The long awaited sequel to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I waited so long for John Matthew's story. From the very beginning, I knew he would have a great story, and the wait was worth it. I actually bought this book a while ago, but just recently got around to reading it. This story is absolutely heartbreaking. It pulls together a lot of the loose ends involving John Matthew, and at the end of the book the reader is left pretty positive that JM is indeed the reincarnation of Darius, and the book flips back and forth between how Darius, Torhment, and Xhex are intertwined with JM and the current-day story. It keeps the book entertaining and thrilling until the end.
First of all, don't read this book unless you've read the previous books, especially Lover Avenged. There, the backdrop for this particular book is set up. All of the characters are very familiar if you've read the series, and it's really nice to see a reprieve by Vishous and Wrath and the crew. We still see lots of tension between Blay and Quinn, but this story focuses more on them than the other books. So it was nice getting to really know them.
In the end of Lover Avenged, Xhex has been kidnapped by Lash and the Lessers. We're left wondering if John Matthew will have a happily ever after or not. I won't go into a ton of the details about the book, because it'd be better to just read it and experience it that way. I've gotta say though, that I was NOT a fan of the JM/Xhex pairing, and by the end of the book, I totally loved them. Definitely worth the read, especially for hardcore fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.
J.R Ward is also involved in writing her Covet series right now, but I'm hoping we'll see more from the Brotherhood!
So recently, I became so engrossed in a series that I literally could not stop to write a review. Now, I'm kicking myself because I don't know if I'd be able to write a good review for each book, starting at book one. So I decided to look at the series as a whole. This is a paranormal romance series, so there is a fair amount of sex. It's not ridiculous like some romance novels. It's very much like the structure of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. Each story revolves around what life-long romance each Lord finds, but has a very intricate and detailed background full of sub-plots that fit in with the rest of the story. If you read this series, don't forget the little mini-installments! The prequel, The Darkest Fire, book #3.5 The Darkest Prison, and book #4.5 The Darkest Angel. Worth the time!
First off, people on www.goodreads.com have been pushing me for months to pick up Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld. I put it off for a while, because I figured if I've read one or two (or thirty) paranormal romance series, there isn't much that can impress me. So I put it off, and put it off, and one day I found a real steal in the Kindle Books section of Amazon. Why pay $5-$7 a book, when you can buy the Gena Showalter Lords of the Underworld Bundle for $9.99? So I figured, meh, for ten bucks I can get the prequel and the first three full installments. Why not. So I went ahead and spent the $9.99, and the Bundle sat on my Kindle for a few more months.
So now you're wondering why I even bothered if I spent that long putting it off. Well, at work, I was bored and had listened to most of my audiobooks, but still hadn't listened to the prequel of the Lords of the Underworld series, The Darkest Fire. I remember on Amazon, people saying, "don't judge the series by the prequel! Keep pushing through to the first full book!" I tried listening to the prequel a few times, and finally got into it. Then I remember, alas, I have the Bundle on my Kindle!
A quick background on my new-and-beloved Lords: Thousands of years ago, the Lords were heavenly guards of the Greek Gods. They made a bad decision, and decided to open Pandora's Box (you learn how the box came to be in the prequel to the series.) When the Box was opened, the High Lords, basically the top demons of Hell, who had been trapped there for an eternity, were released into the world. The Greek God, Zeus, was furious, so he condemned the soldiers who opened Pandora's Box to each house one of the demons inside themselves. Some of our main characters have very very violent demons. Maddox houses Violence, Lucien houses Death, Reyes houses Pain, Sabin houses Doubt, Paris houses Promiscuity...etc. They each have their own specific curse. On the other side of the story, we have Hunters; humans who believe the Lords are the specific reason for all evil in the world, so they are hellbent on destroying the Lords and re-capturing the demons to save mankind. (This is where the argument of human free will comes in.) The Lords have accepted their fate. They don't want to hurt anyone, but want to keep humans safe by housing the demons. Then they find out that the Hunters are led by one of their own...Galen, keeper of the demon Hope.
I re-read The Darkest Fire, then from there didn't put my Kindle down for the remainder of the Bundle. I flew through The Darkest Night. I really love Maddox's and Ashlyn's story. I really love tortured Maddox who was paying for a crime committed thousands of years ago. Each night, Pain and Death had to come and kill Maddox and escort him to Hell, where he is reborn and wakes up in the morning alive. Each night, he dies and each morning, he is reborn. Ashlyn is a "special" human who can hear conversations of anyone who has ever stood where she is standing, and has no idea how involved in Maddox's world she really is. I rated this book five stars. I just loved it.
The Darkest Kiss tells Lucien's and Anya's story. Something amusing, is that after I read this book, I looked on my real-life bookshelf...and oh snap! I have this book in hardback. Anyways, Anya's character is hilarious. As the (minor) goddess of Anarchy, she spends most of her time pissing off the Gods, stealing and showing way too much skin, all while harboring her own secret curse. She develops cute names for all the big and bad warriors, such as Doubtey and Painey. I rated this book four stars.
We meet Danika in the first book, but her story isn't told until The Darkest Pleasure, where she meets her match in Reyes, who harbors the demon Pain. Reyes is tormented at every moment. The only way to cope with his demon is to constantly cut himself. He even goes as far as to throwing himself off the fortress tower. To Reyes, pain is the same as pleasure. Until he meets Danika, who proves to be more important to the Lords and their quest to defeat the Hunters than she ever knew. I rated this book five stars, mainly because I was so excited to read it! I loved the spark Reyes felt for Danika from the first book, and was not disappointed!
The Darkest Whisper tells Sabin's story. Sabin rescues Gwen at a Hunter research compound, and soon learns that she has immortal powers of her own. She is an all powerful harpy, also cursed by the Gods, and proves to be one of the strongest fighters among all of the Lords. I rated this book four stars. I really liked it, but Sabin is not one of my favorite characters. Still a great book.
The Darkest Passion turned out to be one of my FAVORITE of the Lords of the Underworld books. I was never a huge fan of Aeron, keeper of Wrath, until this book. Aeron is very distant throughout the entire series. But when he discovers that the being who has been following him is the angel Olivia, he soon has to choose between living for today and choosing love or keeping himself from getting hurt and living forever. Olivia gives up everything for him, choosing to fall from the Heavens rather than following orders to kill Aeron. Olivia has some competition, however; Aeron's demon pet, Legion. If I could rate a book six stars, this book would get it. I read this book as often as I could for two days...didn't put it down. I loved it.
I loved all of the books, but felt the most connected with Maddox's, Reyes, and Aeron's stories. Luckily, there are more to come! Gideon, keeper of Lies' book should be out by the end of June. One story I'm particularly looking forward to is Paris'. I won't give away too many details about Paris, because his story develops throughout the entire series up to this point. Another character that I just loooove is Galen. Yes, the villain, the big bad, the guy who is leading the Hunters under the false pretense that he is an angel. I. Love. Galen. Especially in the last book. While part of me is hoping that he'll get what's coming to him, another part is hoping that Showalter will write something from his point of view.
I highly recommend this series. I couldn't put the books down long enough to write a review! For me, reading the Lords of the Underworld was like experiencing the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward for the first time. It's a magical series that will sweep you off your feet.
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In other news, I finally started reading Lover Mine by J.R. Ward; the most recent installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which I've mentioned a few times.
The Reckoning is the third and final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy, and concludes Chloe's, Derek's, Simon's and Tori's escape from the Edison group.
Some quick back story: Chloe and the group and genetic experiments on "supernaturals". Labeled "trouble children", they're put into a group home called the Lyle House. Chloe soon realizes that she isn't crazy; she can see ghosts. And the people holding her there are observing her, trying to figure out if she should be "terminated" or not. Upon discovering this, she escapes with Derek (a werewolf), Simon (a sorcerer) and Tori (a witch.) They are on the run for most of the first two books. In the third book, The Reckoning, they find a safe place with a friend of Simon and Derek's father. However, they soon discover that perhaps their safe-house isn't as safe and they had hoped.
While I really liked this book, and the whole series, the book ended with a lot of loose ends. Many questions were not really answered. Why does Chloe's necklace change colors? Will she be able to communicate with her mom? What happened with the Pack? Will Liz be able to find peace and perhaps move on? Will Chloe's dad find out that she is safe? They series ended leaving room for a lot of development, which we might see in Kelley Armstrong's next young adult series, starting with The Gathering.
Some parts of the book got a bit confusing, too. After a while, I forgot who was with who, who was on whose side, and which group was which group. The Edison Group is the group who conducted the experiments, but there were teams within the Edison Group that quit and tried to help the supernaturals, and then there were members within that group who were back-stabbing everyone. After a while, it got muddled together. The end of the book was very quick-paced, too...and seemed to come out of nowhere. Chloe uses her demon friend she made in the first book to help her escape the Edison Group compound, so that kind of came as a surprise.
I liked the tentative romance between Derek and Chloe. I was rooting for them from the start--I really like Derek as a character. He's loyal (woof) and will do anything to protect Chloe and his brother. Chloe's character also develops enormously over the series. She goes from a meek, stuttering, shy girl...to a girl who can defend herself and make her own decisions. She didn't start out as it, but she ended as a strong young woman who will potentially fit well with Derek.
All in all, the book was good. I enjoyed this young adult series. It started out a bit slow for me, but once I go into the first book, it was addictive!
The House of Night series follows a group of friends who meet at the House of Night after becoming fledglings. In the series, young teens are “marked” and enter the pre-vampire stage where their bodies change into full vampire. They move to the House of Night where they learn Vampire ways and customs, and how to live among humans. The series follows Zoey Redbird, who progresses faster than others to becoming a vampire and has an affinity for water, air, fire, earth and spirit, and her friends Stevie-Rae, Damien, Jack, Shaunee and Erin. In previous books, the friends have worked together to overcome normal teen problems, but the books get progressive darker when an immortal, named Kalona, is awakened from his earth-grave and tries to take over the world.
In the previous book, Zoey witnessed Kalona kill her human love, Heath, and as a result her soul is shattered and she exists in a world in between life and death.
I’ve been a big fan of the series, despite negative reviews that the books are written poorly and the language is very child-like. This hasn’t bothered me until this book. I’ve always been able to enjoy the story line enough that the other flaws haven’t bothered me, and while I liked this book, there were certain elements that made it difficult to read.
The writing style is something that stuck out this time that bothered me. There was WAY too much dialogue, and the conversations were extremely cheesy and childish. While reading the dialogue, I’m left thinking “who even talks like this?” Stevie-Rae, who customarily has a southern accent and comes up with interesting phrases, even confused me. I felt that it was way overdone. And Kramisha has always been a character that really bothers me. Really…speak English. I had a difficult time reading her because the "ebonics" was taken to an extreme level.
That being said about Kramisha, most of the characters didn’t bother me, but I did miss the regular gang. Damien, Erin, and Shaunee were literally not in the story at all. I believe they were mentioned once or twice, and described as weeping over Zoey’s vacant body. After all that Zoey has done for them, wouldn’t you think they’d at least try to help her? A little, even? Aphrodite and Stevie-Rae were two of the main characters in Burned. I’ve always been a fan of Aphrodite, because she is real. She says it like it is and doesn’t care what people think of her. Her language is pretty awful, though. Swear words left and right.
The Stevie-Rae/Rephaim thing was the most interesting part of the book, for me. I really like where this is going. Rephaim is the most favored son of Kalona, and is a Raven Mocker. He has the body of a giant, human sized raven, with legs, arms, and eyes of a human. He is the offspring of Kalona’s vicious rape on the Cherokee women. Even though he was created of Darkness, he has formed an unexpected alliance with Stevie-Rae. They imprinted accidentally after Stevie-Rae saves him after the attack on the House of Night in the fifth book, and for that, he’s saved her numerous times. What I like that is that she didn’t fall head over heels in love with a Raven Mocker, but their strange relationship has developed over three books to a point where they rely on each other, and even like each other a little bit. Stevie-Rae is struggling to keep him a secret while trying to figure out her feelings for him.
Honestly, this book is a prime example of why you can’t have too many story lines going on at once. Some things felt unresolved and unclear. Some examples of multiple story lines include Zoey being trapped in the other world, Stark trying to find a way to save her, Stevie-Rae trying to keep the Raven Mocker secret, Stevie-Rae trying to deal with the rogue red fledgings, Heath being dead, Kalona/Neferet trying to take over the world, and the vampire high council. It was too much, and certain parts just didn’t click. The Stevie-Rae/Rephaim story line was my absolute favorite, but I felt like they could use their own book.
Overall, the book was okay. I liked the theme of the book, because I’m a fan of the House of Night series. If you can push through the poor dialogue and cheesy lines, it’s an important part of the House of Night series, and it’s not really something you can skip. I was a little disappointed because of how much I was looking forward to it, but overall, it wasn’t bad.
Devlin is the first male faerie, made of Sorcha and Bananach. Sorcha is the embodiment of Reason and Logic and Queen of the High Court, and Bananach is the embodiment of War and Discord and a member of the Dark Court. They are meant to balance each other. But when Sorcha re-created Seth into a fae using her own essence, the balance was thrown off because she then carried some human emotion. Sorcha has been mourning Seth's presence in the mortal world, and therefore she is no longer the exact opposite of Bananach.
Ani has a secret. While her court has a reputation of "feeding" off of human emotions, Ani can also feed off of faerie emotions. She's also losing her mortality by the day, and is becoming more and more fae. On top of that, she is "skin starved", meaning she needs touch to nourish her, as well. This seems to be a Hound trait, but being a halfling, she really shouldn't be able to do any of this. Her and Irial have been doing tests on her blood to see what it is that makes her so different, and so important to Bananach.
Devlin's prior secrets are coming back to get him. He was ordered years ago to kill the pup Ani, who has been under the prior Dark King's protection, but chose not to. When Ani is confronted by Bananach and ordered to kill Niall and Seth, her and Devlin start a journey across country to try to outrun Bananach's chase. But plans change when they find out that Faerie is falling apart while Sorcha chooses to remain in a dream until Seth returns.
Devlin and Ani realize that something must be done to regain the balance between the High Court and the Dark Court.
I am a big fan of Mellisa Marr, but when I heard this book would be another "side installment" of the series, I wasn't too excited. Ink Exchange just wasn't that good for me, and I never really got into the whole Dark Court thing.
This book totally changed my opinions on the series. I. Loved. This. Book. It had everything a great book should have; it was exciting, it had moments of romance and moments of suspense, and the main characters were fun to read. Everyone can fall in love with Devlin, because he's been sheltered in Faerie for so long, and he's finally realizing that he wants to choose his own path. Ani is witty and dangerous and strong.
Fragile Eternity focused a lot of Sorcha and the High Court, and I probably like that arc MORE than I do the Summer Court/Winter Court arc that is supposed to be Wicked Lovely, Fragile Eternity, and the soon-to-be-released fifth book. I like reading about the High Court, and now the Dark Court, too. (I think it was the whole Niall/Irial/Leslie thing in Ink Exchange that really turned me off from it.)
I'm really hoping the series is continued past a fifth book. Every installment, there are new developments and new characters involved. With the way Radiant Shadows ended, I don't see how the entire series can be wrapped up in just one more book.
I highly recommend this young-adult series. Just make sure you read the entire series! Yes, even Ink Exchange. :)
***spoiler alert: the final book in the Everworld series***
While Book 11 really held the final battle between Senna/Sennites and April, Jalil, Christopher, and David, this book is the wrap up; the conclusion.
At the end of the battle in Book 11, Senna is deemed no longer a threat. The gateway is closed. But now what? With the gateway closed, will April and her friends ever get back to the real world? Do they even want to anymore?
They are fading away. Jalil, David, and Christopher are fading in the real world. They've made their choice; they belong in Everworld. Jalil simply put it, "how can we live in the real world after experiencing Everworld?"
In this book, after leaving Ireland completely defeated, Etain along with April and her friends realize they need to free Baldur and Thor from Hel's domain if they're ever going to beat the Sennites and Ka Anor. They venture to Dwarven lands, where Etain offers her hand in marriage (breaking Christopher's heart) to the Dwarven king in order for help building a tunnel into Hel's kingdom. With the help of the Dwarfs and Merlin, they reach Hell and rescue the imprisoned Gods. For the first time, they are in charge and the Gods aren't fighting over who gets to kill them.
Ka Anor is still a big problem, as are Senna's minions. The only slightly disappointing thing about the end of the series is the lack of closure. It ends with the Gods realizing they have to unite to save Everworld. It sparks hope, but not victory. It leaves the end open for each individual reader. But in a way, I like that. You see how the main characters have grown since the first book, and how they've all found their place.
Everworld ends with hope. While there are open ends (didn't they mention a scroll that wrote the framework of Everworld? What happened with that? With the goddess Brigid?), individual readers can decide if April, Jalil, Christopher, and David disappearing forever from the real world good or bad, and if they'll take part in changing Everworld and putting the Gods back in charge.
All in all, I rated the Everworld series rather high, and that's mainly because of the emotional attachment I had with them from my early teen years. However, I can see why they get rather low ratings on Goodreads. They are not brilliant stories; far from it actually. But you have to realize they are written for 8th - 10th grade. So they were easy reads, but really enjoyable once you get into them.
Everworld is a story about fantasy; a story about adventure and finding out who you are. It's a story about Gods and Goddesses and mythological folklore, who can't possibly exist, but do. Welcome to Everworld.
Mystify the Magician, again told in Christopher's point of view, was probably the best book so far in this series. As I've said in other reviews for the series, Christopher is one of my favorite characters, and with this installment, the reader can really see how he's grown as a character throughout the series. He's matured, but has maintained his wit.
This book starts with the crew finding themselves in the Everworld version of Ireland. Yes, Ireland. Complete with faeries and an elven queen. This is literally the best place they've found so far, and the irony of it shows its ugly face in the end of the book. Christopher is smitten with the princess, Etain, who nurses him back to health when he's injured in battle.
We see more of Senna. We see how far her greed has taken her, and how she's turned into a true monster. She's been busy recruiting Neo-Nazi "losers", as Christopher puts it, to do her dirty work for her. And the reality that a gateway can be used both ways comes into play.
A good chunk of this book has to do with battle between the Nazi's and the Fae and Christopher, April, Jalil, and David. While straight battle doesn't usually entertain me, it certainly does from Christopher's point of view. The battle scenes are specifically what make you realize how far he's come, and how he'll be a better person for it all.....if he can survive Senna's bewitchment.
We're nearing the end of the Everworld journey!
In this book, we're in David's point of view again. After escaping Egypt and the very angry and defeated amazons, David, April, Jalil, Christopher and Senna find themselves victim of Neptune's rage, and are sucked below the surface of the ocean. David is familiar with the seas, so he automatically fears he's drowning. But no! W.T.E. (Welcome to Everworld) They find that because of Neptune's magic, they can all breathe underwater. The adopt their original cover, minstrels, and put on a show for the watery, and psycho, God to save their lives. Eventually Merlin shows up, and they need to escape. But as we know in Everworld, one danger always leads to the next, and you are never safe. After escaping Neptune's guards, they find themselves arrested for illegally entering Atlantis, where they meet a very "real-worldish" mayor who, surprise!, is from the Real World.
This book was okay for me. Not quite as exciting as some of the other novels, but that's okay. I enjoy reading from David's point of view, but I'd say Christopher's is probably my favorite.
It was a good book...very much like the others. Not great works of literary genius, but entertaining reads in very vivid detail and color.
Finally, this book is told from Senna's point of view.
I love Senna. She is cruel, calculating, and no-one's friend. She is basically brilliant, and has the whole game figured out, or so she thinks.
Inside the Illusion begins with Senna, April, Jalil, Christopher, and David insulting a minor Egyptian God, Sobek, who has been outcast by Isis. Senna is on her way to find her mother to try to find a way to get the Coo-Hatch home, and figure they'll help Sobek in exchange for their lives. They free the Nile, which has been dammed by Dwarfs (funny how these kinds of occurrences are starting to seem...normal) but find the Egypt is not the glamorous Egypt it used to be. The Gods are nearly statues and forgotten by all except their priests. The Goddess Isis is described as huge, sitting on a throne, but cob-webbed and observant-not taking any part in ruling. The Pharoah is a four year old in diapers in the body of a twenty-nine year old, thanks to generations of in-breeding and genetic mutations. The Amazons have taken over.
The teenagers find Senna's mother, but also find that they really can't leave. The Amazonians are in control, and are extremely lethal. Will seeing Senna's mother for the first time in 10 years melt some of her frozen heart?
Not likely.
Brave the Betrayal begins with Jalil, April, Christopher and David leaving Olympus in search for Senna's mother, who may be in "Egypt", and who can possibly send the Coo-Hatch back to their own world. The book follows their journey through the Sahara desert in the Everworld-Africa. They meet an old man called Eshu, who beings as their guide but soon Jalil and the others discover Eshu is not who he appears to be.
All in all, the group is collectively tired of dealing with Gods and demi-Gods who are self-centered, selfish, and treat mere mortals as play things. While the Olympians were by far the best of the Gods we've met, the Orishi Gods demand sacrifice to appease them. When April refuses a sacrifice to a God who is not her own, and Jalil refuses to be bullied out of his beliefs, the group finds themselves in an upside down land where the grass is blue and the rivers are purple, and everything is literally upside down.
We see the Vikings again, who I just love. They are so funny, and really the only decent set of beings in Everworld. The book ends with a battle of wits and determination that nearly kills Jalil, April, Christopher, Senna and David. Now, they're on their way to find Senna's mother, who is a priestess of Isis.
Gateway to the Gods follows April's point of view again. At the end of the previous book, April, Christopher, David, and Jalil find themselves on their way to Olympus. Yes, Mount Olympus, home of the great Greek gods. In the way that Enter the Enchantment touched me with Galahad's story, I also went through high school (and college) fascinated with Greek mythology. So this was really fun. We see how the teenager's perspectives of the Gods is both proven right and wrong. The Gods are spoiled, selfish, and ruthless. But for the first time, April and her friends aren't in direct danger. They're actually safe, for once! Well, for the most part.
In this installment of the Everworld series, they find themselves placed in a war between the Olympians and the Hetwan. With Ganymedes' death still fresh in their mind, they apply modern day technology to the Olympians battle methods and try to defeat the Hetwan. Senna is still an issue, but once she relinquishes her control on David, he proves to be a good general in battle.
This book follows the splendor of Mount Olympus, the wrath of Zeus, and the pettiness of the Gods. Most of it is battle between the Greeks and the Hetwan. April, Christopher, Jalil, and David are now seeing that what they're going through in Everworld is much bigger than the four of them. Can they ever get home, and if they can, what price will the world pay?
So far for me, this has been the weakest book in the series. I still read it very quickly, but it wasn't as exciting. Yes, there was immense danger at every corner, but the majority of the book involved running from the Hetwan. Run run run, almost die, run run run, meet a Greek god, run run run. Now, I'm trying to remember what it was like to read it for the first time when I was 16. It was exciting then, so even though this wasn't my favorite book so far, it was still important in telling the story.
This story is told from Christopher's point of view. Christopher is one of my favorite characters: he's witty, extremely cynical and very jaded. So hearing his thoughts is always entertaining. He's also found himself in trouble in the "real world", and for the first time we see that maybe his home life isn't as perfect as other may think, and because of this, he may be on a destructive path.
I won't give away any spoilers, but there are certain events that occur at the end of the book that really help one understand Christopher's character a bit more. It makes him a bit more likable, and it also makes the reader feel bad for him.
I'd rate this book three stars. It was okay, but not quite as exciting as the other books. Dionysus is a funny character, though...and his banter helps bring some laughter to the story. Still, important to the storyline and a fast read anyways. And I think I've said this every review so far, but the cover art is incredible. That (above...the big bug thing) is exactly how I see the Hetwan in my mind. Kind of like giant ants. Where this book may lack in excitement and storyline, the sharp crystal clear images are still amusing and vivid.
The Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick cover was just released. I think it's gorgeous. Can't wait for this sequel to Hush, Hush...but it seems I'll have to wait until November 16th.
her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?
Jalil, April, Christopher, and David find themselves trapped in Hell...well, trapped in Hel's Hell. They come face to half-dead-eaten-face with Loki's daughter, Hel. She sends her eunuch guards across Everworld to collect young, healthy men to entertain her in her harem.
This book was pretty good. It reminded me of Land of Loss in the sense that you experience the main characters terror is very bright, sharp detail. Like the second installment in the Everworld series, the group is faced with a fight or flight situation where if they make the wrong decision, they'll die a very painful torturous death. But they stick together, and deal with being trapped in Everworld, if they should trust Senna or not, and their own personal qualms. David is still dealing with his hero complex, Jalil is fighting his personal demons, and Christopher is becoming more and more obsessed with leprechauns.
Like the rest of the Everworld books, Realm of the Reaper is painted in vivid detail, which is why each book really only covers one scene, usually only lasting a day or two. Will the four teenagers ever be safe? Or are they destined to die in Everworld?
Book III of Everworld, told from April's point of view.
So we have Vikings...Norse Gods...giant wolves...heart-eating Aztecs...why not add the Knights of King Arthur's Round Table?? This book introduces us to some of the more "human" members of Everworld. We learn more about Merlin, Galahad, Gawain, and the other grail-seeking Knights.
When Battle approaches over Senna, April, Jalil, David and Christopher have to decide if they want to fight, and if so, who they are fighting for. Even though Merlin might technically be more human than Loki or Big H, he can be just as dangerous.
This book a bit slower than the previous book for me, mainly because Land of Loss was so graphic and horrific. But it's still an excellent installment in the Everworld series. Another reason I liked it is because the Arthurian legends are very near and dear to my heart. I love them. I love stories of the Holy Grail, Galahad, and Camelot. So naturally, I love stories about Merlin.
In the second installment in the Everworld series, the foursome continue their journey through Everworld, desperate to find a way out. This book starts out where the prior left off. David, Christopher, Jalil, and April are in BIG trouble. They are in the mists of a war between the Vikings and the Aztecs. As if escaping Loki's castle wasn't bad enough, now they have to escape the heart-eating God! We meet some new characters, such as the Coo-Hatch aliens and the famous wizard Merlin.
I liked that this book was in Christopher's perspective. You get to learn more about him, what is thought process is that makes him so snappy. He's the "funny guy" who can sometimes come off as a real jerk. But after reading the story from his view, you understand what he thinks about the others (mainly his distaste for David) and you learn a little bit about his relationship with Senna.
Something I really like about these books is how detailed they are. Most of the first half of the book takes place during and following the Aztec battle. I guess some people wouldn't like that because some scenes really get drug out, but I really like it. I can see this book play in my head like a movie. Action packed, a bit of horror, and a ton of fantasy.
We meet Vikings, an Aztec God, a bus-sized Wolf, and the slightly manic God Loki. We see our beloved characters (who everyone can really relate to) escape certain death, fool a troop of trolls, fall 500 feet in slow motion, realize they aren't as far gone as they thought, and come to the realization that their only chance of survival is to stick together - all in vivid detail scripted by K.A. Applegate. Doesn't all fit together in the real world, you say? This isn't the real world. This is Everworld.
This review covers bot Part I and Part II of Stopping Time by Melissa Marr.
I just love free books. Free e-books are even better, because then both my Kindle and myself are very happy. Overall, I was pleased with this little mini-series. These take us back to Irial, Niall, and Leslie. We see where she has come and what has developed since Ink Exchange.
First of all, I love the Wicked Lovely series. I love the universe, the characters, and where the story is going. That being said, Ink Exchange was my least favorite installment in the series. I don't know why, but it was just okay for me. When I recently re-read the series, I skipped it over.
Part I of Stopping Time focuses on Leslie. She's been getting weird calls and always feels like she's in danger. Niall and Irial are still looking after her, though. They have several fae guards who follow her around to make sure she is safe. From where Ink Exchange left off, Leslie is doing better. She's living on her own, taking responsibility, and is attending school. She's getting better, and that's good, because what we learned in Ink Exchange was that she didn't lead an easy life, and her involvement in the Dark Court complicated that. She feels a pull to both Irial and Niall, but realizes that both will destroy her. So she keeps her distance. She watches Irial from afar...sort of. They have weekly meeting where they both pretend to not notice each other, but secretly stare. Yea, creepy, I know. She tells Niall she loves him, but she ignores five out of his six calls, and isn't sure if she's lusting after Irial or not. What's weird is that Niall and Irial really aren't even fighting over Leslie. There is zero competition. I really think they'd be perfectly okay to share her. >.> Awkwarrrdddd.
I don't get the Irial/Niall thing. It really does not sit well with me. A good chunk of Part II of Stopping Time involves them talking about what was past...involves a (platonic?) kiss between the two sexy hunks of Ink Exchange...and I don't like it. I'm not sure if I should like or dislike Irial, and the Niall in Stopping Time, to me, is not the same Niall from Fragile Eternity.
So for me, I'd give Part I 
and Part II 
.
This is the third book in the Wicked Lovely series, and is the direct sequel to Wicked Lovely. I am a big fan of Wicked Lovely, so naturally I loved this book too.
So while I'm reading Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr, I figured I'd do a quick post on up-coming Young Adult books that I'm really looking forward to. These have official cover art, so when other upcoming books have their cover art, I'll post those too!
Burned by P.C. and Kristen Cast will be the seventh book in the House of Night series. I'm among the minority of readers who really liked the previous book, Tempted, so naturally I'm really looking forward to this. I heard a nasty rumor that it won't be available for Kindle until July. I hope hope hope that is not true! Read http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6917952-burned for the book description. The official book release date is April 27, 2010.
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead is another can't-wait-for book. This will be the fifth installment in the Vampire Academy series. What will happen with Dmitri? ??!? It's killing the readers. Release it already, Richelle Mead! Read http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6479259-spirit-bound for the description. The official release date is May 18, 2010.
Gotta love the cover art on this book. The cover art on Fallen by Lauren Kate was one of the main reasons I read it to begin with (Yes...I do judge a book by its cover...initially) and was pleased with it. So I'm sure Torment will pick up right where the Fallen left off. I'm looking forward to see what develops with our beloved Daniel and Lucinda. This book will be released approx. September 28, 2010. It's still kind of far away, so there isn't a description yet on Goodreads.
The Reckoning will be the third book in the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong. This series started out very shaky for me, but the more and more I think about it the more I love it. This series follows Chloe Saunders through her discovery of her paranormal powers and new friends she's made. They are easy, fast reads and are all in all enjoyable. You can read the book description at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6468666-the-reckoning. The Reckoning comes out April 6, 2010.
Radiant Shadows will be the fourth book in the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. I really love this series, particularly the story line that follows Seth, Ash, Keenan, and Donia. The secondary characters (ahem..Ink Exchange) were very "meh" for me. So I'm hoping I'll like this book, since it doesn't follow my *beloved* Seth. (see my Wicked Lovely review). Radiant Shadows will be out April 20, 2010, and you can read the description at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6368610-radiant-shadows-wicked-lovely-4
I just love this book. It was hard to me to choose between a rating of 4 or 5 stars, but I went with 4 stars since I liked Fragile Eternity more.
What am I currently reading?
