Review: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Title: Discount Armageddon
Author: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: An Incryptid Novel #1

Mass Market Paperback, 1st Edition, 344 pages

Published March 6th 2012 by DAW 

 

Book can be bought here on Amazon or Book Depository 

 

Where Did I get this book?: Won through a giveaway on Sara's Urban Fantasy blog

 

Summary (Via Goodreads): Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city...

 

 

Review: Verity Price comes from a long line of cryptozoologists, she is currently stationed in New York to pursue her career in ballroom dancing, and dispatching bad local cryptids (only the ones that try to eat people).  While Verity is on her usual perimeter run, she gets caught in a snare by none other than a member of Covenant of St. George. This doesn’t sit too well with Verity and her family because they’ve been hiding from the covenant for generations. The covenant thought the Price family line ended long ago with her “traitorous” grandparents. Mean while local cryptids are starting to disappear around Manhattan, and not just any cryptids…female-unwed virgins so it seems. The two unlikely pair must put aside their differences and work together to find out whose kidnapping the local cryptids. 

I absolutely love Ms. McGuire’s October Daye series, so I knew I had to read her Incryptids series. This new world that McGuire created is pretty interesting, and for once the main heroine is 100% human. Someone who doesn’t have any special/or magical abilities like many of today’s urban fantasy MC.  I don’t really know how to sum up Verity and Dominic’s character, they both seemed so one-dimensional. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, while Verity had the criteria of a kick-butt snarky heroine and Dominic as the dark/brooding type which are qualities all readers like…but their personality rubbed me the wrong way.  I was really fascinated by Verity’s family, and wished that they were more involved in the storyline. While the incryptid idea for this book was interesting, I was a little overwhelmed with so MANY cryptids in this novel. I couldn’t keep up with all of the names and facts about each incryptids. I am usually fine with a big cast of characters, but this might be the biggest cast yet.

Overall this book was a good read, this is definitely a lighter urban fantasy compared to Ms. McGuire’s October Daye series. The author said in one of her interview that she might switch out the main POV for future book in the series. For example the next book will be voiced once again by Verity but the book after that might be through her brother’s POV. I am still intrigued to see where this series will go; the next Incryptid novel won’t hit shelves until March 2013. I recommended this series to anyone looking for a light/fluff urban fantasy.

 

WoW: Waiting on Wednesday [30]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine, to show books that we are patiently waiting for.  

 Summary (via Author's blog):

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she's able to take on her clients' appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don't want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel's island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client's about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she's been crushing on for years — both skilled adaptors — step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client's intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

 [SEPTEMBER 4, 2012]

Early Review: Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Title: Royal Street
Author: Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Sentinels of New Orleans #1

Paperback, 336 pages

Publication: April 10th 2012 

Book can be bought on Amazon or Book Depository. 


Where Did I get this book?: Book provided by publisher for review. 

Summary (via Goodreads):

As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond.

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.

While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo.

 

Review: Drusilla Jaco a.k.a. DJ is a 25 year-old Green congress wizard and junior sentinel of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina is heading straight towards New Orleans, and with orders to evacuate from Gerald (Gerry) St. Simon, DJ’s mentor and father figure since the age of 7; DJ heads to take shelter at her Grandmother’s house. With the hurricane ravaging New Orleans, the barriers between our world and the beyond begins to slip making it easier for spirits/preternatural creatures to cross over. Just when things couldn’t get worst, Gerry goes missing, and the Elders of the Congress Wizards orders DJ home immediately to take over Gerry’s place and deal with all the supernatural hot spots that are opening into our world from the beyond.  It is up to DJ and her new partner, Alex (an enforcer, preternatural terminator) to find Gerry, stop a serial killer that sacrificing the soldiers, and fix the barriers before all hell break loose. 

I’ve been excited for this book ever since I first heard about it; I haven’t read many or any books that take a national disaster and use it as a back drop for their story. I also never read a book that had a wizard as a main character (for those wondering, no I have not read the HP series …I know!!) so this book was pretty much new territory for me.  DJ isn’t like the typical urban fantasy heroines…she’s not really consider a kick-butt heroine but she definitely isn’t some sissy. She’s smart, independent, and super stubborn! There are scenes where she fights back, knows how to use her brain, but if she was in a situation that she knew she couldn’t beat…She’d run. I remember one of the phrases she said was that she may seem like a coward for running from a fight, but at least she’d be an ALIVE coward. LOL.  Alex, Dj’s partner is everything that readers look for in the main character’s love interest. Alex is tall, dark and dangerous but underneath that hard exterior there’s a soft side. This book also had a love triangle involved. I’m usually not a big fan of love triangles, but both guys vying for DJ’s attention are both likable…I wouldn’t know who to pick either! 

Overall this was a great start to an interesting series. Mrs. Johnson did an amazing job incorporating Hurricane Katrina, a real life event as part of an urban fantasy novel. The world building isn’t as strong as I like, but it’s understandable as it being the first book in a new series. This book will keep you entertained from start to finish. Luckily readers will only have to wait a couple months till River Road, the second book in the series which releases November 2012! If you’re looking for a fun-new book to read, definitely pick up Royal Street when it hits stores everywhere Tuesday, April 10^th. This book has everything; action, suspense, romance, famous ghostlies,  Voodoo God, a hot shifter…and everything in between from werewolves, vampires, to faeries and elves. 

Reivew: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Title: The Alchemy of Forever
Author: Avery Williams
Genre: Paranormal, Young-Adult
Series: Incarnation #1

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published January 3rd 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers 

ISBN: 1442443162 (ISBN13: 9781442443167)

Book can be purchase here on Amazon or  Book depository. 

Where did I get this book?: I bought this book for my own reading. 

Summary (via Goodreads):  Seraphina has been alive since the 1300's, made immortal when the boy she was beginning to love back then, Cyrus, saved her from death with a strange liquid - a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. But now, in modern day America, Sera has decided that she can no longer bear the weight of stealing people's lives so she can keep living on. So she decides to run away from Cyrus and end her stolen existence once and for all. Her plan goes awry when she accidentally takes the body of a dying teenager and feels forced to take over her life. When the lines between Sera and Kailey's identity begin to blur, Sera finds a reason to desire to live once more. But she can't shake the guilt of having taken Kailey's life, even if she was dying. And what if Cyrus finds her?

Review: Seraphina “Sera” has been alive for more than 600 years.  Her first love, Cyrus created an elixir that enables the human soul to transfer bodies when one is near death (usual, or if they take another body, one that is healthy, they are killing the current soul when taking over).  Cyrus, Sera and a couple of their friends are immortals called “incarnate” switching bodies every time their current bodies get wearied out/ or near death. Sera is tired of living forever and for taking the lives of so many innocent people. The boy that she once loved is not that boy anymore…and over the years she realizes it. On the day that she is suppose to get a new body, she drugs Cyrus and runs away so that she can end her existence. Just as Sera is about to leap off the bridge, she hears a car crash and rushes to the scene. Upon arriving, she tries to rescue the 16-year old girl, but instead she takes over the girl’s body. Kailey, the girl’s body she ended up taking, is different from all of the previous body she inhabited. As she goes through life as Kailey, Sera realize that she doesn’t want to die anymore and that there is a reason to live.

The story kept me engaged and interested the minute I started reading the prologue. There are a lot of immortals-related books out right now, but none have caught my attention like this book. The pacing of the book was quick, even reading about kailey (sera)’s high-school experience wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be. There was a lot of action packed into this small book (it’s only 256 pages or so and the words are large). The world building and characterization could have been stronger, readers only got to know about Sera through her flashbacks and all the other characters weren’t that developed. There is a sprinkle of romance towards the end of the book, which was surprising because I thought there was going to be more of it. Thank goodness there isn’t a love triangle it in this one!  The ending of the book ended abruptly leaving readers with a shocking cliff hanger, which we will have to wait till next year to find out what happened to Sera. 

I truly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to everyone who likes reading in the paranormal genre or young-adult genre. It’s a fun and quick read! 

Review: Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson

Title: Wicked as They Come
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Steampunk
Series: Blud #1

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published March 27th 2012 by Pocket 

ISBN: 1451657889 (ISBN13: 9781451657883)

Purchase here Amazon, and here Book Depository.  

Where did I get this book?: Book provided by publisher for review. (Blog tour)

Summary (via Goodreads):  

 When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

 

Review: Wicked as They Come is the first book in the Blud series by Delilah S. Dawson. The story follows Tish Everett, a nurse who recently got out of a caged and controlling relationship. One day while browsing at one of her former patient’s estate sale, she stumbles upon an enchanted locket that transports her to the world of Sang, an alternate England. It is there in Sang that she meets Criminy Stain, a magician, leader of the caravan of cohorts and a bludman (a person that drinks blood, “vampire”).  By wearing the locket, every time Tish closes her eyes to sleep in Sang; she wakes back up in her world, and vice versa.  Times flies every time Tish is in Sang but she doesn’t lose any time in her own world.  As Tish begins to develop feelings for Criminy and the world of Sang she is left with a decision on whether to stay or go. Things get more complicated when the locket is stolen by the magistrate (The leader who makes the rules, bludman hater).Tish and Criminy races across Sang, not letting bludbunnies, ghosts, or anything get in their way till they get back the locket back. 

When I first heard about Wicked as They Come, I knew I had to read it! Enchanted locket, a mysterious bludman, and an alternate steampunk Victorian London? Sign me up! The world building was very interesting and well developed, I can totally picture Sang and the little clockwork monkey that guards the caravan. There are two types of people that inhabit Sang, Pinkies (humans) and Bludmans (vampires). The book overall was executed well in terms of world-building and writing but I had a problem with connecting with Tish and Criminy. It was love at first sight for Criminy Stain but not for Tish. She of course didn’t relay the same feelings right away because of the recent break-up. Even as we got close to the middle/ending of the story where things seem to get better with Tish and Criminy…I still didn’t feel anything for the characters.There wasn’t any spark or chemistry between the two characters that I’ve seen in other book couples.

 I wanted to love this book, but in the end it was just a good/okay read. It needed a more believable romantic connection between the heroine and hero and a little more steampunk.  I’m sure paranormal romance readers will still enjoy this book more than I did. As I mentioned before this is a start to a new series and at the end of Wicked as They Come we get a small preview of the next book, Wicked as she Wants.  The second book will be centered on a different couple (same world, different main characters) and the male protagonist is a character that we first met in Wicked as They Come, Casper Sterling.

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Dystopian
Series: The Hunger Games #1

Hardcover, 374 pages

Published October 31st 2008 by Scholastic Inc. 

ISBN 0439023483 (ISBN13: 9780439023481)

Where did I get this book?: I purchase this book for my own reading. 

Summary (Via Goodreads): In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Review: 

 I’ve heard about this book for years now, but was never really interested in reading it. At the time, I was reading only urban fantasy or paranormal romance novels and didn’t know what to make of the dystopian genre. After seeing the movie trailer for The Hunger Games, I was intrigued. I went out and bought the entire series. I am so glad that I read this book, it was way better than I anticipated. The characters and the world-building were exceptionally believable.  Katniss, and all the other characters in the novel were well developed, and as a reader I felt connected to the characters. Whatever was happening to them in the book, as a reader I also felt their joy, sadness, and pain.

The pacing of the book was great; it had me constantly turning the pages eager to find out what will happen next.  I finished the book in 2 days, would have been sooner if I didn’t have school LOL. The book is told from Katniss’s point of view; and the majority of the book is full description rather than the usual dialogue that I read. The ending of the book had a lot of surprises that I wasn’t expecting (example: what happened to the dead tributes). Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone whose looking for an action-pack novel. This is my first dystopian book, and surely it will not be my last. I look forward to reading more of Katniss’s adventure in the next two books in trilogy. Like everyone this weekend, I will be watching The Hunger Games movie as well! 

WoW: Waiting on Wednesday [29]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine, to show books that we are patiently waiting for. 

Summary(via Amazon):

Winterhaven #2

 

Violet McKenna is back for her senior year at Winterhaven and thrilled to be with Aidan after a long summer apart. But while their love for each other is as strong as ever, their troubles are far from over.

     News of a rogue vampire on a killing spree sets everyone on edge. While Aidan is determined to stop the killer, Violet is chilled by a horrifying vision she simply must prevent...for if she can’t, two people she loves will meet a violent end.

     In the midst of Violet’s fear, a mysterious newcomer enters her life—and he has some vital information not just about her past, but about her future as well. Now everything Violet held as truth is upended, and she is left not knowing whom to trust, if she is in danger, and—worst of all—whether she and Aidan are really meant to be together.

JUNE 5, 2012