Shadowman by Erin Kellison (Review)

 

 

Shadow:  The Shadowman (3)

By Erin Kellison

 

 

Genre: Paranormal, Romance

Published: Sept 2011

Pages: 356

Published by Kensington Books

 

 

 

This is the third installment for Erin Kellison's Shadow series.  Summary and reviews for her previous books are available

Book 1: Shadow Bound

Book 2: Shadow Fall

Summary: 

Ghosts
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over. But one soul is driven by a very different force.

Love
It survives even death. And Kathleen O'Brien swore she would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.

Shadowman
He broke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find her in death.

The Gate
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil hunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken

Review:   

     Once again, Erin Kellison impressed me. I cannot sing the praises for this series enough. This world full of fae, angels, Shadows, and wraiths she has beautifully described.   This entire series was my gateway into adult paranormal romance and dark fantasy.

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (review)

 

 

The Hallowed Ones (1)

By Laura Bickle

 

 

Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal

Published: Sept 2012

Pages: 320

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

 

 

Summary:  Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

 

 

 

Review:  Creepy! I was not expecting to be wigged out with this book. That does not happen very often. Especially for a 'young adult' book!

Stone Soldiers: Mythical (Book 1) by C.E. Martin (review)

 

 Stone Soldiers:

Mythical (1)

By C.E. Martin 

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy

 Published June 2012
Pages: 282 
Buy Mythical (Stone Soldiers #1)







Summary:  "Mark Kenslir is the last of the Cold War super soldiers- and he's just come back from the dead. With no memory of who, or what killed him, he sets out to piece together his past with the help of two teens that find him wandering the Arizona desert. After returning to a modern world he doesn't remember, Kenslir starts to remember his final mission: stop a prehistoric shapeshifter that steals the lifeforce, form and memories of its victims- by tearing out and eating their hearts." 
 


Review:  Like Fantasy? Like superheroes? Then I recommend you take a lot into this book!

It starts off with a group of young adults finding a burned boat, with what appears to be a body, in the middle of the desert. Th body turns out to just be a statue wearing pants, with a hole in its chest, or so it seems. A few hours later said statue is found drinking their water supply and appeared as flesh and blood as anyone else with no wound. The group quickly learns this mad is bullet proof and super strong and most take off. Josie and Jimmy stick around and learn that the man's name is Mark remembers dying in 1962. Josie decides to keep him around, to help him out and learn what happened. Meanwhile agents are hot on their trail, desperate to bring Mark in.

This story covers Medusa, dragons, shapeshifters, etc with superheroes. Normally I would not like the combination but C.E. Martin really pulls it off well. A great blend of the two. Mark's character is more in depth than what he shares with Josie and Jimmy and I believe, deeper that what we got to see thus far in this first book. Jimmy is a great character whom I wish I was able to get a better feel of. I wanted more from him.

One discrepancy I noticed was how Mark uses money. Now, this is going off the fact that Mark has no memory from 1962 to today 2013 (the year they say the story takes place). When the find Mark he has about $4000 in his pocket dated 2000-something, which is how they know there must be a memory lapse. Yet when one of the boys gets hurt he gives enough money to cover a basic doctor visit based on current cost. When they stop for food and gas he pulls out several $20s. Now, how does he know how much to pull. $4000 should have seemed like a WHOLE lot of money to him from the early 1960's. $20 should have easily covered food and gas. How does he know cost and why doesn't Josie comment or notice that he has some memory? Just a question that I came across.

This takes nothing away from the book however and I loved the adventure!  Completely worth the read! 4 (almost 4.5) worthy dragons!

**Special Note:  C.E. Martin actually saw this review about my "awesome nitpick" andhow he does the same thing!   Very cool message to get, especially when he sent me a free copy offer for the second book!  Happy times!**

The Awakening by Marley Gibson (review)

 

Ghost Huntress: 

The Awakening (1)

By Marley Gibson

 

Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural, Young Adult
Published May 2009
Pages: 338

Publisher: Graphia

Summary:  "The first in a trilogy. Get out your tape recorders, crystals, and extra batteries-- you're about to go where our world meets the spirit world.
Psychic Kids, Paranormal State, Haunting Evidence--these and countless other television shows are making believers out of millions of people: Ghosts exist, and they're living right beside us. For centuries, individuals have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts. But without hard evidence, it's been difficult to make the case. But now as science and technology have progressed, ghost hunters have been able to use scientific means, along with more traditional psychic tools, to make their case. Photographs, video recordings, and sound recordings are all producing some amazing results.
In this new series, Ghost Huntress, meet Kendall Moorehead, a seemingly typical teen. When her family moves from Chicago to the small historical town of Radisson, Georgia, her psychic abilities awaken. She's hearing, feeling, and seeing things that seem unbelievable at first, but with the help of the town psychic, Kendall is able to come to terms with her newly emerging gift. So, together with her new BFF, Celia, Kendall forms a ghost hunting team. They've got all the latest technology. They've got Kendall for their psychic. Now they're going to clean up Radisson of its less savory spirits.
The story is fiction. The science is real. Welcome to a new reality."

 

 

 

Review:  Not a bad story with some good potential. Sadly, it ended up frustrating me more than interested me. I can think of several that would love this book but it was not for me.

Nevermore by Keith R.A.DeCandido-- A SUPERNATURAL Review!

 

Supernatural:  Nevermore (1)

By Keith R.A. DeCandido

Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural, Mystery
Published July 2007
Pages: 317

Publisher: HarperCollins  

Buy Supernatural: Nevermore


Summary:  "Twenty years ago they lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore."



Review:  Not a bad job on this novel, since it is based off a tv series. Being a fan of the series, I can be a bit critical about staying in character. I am used to movies based on books but this was the opposite. The tv series came first, then this.

Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder (review)

 

Parish Mail: Dead Letter Office (1)

By Kira Snyder

Genre(s):  Mystery, Young Adult, Paranormal
Published Feb 2013
Pages: 379

Publisher:  Coliliquy

Buy it or View on Goodreads 

Summary:  "When Celia’s father is killed in Afghanistan, she moves with her mother to New Orleans, the city where her father grew up. Struggling to adjust and haunted by troubling dreams, Celia finds comfort in new friends like Tilly, a practicing witch, and Donovan, the son of a police detective. On Halloween, bizarre supernatural occurrences rock the city. Celia meets the mysterious Luc and finds a letter, over a hundred years old, addressed to her.

The paranormal repercussions continue when Celia learns that Luc is the restless spirit of a young man murdered in 1854, only able to assume solid form at night. And then, to her shock, Celia finds that the letter, which describes the suspected murder of a man in 1870, contains uncanny parallels to the present-day death of Abel Sims, a homeless veteran.

With help from Luc, Tilly, and Donovan, Celia races to solve the murder—and the mystery of the letter—using both magical and forensic clues.

This is an Active Fiction title
"Active fiction" is a new type of e-reading experience that allows the reader and the author to interact with each other and the text in new and different ways.

Kira has written Parish Mail like a TV series–there are over-arching mystery and romantic story arcs that extend between the episodes, while each episode has a smaller case that is presented and solved. Along the way, she asks you, the reader, to make several small decisions as you read. These choices do not impact the overarching storyline, but certain combinations “unlock” clues to the series’ mystery, which are embedded in the text. Kira also asks you to cast a vote at the end of the episode, to get additional feedback from her fans about their preferred love interests in future episodes."

Review:  Dead Letter Office is an interesting mystery novel. Yet this is unlike most mysteries one may have read. In this book the reader helps decide the course of action for the story. For those who enjoyed the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books as a child (or even teen/adult), then this is the next step up!

Waterfall (Dragon's Fate 1) by Lacy Danes (review)

 

Dragons Fate:  Waterfall (1)

By Lacy Danes

Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Published Jan 2013
Pages: 153

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd

  View on Goodreads

 WARNING:  THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT FOR 18+



Summary: "It’s easy to fall in love. Destiny requires tooth and claw.

Dragon’s Fate, Book 1

Curses are designed to be cruel, but the one afflicting Jordan and his brothers is almost beyond bearing. A dragon born by blood magic, he is an immortal trapped in human form, with only one hope of finding his eternal mate. He must bite her—and pray she lives.

One dark night, he senses the wounded heartbeat of a woman in the shadows, begging him to end her life. Ever the gentleman, he chivalrously obliges her wish. Only to discover three days later that she lives. And has married another.

Dark Souls Book Tour with review, except and Guest Post!

Dark Souls

(Dark Souls Series)

Volume I
Ketley Allison

 

Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy (OFFICIALLY)

Date of Publication: July 19, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-615-85755-8

Number of pages: 280

Word Count: 103,000

Amazon  BN  Smashwords

Summary:  "19-year-old Emily desperately wants a name for what she is. For what is consuming and torturing her. For what is changing her.

But she’s not crazy like her mother. She’s not.

Emily may not be as crazy as she thinks, because her body is no longer her own. Something is stirring inside her. It is soft, seductive, and tells her what to do to survive. As Emily learns that her world has been infected by demons that consume human souls and fit seamlessly into the bodies they empty, she must also accept that she is one of them. Yet, she is different from the rest, because her darkness didn’t inhabit her, it was awakened. And it doesn’t just want the humans."

My Review:  Great start to a series. Ketley Allison has a great debut novel here! The main character, Emily, is a young woman trying to make it on her own in the big city. While her best friend, Macy (who seems a bit shallow at first but grow on you), is living an easier life of college, parties, etc, Emily is stuck working two jobs just to struggle still to make ends meet.

One day, Emily's life is flipped upside down when Macy's boyfriend transforms into a monster and attacks her. Yet something inside Emily knows how to handle it and soon he is dead. When Macy friends Emily she is alone. No body, no blood...nothing. Emily soon finds herself in a world full of demons. One such demon tells her she is one of them. Or is she? For Emily can do more than other demons...

Emily also meets Asher, who she is drawn to, an his sister Gwyn. These two have secrets of there own. I must say, I could not stand Gwyn. She is just plain cruel and nasty! Asher on the other hand I couldn't decide one way or another. Being the book was all from Emily's perspective it was a little jaded. While there is a romantic element, there is no major romance in this book which was nice. While I wanted them to try and be together, it was sweet to see nothing was rushed for it, especially with everything else going on.

I felt really bad for Emily. Certain people knew more than they were sharing with her as she tries to learn about herself. I could not imagine going through what she goes through all alone. Although this is partly her own fault as she too is not truthful with others. Guess honesty is a two-way street here.

The book started off a bit slow for me and it took awhile until I could get into it. Yet once the pace picks up it doesn't slow down again even for a minute. It keeps you guessing who or what Emily is, dropping partial hints throughout the book. It was a fun thing to do while reading. Yet none of the hints give everything away, so you aren't stuck fully knowing what is going on until Emily herself learns the truth.

The ending left me sitting still, starting at the book, willing there to be more. While the book answers the questions needed to finish, it easily leaves things open enough for a second book. This is a great book for older teens and adults alike.  

Demon's Veil by Brandice Snowden (review)

 

 Veil Prophecy: 

Demon's Veil (1)

By Brandice Snowden

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

 Pages: 264

Published: July, 15 2013

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Buy it or View on Goodreads 

Summary:  "Powerful veils hold Earth apart from realms mortals believe are merely tales of myth and legend. They are opening again, leaving humans vulnerable, and the monsters ready to strike.

Marie Leveau prefers to remain alone and anonymous, for she knows what goes bump in the night, and sacrificing others isn’t part of her personality. But life isn’t always about getting what you want.
Contracted by The Organization, a shadow government agency, Marie is assigned a new Special Ops team, one she must introduce via Paranormal 101 to the very monsters they didn’t believe existed. Marie and her team are sent to Asia in search of an ancient relic, leading them into the jungle and tests of a fragile new bond. Despite the initial distrust, and an unholy battle with a demon-god, the team survives, their lives forever changed and woven into an unbreakable tapestry.

Returning home, the new friends sense the very people responsible for their safety are willing to sacrifice them all in the name of power.
They learn of a prophecy, and The Paladin, the one person able to close the veils and keep the mortals safe.

With few clues, the team must unravel the prophecy and figure out how to close the veils. Or the monsters will use Earth as ground zero, innocents be damned."

Ink: Fine Lines by Bella Roccaforte (review) Release Day

 

INK-Fine Lines (1)

By Bella Roccaforte

Genre(s): Paranormal, Mystery
Published Aug 2013
Pages: 295

Publisher:  Independent

  View on Goodreads  

 JUST RELEASED TODAY!  AUGUST 8, 2013!!!

Summary:  "Shay Baynes is a wanted woman: by the police for a double murder, by two rival suitors, and by the evil specter that haunts her dreams.

It’s her twenty-first birthday and she finally feels like she’s in charge, out on her own and about to hit it big with a new comic series. The ink's not even dry on her breakout first issue but even Shay's twisted imagination can't predict what will happen when the fine line between reality and nightmare is crossed...

Frostbite

Vampire Academy: Frostbite (2) 

by Richelle Mead

Genre(s): Paranormal, Young Adult, Romance  
Published April 2008
 Pages: 327
Publisher: Razorbill

 Please Note: This book is the sequel to Vampire Academy.




Summary:  "Rose Hathaway’s got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladmir’s on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians—including the legendary Janine Hathaway... Rose’s formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks. This year, St. Vladmir’s holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose—and her heart—are in more danger than she ever could have imagined."

Review:  I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. This books picks up shortly after the first book in the series. Rose is still in training with Dimitri and feelings run strong between the two but cannot be acted upon, with both of them being Lissa's (a Moroi princess and Rose's best friend) future guardians. There are some attacks on the Moroi royal families. This sends fear of what should be done to stop the Strigoi. Some feel it is time for the Moroi to fight beside their guardians and learn offensive magic, whilst others believe its not their place to fight. While the adults argue, some of the students sneak away to deal with the threat themselves. 

The thought process of Rose is easy to be sympathetic with and believable. The characters are great and very individual to themselves. I continue to enjoy the vampire hierarchy in this book, combined with the differences of Strigoi, vdampir, and Moroi.

 **Mild Spoiler**: There is one character death that was sad to witness but Rose's reaction to it was very well written. I am excited to continue with this series. It has definitely exceeded expectations.