Book #105 - Rapture (Fallen #4)

Rapture (Fallen #4), Lauren Kate
paranormal romance
Started 9/13/12
Finished 9/19/12
3 STARS

It's always with some measure of satisfaction that I reach the end of a series. Depending on how good the series was, that satisfaction is accompanied by sadness (because it's over), happiness (because it ended well), or pride (because I finished a series that I hadn't thought I would). When I came to the end of Rapture... I honestly just felt a little confused for awhile.

(Some of this may be spoilerish if you haven't read the first three Fallen books.) Luce and Daniel have found each other again and now they have to band together with their friends to try and stop Lucifer from erasing the past and present as they all know it. Meanwhile, Luce continues trying to put her past lives together to try and figure out who she is now. And whether she and Daniel have a chance to break the curse.

I don't quite get the ending, to be honest with you. All four books led up to the final moments. The big showdown. I wanted some satisfaction. A beat down on the big bad. And, instead, it all just sort of... stopped. Then God said some stuff. And it was pretty much over. Really? I was left wanting a lot more.

There were some elements of the finale that were somewhat satisfying. Luce and Daniel's relationship came to a happy place, I guess. Their angel and half-angel friends too. So, all good things. And, most of the book was really action-packed - the most action-packed of all the books in the series. Which I certainly appreciated. But, I think it was all that action and drama that made the final ending that much more of a let-down. I just feel like Kate could've done better.

In any case, I am proud that I finished a series that I one thought I might not. I thought I wouldn't go past the second book. I am glad I stuck it out. Really.   

Book #104 - Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1)

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1), Anna Banks
paranormal romance
Started 9/17/12
Finished 9/18/12
4 STARS

Of Poseidon has the distinction of being my very first mermaid book. I've read about vampires, werewolves, witches, faeries, demons and angels - no mermaids. I was wondering how the author would get around the under water part.

Emma runs into (tee hee) a hot guy at the beach, and soon after realizes that not only is he not what he seems, but neither is she. Now, she is on a quest to find out exactly where she came from and what she's capable of. And Galen is willing to go to great lengths to be together with her.

Of Poseidon is told mostly from Emma's point of view, but Galen's is in there too. It was a bit strange and distracting that Emma's POV was told in first person and Galen's in third person present, but I got used to it after a little while.

The story is pretty predictable. Most of the secrets were easy to figure out early on. Which was a little disappointing. However, the mythology of the story was interesting and unique. I liked the description of the abilities of the Syrena and discovering which of these abilities Emma possessed. And, there were a few questions left unanswered, especially the big question that was raised at the very end of the book.

Although the romance developed rather quickly for me, it was sweet and satisfying. I really like Galen and his Syrena brethren. And, he works really well with Emma. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story develops in the second book. 

 

Book #103 - Cursed

Cursed, Jennifer L. Armentrout
paranormal romance
Started 9/13/12
Finished 9/15/12
5 STARS

I know I'm reading a good book when my own reactions to the story mirror the characters'. When they get angry, I want to throw something. When they are sad, I'm bawling like a baby. When they're scared, my chest gets tight and it's hard to breathe. Somehow, Jennifer Armentrout has the uncanny ability - moreso than any other author I've ever read - to do this to me. Cursed is amazing.

Ember's little sister has the extraordinary ability to bring the dead back to life with her touch. Which she did when Ember died in a car accident. Only, that act changed Ember forever, because now Ember's touch kills. Her school life is torture, and Ember is struggling to keep her little family together. Then, a blessing in disguise shows up in Hayden Cromwell, a beautiful boy who shows up to kidnap Ember and her sister - and in the process of doing so, touches Ember and lives to tell about it.

Although Ember is taken from her own personal hell, she's dropped in another of sorts. Her new housemates are so scared of her, they treat her horribly. Her sister seems to like her new caretakers better than Ember. Hayden runs very hot and cold. And - oh yeah - someone's trying to kill her. The question is, can Ember gain enough control over her touch of death to live and love like a normal girl?

This was a very emotional book for me. Ember goes through the full range of emotions. Armentrout was amazing, as she made me feel it all. There were so many times when I was crying right along with Ember, when my chest was tightening up as Hayden got close to her, and when I was so utterly furious, I wanted to scream. I honestly don't know of any other book that has elicited this type of reaction from me. For that reason alone, this is a 5-star book.

The characters were so multi-dimensional that I swear they could've stepped off the page fully formed. The setting and concept of the town ruled by the head honcho and Hayden's adoptive dad was unique. If I had to get nit-picky and name something that was less than perfect, I could only say that the bad guy was pretty predictable; I figured out who it was from nearly the beginning. And, the concept of a girl who's touch kills everything but a certain cute boy has been done (Shatter Me and Jenny Pox to name a few). But, everything else in Cursed was so amazing that I didn't care at all about that. Honestly - go out and get this book now. You will not be sorry.