book fits the bill for 'different'. 

Book Review | Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress, # 7

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Avon Books

Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Goodreads

There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

My Thoughts

To say that reading this book was a tad bittersweet is an huge understatement because this has been my favorite series since I picked up Halfway to the Grave many years ago.  Cat and Bones are one of my all-time favorite couples and while I was excited to see how their story would end, it was extremely difficult for me to say goodbye.   

Up from the Grave starts off with Cat and Bones finding out that some of their friends have gone missing and Madigan is their number one suspect.  Of course, if you know Cat then you can probably guess that it's not long before she throws herself in the crossfire to try and figure out where they are and how to save them, if they are still alive that is.   

What Cat doesn't realize is that Madigan's operation is a whole lot bigger that anyone anticipated and when some of his secrets finally get exposed, they will leave everybody in shock.  I can't really say anything else without spoiling something, so I will just leave it at that. 

This series has some of the best characters that I have ever came across.  I have loved Cat ever since that night she got pulled over by the law with a body in the trunk, she's feisty and stubborn, but she's also fiercely loyal to those she cares about.  Bones has been and probably will always be my number one book boyfriend.  He's stubborn, has a bad temper and he can get really creative when it comes to torture.  But, he's also caring and he will do anything to protect those he cares about.  It also has some of the best secondary characters; I love Ian, Denise, Spade, Mencheres, Fabian, etc. 

Frost done an amazing job bringing this series to an end. While  I hated saying goodbye with every fiber of my being, I couldn't have asked for a better ending.