REVIEW: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)

Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5), by Richelle Mead
Published July 29, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: young adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

I'm in danger of saying something I never thought I would say. It almost pains me. But, I have to say it because it's true. Ready?...

I like Bloodlines better than Vampire Academy.  

That is truly a surprise to me, because VA is one of my most favorite YA paranormal series of all time. But, each book in the Bloodlines series is better than the one before it. These characters - they feel like my best friends. And, when someone hurts my besties, I start to feel murderous. Needless to say, I spent much of this book internally (and sometimes externally) seething. 

After her relationship with Adrian was discovered by the Alchemists, they sent Sydney to reeducation. None of her friends knows where she is or how she's doing. Adrian feels helpless, and his way of dealing with that is to drink himself into oblivion every day. Meanwhile, Sydney is having a rough go of it, until after three months of torture, she catches a break and starts to work her way back to Adrian. But, if they thought once she got out, that things would be fine, they were so wrong. 

I. Love. Sydney. Wow - another thing I never thought I would say when I finished the VA series. Honestly, she wasn't my favorite side character then. Far from it. She was rigid and judgmental and rude. I didn't think she was worthy of Adrian, who was one of my favorite side characters from VA. It's amazing how completely different my opinion is now. 

Sydney's experience in reeducation was horrible and traumatic, but she weathered it like a hero. She used her intelligence and common sense that she has always possessed to figure out a solution to her problem. She took chances and was willing to use her magic abilities to do what needed to be done. And, the best thing is, through it all, she never once wavered in her feelings for Adrian. 

Adrian - oh my poor Adrian. He went through the ringer in Silver Shadows. Adrian has never dealt with difficult situations well, so having the love of his life kidnapped from under his nose and probably harmed in an undisclosed location was more than he could take on his own. He turns to the bottle for awhile to deal with his guilt and feelings of uselessness. What broke my heart the most is that Adrian is most definitely not useless. He's just as brave as Sydney is, but you can only do what you can with the information you're given. 

Once Adrian and their friends from Palm Springs finally get a bead on Sydney's location, the pace of the book goes from good to lightning speed. The last 30% or so of the book was completely action-packed. There are explosions and fights and magical shenanigans - I was absolutely glued to the pages. And, then there was the one shocking event that had me dropping my jaw. I loved that I didn't see it coming, and I loved that it even happened. 

As usual, the last paragraph hits you hard and sets up the drama and excitement for the next book. In this case, it will be the final book in the Bloodlines series, but I feel like there might be another spin-off in the future. I'd love to see a series about Jill. In any case, the wait for the final book will be SO LONG, but that only gives me time to re-read Silver Shadows. Which I will definitely do.

RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: Opposition (Lux #5)

After nearly a year of waiting (not so patiently - in fact, as you read this, I'm probably resisting the urge to obsessively track my Amazon package by the minute), I am so excited that the release day for the final Lux book, OPPOSITION, is finally here! A huge thank you goes to Inkslinger PR for organizing this launch event and Jennifer L. Armentrout for hooking us up - they've provided a deliciously angsty excerpt and a crazy awesome giveaway in honor of Opposition's release.

Opposition (Lux #5), by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published August 5, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: young adult paranormal
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

(From Goodreads) Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

Excerpt

Katy

I still stared at Daemon, completely aware that everyone else except him was watching me. Closely. But why wouldn’t he look at me? A razor-sharp panic clawed at my insides. No. This couldn’t be happening. No way.
 My body was moving before I even knew what I was doing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Dee shake her head and one of the Luxen males step forward, but I was propelled by an inherent need to prove that my worst fears were not coming true.

After all, he’d healed me, but then I thought of what Dee had said, of how Dee had behaved with me. What if Daemon was like her? Turned into something so foreign and cold? He would’ve healed me just to make sure he was okay.

I still didn’t stop.
 Please, I thought over and over again. Please. Please. Please. On shaky legs, I crossed the long room, and even though Daemon hadn’t seemed to even acknowledge my existence, I walked right up to him, my hands trembling as I placed them on his chest.

 “Daemon?” I whispered, voice thick.

His head whipped around, and he was suddenly staring down at me. Our gazes collided once more, and for a second I saw something so raw, so painful in those beautiful eyes. And then his large hands wrapped around my upper arms. The contact seared through the shirt I wore, branding my skin, and I thought—I expected—that he would pull me against him, that he would embrace me, and even though nothing would be all right, it would be better.

Daemon’s hands spasmed around my arms, and I sucked in an unsteady breath.

His eyes flashed an intense green as he physically lifted me away from him, setting me back down a good foot back.

I stared at him, something deep in my chest cracking. “Daemon?”

He said nothing as he let go, one finger at a time, it seemed, and his hands slid off my arms. He stepped back, returning his attention to the man behind the desk.

“So . . . awkward,” murmured the redhead, smirking.

I was rooted to the spot in which I stood, the sting of rejection burning through my skin, shredding my insides like I was nothing more than papier-mâché.

“I think someone was expecting more of a reunion,” the Luxen male behind the desk said, his voice ringing with amusement. “What do you think, Daemon?”

One shoulder rose in a negligent shrug. “I don’t think anything.”

My mouth opened, but there were no words. His voice, his tone, wasn’t like his sister’s, but like it had been when we first met. He used to speak to me with barely leashed annoyance, where a thin veil of tolerance dripped from every word. The rift in my chest deepened.
 For the hundredth time since the Luxen arrived, Sergeant Dasher’s warning came back to me. What side would Daemon and his family stand on? A shudder worked its way down my spine. I wrapped my arms around myself, unable to truly process what had just happened.

“And you?” the man asked. When no one answered, he tried again. “Katy?”

I was forced to look at him, and I wanted to shrink back from his stare. “What?” I was beyond caring that my voice broke on that one word.

The man smiled as he walked around the desk. My gaze flickered over to Daemon as he shifted, drawing the attention of the beautiful redhead. “Were you expecting a more personal greeting?” he asked. “Perhaps something more intimate?”

I had no idea how to answer. I felt like I’d fallen into the rabbit hole, and warnings were firing off left and right. Something primal inside me recognized that I was surrounded by predators.

Completely.

Giveaway

InkslingerPR and Jennifer L. Armentrout are giving away a Lux Series Basket with Lux themed jewelry, a signed set of the Lux Series and a $50 gift card to a retailer of the winner’s choice (Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or Indiebound).

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author 

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins. 

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Lead (Stage Dive #3)

Lead (Stage Dive #3), by Kylie Scott
Published July 29, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

Jimmy, lead singer for the rock band Stage Dive, has been a mysterious enigma since we met him in Lick (Stage Dive #1). In that book, he was a hot mess (emphasis on HOT). It was obvious that substance abuse was an every day hobby for him. Because of it and a whole lot of hurt in his past, Jimmy was a veritable asshat who treated everyone around him horribly. At the end of book 1, Jimmy made the choice to go to rehab and get clean once and for all. 

To help him with that journey, he hires Lena to be a live-in sobriety counselor/assistant/secretary. Lena is escaping her own family problems when the job falls in her lap. She is a super strong woman who takes crap from no one - not even smoking hot rock stars, which is why she was kind of perfect for the job of dealing with a rich, broody, recovering addict. And, for awhile, even though she and Jimmy were living in the same house, Lena was able to keep the lines between her job and her personal life clearly defined. 

Then, someone close to Jimmy dies and he needs more than an assistant. He needs a real friend, and Lena is the closest person he has to one. That one event completely veered their relationship off course, at least for Lena. She starts feeling things for Jimmy, no matter how hard she tried not to. So, she tries to nip it in the bud and quit before things get out of hand. Jimmy, however, has grown used to her company and refuses to let her go, convincing Lena that he can make it so she doesn't like him like that anymore. His efforts, though, seem to push her in the opposite direction, and soon Lena has fallen in love with Jimmy. 

I spent a lot of time while reading Lead yelling at my Kindle. Literally. Yelling. Jimmy and Lena were both completely infuriating, but for different reasons. I expected Jimmy to be a difficult jerk. I would've liked it better if he had consistently acted that way. However, Jimmy would have these moments that completely endeared me to him. He would do or say something to Lena that was so sweet, or he and Lena would snark back and forth and I would laugh and think they were perfect together. 

And, then in the next moment, he would insult her or be completely insensitive. When Lena would express her feelings to him - especially how she felt for him - he would blow her off and make light of them. It made me feel so badly for Lena. It seemed to break her heart a little more every time that Jimmy crapped all over her wants and desires. 

On Lena's side, she seemed to handle Jimmy well most of the time, but there were many times when I wished she would've just stood up for herself more. It seemed that Jimmy and the rest of the band used guilt to make her stick around, saying that Jimmy would fall off the wagon if Lena really quit. And of course because she loved him and wanted to see him succeed in his sobriety, she fell for it every time. Jimmy would invade her personal space, horn in on her personal life, and force her to do things she didn't really want to do, and Lena would sit back and take it every. single. time. Just once, I wanted her to really put her foot down and say NO. And stick to it!

Lead was a bit atypical from most new adult books I read, in that, at 60% through the book, Jimmy and Lena hadn't even kissed yet, much less anything more. There were times between them that the sexual tension was there, but most of the time, it was the possibility of more between them that drove me onward. I just knew there had to be a breaking point where Jimmy would finally give in and deem himself worthy of receiving and giving love, and I knew when that happened it would be good. 

And, yes, it was good. When Jimmy and Lena finally - FINALLY - came together in every sense of the word, it was explosive and everything I had been waiting for. I loved it and everything that came after it. Of course things don't run smoothly between them after that. You can't fix someone like Jimmy that fast. But, Lena finally locates her backbone, and it turns out it was exactly what Jimmy really needed from her. 

One of the best things about the Stage Dive series is that, since the four guys in this group are so close and spend so much time together, we always know what the couples from previous books are up to. There was a lot of David and Ev and Mal and Anne. We get a hint of things to come from Ben (and, I'm guessing, Lizzy, Anne's sister). 

I loved getting to the heart of Jimmy, since he's the lead of the band. Lead was a great story and the ending was amazing. I can't wait to see what's in store for Ben next. 

About the Author

Kylie is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

Learn more about Kylie --> Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

 







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