EARLY REVIEW: The Power (Titan #2)

The Power (Titan #2), by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: February 23, 2016
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Format: ARC, provided by the author and Inkslinger PR
Genre: new adult paranormal/fantasy romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat.

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

I really think Jennifer Armentrout is at her best when she's writing paranormal. Don't get me wrong - I love her contemporary books too. But, there's just something about they way she can capture a completely fantastical concept and make it seem totally real. Like, it's totally possible that Apollo could just wink into existence on my La-Z-Boy or that I could catch a glimpse of a shirtless Seth taking down a daimon army in the cornfield behind my house. 

Oh wait - that last one was actually my dream last night. 

In the Power, Jennifer Armentrout marries the very best part of the paranormal/fantasy genre with the very best part of new adult genre - you get creepy monsters and awesome super powers coupled with angst and feels so strong that I promise your tears will be real. Oh - and there WILL be tears. 

Seth and Josie have hit their stride as he's training her to use her powers by day and being her cuddle bunny by night. But, they have a dangerous mission on which they must soon embark. And old friends are scheduled to arrive that will only serve to complicate matters even more. 

Seth broke my heart in The Power. Into. A. Million. Pieces. He has never dealt with the guilt he still harbors over his actions in the past. And, now Josie looks at him with her heart in her eyes, and it's making him feel even more unworthy. And, he knows she's full of aether now that her identity has been unlocked, and he's tempted every minute by it. Which, of course, only makes him feel worse. 

Seth has trouble recognizing his positive presence in the lives of those around him. He only sees the bad, and every time Josie does something nice for him, it hits him like a ton of bricks. I wanted to give him a hundred hugs. From the very beginning of The Power, you got the feeling that Seth was nearing his breaking point, and we were just waiting for that other shoe to drop.

My heart went out to Josie too. She is flat out totally in love with Seth, and because of his issues, he's running very hot and cold with her. Those hot moments are SCORCHING. But, the cold moments brought tears to my eyes. And things only get more complicated for her when Alex returns with Aiden for their six months topside. It is not easy to be around Seth and Alex with their connection and their history when you're trying to be the new woman in his life. Talk about odd woman out.

Despite how awful all that had to be for her, Josie has no problem stepping up when she needs to and putting her new skills to use. This chick is totally my hero. She's fighting for everything - her man, her life, the whole world.

The Power is feels upon feels upon feels. It's also crazy awesome action and a creative blend of Greek mythology and that certain something that can only come from Jennifer L. Armentrout. You will laugh. You will cry. You will root for the good guys and yell at the bad guys and bemoan the end when it comes, because it will be a whole year until we find out what happens next. But that's okay - that just gives us plenty of chances to re-read.

REVIEW: Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1)

Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1), by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published December 8, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Format: paperback, provided by the author
Genre: new adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

The question in conjunction with reading WICKED was never "if" but rather "how many times?" I knew before I even got it that this was going to be a winner. Now, I've not LOVED every single thing Jennifer Armentrout has written, but I've LOVED enough to firmly establish her in my personal one-click circle. What sealed the deal for me before I even cracked the spine was that she wrote about faeries. And, not just any faeries. EVIL faeries.

Among us are born children into The Order, a group of people who can see the fae for what they really are - evil beings who suck the life out of unsuspecting humans. The Order keep the fae at bay and protect the gates into the Otherworld in order to prevent anymore of them from entering our world.

Although Ivy embraces her job and believes in the mission of The Order, she seems to be one of the few members of The Order that long for more. She takes college classes, even though a degree would do her no good. She doesn't see things as completely black and white either. She has befriended a brownie, which she should've killed, except he doesn't do anyone any harm. Ivy doesn't blindly accept everything that's told to her, and I loved that about her.

Order members don't live long. Their jobs are dangerous. Ivy's lost two sets of parents and her first and only love, so she's pretty jaded when it comes to relationships. She wasn't prepared for Ren, though.

OMG... Ren. He's the perfect blend of snarky and sweet. He doesn't baby Ivy or smother her or sugar coat things. He keeps his secrets until it doesn't make sense to keep them anymore. He's honest about how he feels and is willing to take chances since you never know what's going to come tomorrow. Where Ivy is overly cautious with her heart, Ren gives his freely and willingly. It is impossible not to love this guy.

Because, even though he's very real about his feelings for Ivy, he is still 100% male. He can come across as an ass sometimes. He doesn't hide the fact that he thinks Ivy's hot. And, he can fight evil like no one's business.

And, evil is definitely afoot. There are extra powerful fae called Ancients in town, and they appear to have a plan to open the gates to their world so that their prince can cross to our side. If the prince enters, that's bad enough. But, if the prince enters and finds a halfling - a person that is half fae, half human - the world as we know it could end.

The story is classic Jennifer Armentrout. The worldbuilding is done with broad, colorful strokes. There's an exciting plot arc that will carry through all the books. And, of course, there's a sweeping love story that will leave you breathless. All the things you've come to expect from one of her series are here, and then some. Because this one is new adult, which means you get a little more grit, a little more violence, and a lot more heat.

The ending is one big event after another. Just when you think you've recovered from one thing, something else happens. And, although there isn't a cliffhanger, per se, you're left with some HUGE - and I mean MASSIVE - loose ends that will all but guarantee that you will be marking the release date of the second book on every calendar you have. I have a sneaking susicion that the second book in this series is going to crack my heart wide open.

EXCERPT & FOCUS ON Lych Way (The Undertaken #3)

Learn more about The Undertaken series by Ari Berk. The final book - LYCH WAY - was released recently, which means this exciting series is now complete! And, now you can read an excerpt from LYCH WAY - check it out below!

Lych Way (The Undertaken #3), by Ari Berk
Published February 25, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: young adult paranormal/fantasy
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

(From Goodreads) If Love and Death die, what is left?

Silas Umber has returned from Arvale, his family’s ancestral home, having disturbed the tormented spirits of his ancient line. Frantic to retrieve the shade of his beloved Beatrice, he turns his back on the spectral chaos he has left behind, unaware that the malevolence he unleashed has followed him back to Lichport.

As his family and friends suffer and fall at the hands of the vengeful Huntsman from Arvale's sunken mansions, Silas must reach deep into his complicated bloodline to summon powers and wisdom beyond those required of a simple Lichport Undertaker. But the dark and painful secrets of his birth threaten to overwhelm him, and if he can’t lay the ghosts of his own past to rest, if he refuses to make the required sacrifice, Silas may lose everything and everyone he has grown to love and worked to protect.

With the stunning conclusion to the Undertaken trilogy, Ari Berk returns to the series that Publishers Weekly calls "thought-provoking gothic fantasy," School Library Journal praises as "reminiscent of the classic gothic works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Shirley Jackson," and VOYA applauds as "a captivating world that seduces with each page turn."

Now, you can read Chapter 2 of LYCH WAY (The Undertaken #3). Check it out, and then go get it so you can read the rest!

REVIEW: The Reckoning (The Darkest Powers Trilogy #3)

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3), by Kelley Armstrong
Published April 6, 2010
Publisher:  Orbit
Format: audiobook - borrowed from the library
Genre:  YA paranormal
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them.

As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...

Definitely not normal.

Little Chloe has grown up. At long last. The Reckoning finally brought all I wanted to see in the first two books in the series to light, and it made this the best book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy.

Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori are safe at a friend's house, but are still not sure whom they can fully trust. They are put in touch with adults who can help train them up and teach them to properly use their powers. But, it's not long before the Edison Group catches back up with them and then they all have some major decisions to make.

The absolute best part of The Reckoning was seeing Chloe finally - FINALLY - grow into her powers and actually use them as a fierce weapon. She has always been so skittish and so timid. So ashamed of what she could do and so unwilling to do it. She now realizes that there are things out there worth fighting for. It's not a switch that's instantaneous. It takes her some time to work up to it. But, when it matters, she comes through, and it was so, so satisfying to finally see that from her.

The other awesome part of this book is Derek and seeing him finally realize HIS full potential too. I think that was my favorite part. It's something we've all been waiting for - the moment when Derek finally becomes a wolf - and it's pretty cool. Derek makes a pretty good teenage werewolf.

The sweet relationship that blossoms between Derek and Chloe was fun to read. Derek is so tentative with her, which is anathema to the rest of his personality. When they finally got over themselves, they were able to get into each other.

Kelley Armstrong has created an incredible world. I may not have been totally thrilled with the first two books in this series, but it had nothing to do with the writing or the world building. The powers she gave these people and the villains she created were fantastic. Her writing is wonderful and evocative. I look forward to continuing the adventure with her spinoff series, Darkness Rising.

REVIEW: The Awakening (The Darkest Powers #2)

The Awakening (The Darkest Powers #2), by Kelley Armstrong
Published April 28, 2009
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Format: audiobook - borrowed from the library
Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Check out my review for The Summoning (The Darkest Powers #1).

Rating:  3 STARS

(From Goodreads) If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl — someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. I’m a living science experiment — not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization call the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters. I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I’m running for my life with three of my supernatural friends - a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch - and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

I liken The Awakening to showing up to a big picnic with fried chicken and corn on the cob and homemade desserts aplenty, yet when you look at all that awesome food, you realize that all you wanted was steak and decide to go play corn hole instead. It's not that the food is bad - it's just not what you want.

The Awakening picks up right where The Summoning left off - with Chloe and Tori back in the custody of the baddies from The Edison Group that they had escaped from for a short time. After escaping from their clutches yet again, they, along with Simon and Derek, find themselves on the run trying to get to someone they can trust.

Chloe now knows that she is a necromancer. She also has an inkling of what she can do with her abilities. She learns that, not only can she talk to ghosts, but she can raise and control the dead. That is such an incredible power with such potential. Yet, for the length of the entire book, Chloe bemoans her "useless" power and stands around helplessly when trouble arises, waiting for one of the others with a more active power to save her.

If you've been reading this blog for even a short time, you will know that the one thing I need in a good book is a strong female main character. And, our little Chloe Saunders is anything but. She questions all her decisions, she timidly shies away from conflict, and refuses to tap into her power to help her friends because it makes her feel bad.

Despite her shortcomings, for a portion of the book, Chloe does exhibit some strength of character when she decides to help Derek with a big problem of his instead of remaining comfortable. That section of the book was the best part of the whole thing. We get a lot of insight into Derek and what makes him tick. He is, without a doubt, my favorite character in this series. And, Chloe makes some very mature decisions, too, that gave me hope for the future.

Most of The Awakening is spent in dirty warehouses and alleys. There isn't a lot of forward movement in the story. It does seem as if this is a bridging book, bringing the events of the first and the third book in the trilogy together. As such, there isn't much action or opportunities to see our characters' powers in action.

Yet, knowing this, and seeing the cracks in Chloe's benign personality, I have high hopes for the final book in the series. I look forward to seeing Chloe's relationship with Derek and with the rest of her friends develop.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Midnight Spell

The Midnight Spell, by Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye
Published February 26, 2013 
Format:  e-book - own
Genre:  YA Paranormal

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Adam and Christy have been best friends since kindergarten. Always the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas, they’ve always had to deal with nasty comments from their classmates. Adam is called “gay” while Christy is called “witch.”

On both counts the bullies are right.

Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious new boy enrolls at school and sets hearts a flutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome Ian seems to be going nowhere fast. Struggling to capture the heart of Ian while trying to come into her full witch powers is tough enough, but when a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, she realizes that finding a boyfriend is the least of her and Adam’s worries.

Soon Adam, Christy, their potential love interests, and their good friends Drifter and Olivia, will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before and will again.
  
Some of the best books have a cat with a 'tude, don't you agree? Cases in point - Alice in Wonderland, The Iron Fey series, and... The Midnight Spell. I knew almost right away that I was going to love this book. 

I digress. The Midnight Spell is told from dual POVs - Adam's and Christy's. I have come to love these types of books. The two voices break things up and give the reader two perspectives of the same story. It's actually pretty fascinating, and for me anyway, it really helps keep me interested and into the story. 

The other thing that kept me interested in this story was the BIG LOVE. In fact, the over-arching theme in The Midnight Spell is love. But, the really awesome thing about this book is that this is not the kind of love we're all used to finding in YA books. Adam and Christy have a unique relationship. They bonded over their horrid school experiences and thus forged a love that no significant other can get between. These kids are the best kind of BFFs - the ones who would truly do anything for the other. 

Back to the cat. Christy's witchy sidekicks really stole the show in The Midnight Spell. The cat, Callie, and the broom, um... Broom, look after Christy and make sure she's okay. They were cranky and irritating and totally endearing. They were very necessary comic relief in the face of some heavy stuff going down. Good call on their additions, Ms. Frater and Mr. Boye. 

The bad guy was done really well. It was pretty clear who he was pretty early on in the book. But, his motives were kept in the dark for a really long time. The suspense and pacing were just right for me. 

Bottom line is, The Midnight Spell is a unique book with special characters who have amazing relationships with one another. The supporting characters add tons of depth and lightness to the story. After a bit of a slow start, the story picks up and you will not want to put it down until you read the last page. 

About the Authors

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.rhiannonfrater.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2310121.Rhiannon_Frater

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhiannon.frater

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhiannonfrater

Kody Boye was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho. Since his initial publication in the Yellow Mama Webzine in 2007, he has gone on to sell nearly three-dozen stories to various markets. He is the author of the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the dark fantasy novel Blood. His fiction has been described as ‘Surreal, beautiful and harrowing’ (Fantastic Horror,) while he himself has been heralded as a writer beyond his years(Bitten by Books.) He currently lives and writes in the Austin, Texas area.

Author Links:

Website: http://kodyboye.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2775292.Kody_Boye

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kody.boye

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KodyBoye

And, great news! Now, you can enter to win your own electronic copy of The Midnight Spell by Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye in my blog giveaway. Scroll down to enter the blog tour grand prize - a paperback copy of The Midnight Spell, a Midnight Spell candle and swag. Good luck!



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