Book Trailer for Unearthed after Sunset

In the Valley of the Sun, Beware of Vampires

When Greg Erickson is killed by sultry and seductive vampire Lila, he wakes up cold and alone in a wooden box. After clawing his way out he finds himself thrust into a vampire turf war, unsure of exactly what he’s fighting for. Greg discovers that it’s not easy to be human one day and hunting humans the next, and while his new vampire cohorts try to get him to accept his newfound existence there’s one girl from his human life he’s unable to forget.

Unearthed after Sunset comes out fall of 2015.

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Review for Mind Static by Jen Naumann

Full of Twists and Turns - Who do you trust when everyone's memories could be altered, even your own?

5 Stars. This book kept me guessing from beginning to end. It’s filled with fun dialogue, and lots of laughs. I fell in love with the characters on the very first page, by the end of the second chapter I was getting sucked it, and once Key’s birthday party got into full swing I was hooked.

Keyana is not the typical innocent, naïve female lead, she’s got more guts than that. She makes some bad decisions, she’s swayed by outside influences, but in the end she learns from her mistakes and does the right thing. She felt like a very realistic teenager. There were a few times when I wanted to yell at Key to be more suspicious about someone or to pay more attention to things that were going on, but I could understand why she made the decisions she did – some partly because there were people influencing her with mind control.

Because of the nature of mind control in this book there are things we learn as a reader that Keyanna is forced to forget and that led to a few frustrating moments where Key wouldn’t realize something as soon as I liked, but as the story went on and I understood more about this skill it all came together.

Key quickly smartens up as the book goes on. Eventually she’s able to put her relationships and trivial things on hold and focus on what’s important. She starts to put the pieces together and look into all the things I at one point was frustrated with her for not seeing.

This book had lots of surprises, there were more than a few times when I found myself saying “I didn’t see that coming,” It was like every time I thought I knew who the good guys were and who the bad guys were something happened that made me question everything, and I really enjoyed that. This was one of those books that I just had to keep reading because I could never figure out what was coming next.

There is a little bit of a love triangle in this book, but it was really different than any love triangle I’d read before. It felt more realistic, instead of rooting for one "team" or the other there were moments where I just felt bad for everyone involved. You can see how a love triangle could really hurt people instead of just being a competition. Lock and Key were steamy hot, but there wasn’t a lot of substance to them. Lock was rather eager to get with Key, and for a long time Jen has you wondering how he really feels about her, and how she really feels about him. I loved Key and Dallas; they were just so cute that even when I was wondering if Dallas was one of the bad guys I wanted them to just kiss already. At times you feel really bad for these two guys Key’s interested in, but then you find out that everyone is keeping secrets from her – including the both of them.

Key’s best friend, Nora was a fun character as well. Nora is a little impulsive, a little selfish, but she’s also a bright, fun character. She had this bubbly, bigger than life personality, and even though she got Key into some trouble she was wonderful to read about. Key’s mind control is a really dangerous skill, and you see how in the beginning Key has to be careful what she wishes for. Nora pushes her to have this house party, and things gets completely out of control, but every time something new went wrong I was excited to see what would happen next.

One thing I didn’t understand was when Key got Dominic’s amulet why she didn’t use it against him. I had this “yes!” moment when she stole it from Lock and used it on him, but I didn’t understand why she didn’t try to use it against Dominic. At the very end all the questions I had got wrapped up nicely, but this was one that I just couldn’t get out of my mind.

The ending was epic. There were clues along the way that let me know something was up, but I did not expect what happened to happen. It was a great twist. Jen wraps up this story perfectly, all the loose ends get tied up and then at the very end – boom, she sets it up for a whole new story to begin. I really hope she continues this series.

I highly recommend this one!

First Look at Hidden Beneath (Into the Deep 2)

My first novel "Into the Deep" ended with Ivy Daniels coming to terms with her telepathic ability. The sequel "Hidden Beneath" will be out this summer and it picks up roughly a year and a half later. Ivy's junior year of high school has come and gone, but mysteries and dangerous situations havn't completely left her behind. Now as Ivy prepares for college she'll find herself pulled into a whole new adventure.

For more information on the first book of this series, "Into the Deep" check out it's Goodreads page here. And, for a (unedited) sneak peak at "Hidden Beneath" keep reading.


TEASER

My chest felt weighted as my breaths grew more labored. I ignored the heat that raced up my calves, ignored the frightened shivers that traced down the back of my neck, screaming to turn and run the other way. I hadn’t had the dream in months, and in truth I thought that I was free of it. Maybe it was having my emotions running high that brought it back out, maybe it was seeing Brant again, but for whatever reason as I napped in the car, the memory of that day at the school morphed into a horrific nightmare, and played over in my head.

I was running. The hallway seemed endlessly long, as if it were being stretched out with every step I took, as if I could never reach the other end. My heart was pounding, my lungs heaving, and a bead of sweat rolled from my hairline to the tip of my nose. I could see the gym, it was just ahead of me but I felt like I’d never reach it. I needed to run faster, I was too slow, it wasn’t enough. Panic pulsed through my body and I tried to run faster. My shoes squeaked against the tile floor. I tried to do better. The smell of basketball rubber, and wood floor cleaner reached my senses.

“Wait,” I shouted, and for a moment the distance between me and the gym door lessened. I had to get there, I had to get in. He was in the locker room, and I had to stop him. I had to save him. I pushed forward. My hand was on the door to the gym. Then with a deep breath I pushed it open.

“Ivy, wake up,” a voice said.

I felt pressure on my arm and then quickly the dream vanished into a blur. My eyes opened and I realized I was in the Camaro. The smell of warn leather floated into my senses and my head was slumped against the window. Shooting pain coursed through my neck as I straightened myself out. I was in desperate need of a good stretch and rolled my shoulders back and cracked my neck to try and make up for not having enough room to do it properly.

Looking around I saw that we were parked outside a small motel. Endlessly tall trees shot up out of the ground and pine cones littered the dirt parking lot. It was called the Fernwood Motel, and while it appeared to have a fresh coat of paint on its surface nothing could hide the retro 70’s architecture with its tilted roof and small windows.

“I figured we’d rest for a bit here, get cleaned up then maybe get a bite to eat?”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”


Find out more about Hidden Beneath, and add it to your "to read" list on Goodreads.



 

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Review for Cheating Death by Jen Naumann

Unique and Real

5 Stars. The beginning of this book sucked me in with a creepy hook, but it was the ending that made me love it. This is a very different story from the usual YA’s I like to read. It’s about something deeper and more real than what paranormal romances tend to deal with. I completely understand why Mrs. Naumann decided to make this NA, because while it starts out with the main character graduating high school it ends up dealing with some adult issues.

When Lysandra runs away with Aydin you sort of expect this story to go a certain way, and I loved that it completely veered off in a different direction. I feel like this book took a moment to look at some of the things that are often romanticized in YA and NA paranormal romances and give an honest and real perspective on them. Cheating Death is about growing up and learning to deal with life changing events in a responsible way; and, it makes some serious comments about teen drinking, suicide, rape, and second chances.

There seems to be a formula that paranormal themed books follow these days. Basically it comes out as human girl meets supernatural boy and against all odds they find a way to be together regardless of the consequences, even if that means the human girl has to give up everything in her life including friends, family and even her very humanity. Naumann completely breaks free of this trend and puts out a very different message with Cheating Death. She looks at how selfish these choices can be and how they affect all of the people in Lysandra’s life. This may be a paranormal book, but at its core it’s about something very real. This book isn’t about the undying love a girl has for a boy; it’s about life and the choices we make.

Lysandra has been a bit of a follower all of her life. She’s a little lost - as I think many people are at eighteen, wondering what she wants to do with the rest of her life. But, she has to grow up incredibly fast. One moment she’s a kid and the next she’s dealing with adult problems, and you really feel her loss over that middle part of her life. Her young adult years vanish. The way she deals with everything that happens to her is this downward spiral of events that tear her apart, and build her into a stronger person at the same time.

I loved Lysandra. She felt really real to me and I could understand her love/hate relationships with her friends. One thing that annoyed me a little with her, however, was that after she woke up in a stranger’s bed after a party that she couldn’t remember, she didn’t even wonder if maybe she’d been taken advantage of. Other people had to point this out to her. But, looking at her personality and the overall concept of the book I think that was just part of her immaturity in that stage of her life. She’s hard on herself because she doesn’t know who she is yet. And she blames herself for what happened because in her journey to discover who she is she makes mistakes and takes risks that aren’t true to who she is.

The ending of this book was incredible. It wrapped everything up nicely and in an unexpected way. You really see Lysandra’s growth in those final chapters. When she first realizes that she was meant to die, but didn’t, she doesn’t fully understand what this means or care about how it affects her friends, family and the entire world. Even when her very existence causes the deaths of innocent people she’s too selfish not to even consider that she’s not supposed to be there. In the end, it is a necessary thing for her to be willing to die for someone else for the greater good, for her to grow up. This is also a nice opposing force to Lysandra’s decision to die selfishly. Driving her car off the bridge had nothing to do with the greater good, only with easing her own pain. The end of this book really brings it all together and shows how Lysandra has learned to be not only self-less but a well-rounded person.

Jen was nice enough to do an interview for me where she talks about this book, which you can read here.

Review for The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life By Jen Naumann

A Fun Zombie Story with a Twist

4 Stars. This book started out interesting and had me completely hooked through the middle. It had well written characters and the storyline about two best friends who realize at the end of the world that they’re in love with one another was what kept me hanging on every page.

I loved Emma; she was just so honest and funny. Her relationship with Finn was sweet and natural and I loved watching the two of them realize their feelings for one another. I also liked watching Emma banter with Cash and all their snarky remarks. All of the characters in this book really played nicely off one another.

There were a few things that bugged me about Emma from time to time. She could be a little redundant with her thoughts, which isn’t helped by her shock induced amnesia half way through the book; although I did find this to be a believable thing to happen to this character. Emma wasn’t the strongest person and she takes everything that happens really hard, but I loved that she dealt with her discomfort with humor and cracking jokes. This is something I tend to do as well so I could completely relate. However, she freaked out a lot, and while she seemed to pull herself together at the very end I wished she had gotten herself together a little sooner.

When it comes to the plot I found that this was not your typical zombie storyline, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes and I was constantly trying to figure things out. The mystery in the middle of this book, wondering who Emma could trust and who she couldn’t was perfect. It had me hanging on edge and second guessing the intentions of every character. I also enjoyed that this was written in the present tense. It really pulled you into the action and made it all that more exciting because it was happening now.

One thing I thought I would be turned off by was the concept of how this virus started. Naumann drops hints throughout the book about aliens and I just wasn’t sure I’d like that, but once it was all explained I felt like the idea made sense, and it was a welcomed twist. I also appreciated that the author gave a reason for where the zombies came from as this is often overlooked in zombie stories. Another thing that I liked and thought was different was that only adults were infected, it was an intriguing idea to think about a world with only teenagers and kids and how they would survive without adults. It also reminded me a little of Lord of the Flies, particularly when our group of misfits came across a group of teen boys doing their best to survive on their own in their destroyed home town.

Now I want to say that part of me liked the ending, but where this book lost a star for me was wishing it had been a few chapters longer. I just wanted a little more, partly because I didn't want it to end. But, I think Naumann was making a point that we should appreciate what we have while we have it, and the ending of this book makes a point that there are things we simply cannot control. Even in the end when everything has been taken away from Emma there is this sense that she, though sad, is grateful for if nothing else the fact that she got to be with Finn and has him there with her. She’s going to die but at least she gets to go out like ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

It’s not a happy ending, but its left open ended and while I think that was the point I can’t help but wish Naumann had told us the happy ending my mind keeps conjuring up. We don’t see Emma die, and while the odds are stacked against her and her friends I keep thinking well… they could go and break Finn’s mom out and then she’ll have a cure and they’ll save Emma and they’ll still have this crazy war with the undead going on but just maybe they could find a way to fix it all. Naumann leaves the possibility open, but not knowing for sure is getting to me a little.

If Nauman were to do a sequel of this book I would definitely pick it up, and I’m going to be keeping an eye out for her work in the future.

Unhealthy relationships: a Twilight, Graceling Comparison

Should we be Worried about what Young Adults are Reading?

Romance books since the beginning of time have portrayed unhealthy relationships with submissive females succumbing to their desires with controlling men, and some are concerned as these themes make their way into young adult fiction that the impressionable minds of teens will be swayed to model their own relationships after these unhealthy ones.

Since Twilight’s release it has come under crossfire for portraying the relationship between a meek female girl and her stalkerish, controlling vampire boyfriend as a healthy relationship when there are obvious unhealthy aspects of their partnership. Another book, Graceling by Kristen Cashore, takes the opposite approach to the relationship in its story with a strong independent female lead, however I find this relationship to be just as unhealthy as the one in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight.

To be fair, Twilight and Graceling aren’t the only books with unhealthy relationships in them. Literature is full of unhealthy relationships, just look at Heathcliff and Catherine from Wuthering Heights. Their relationship was (no pun intended) the height of dysfunction, however at least Heathcliff and Catherine were equally selfish, and horrible to one another. Or look at Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Twilight has been criticized for portraying this unequivocal, undying, I can’t live without you kind of love between Bella and Edward but, this concept isn’t at all new. (Though you could argue that Romeo and Juliet did it better). Also, there is a difference between showing unhealthy relationships in books and showing unhealthy relationships as if they were healthy. In Wuthering Heights it was obvious that Heathcliff and Cathy did not have a healthy relationship, this was not as obvious in Twilight nor Graceling.

Now, I don't want to comment on writing style or anything else with these books. I just want to focus on the relationships they display. So, here's a short side by side comparison.

Main Character: Bella – clumsy, weak, overly-trusting, average,   Love Interest: Edward - mysterious, brooding, overprotective, possesive, secretive   Novel’s view on sex: absolutely wait until you’re married, even if you're only eighteen or over a hundred.   Edward has the power in his relationship with Bella. In New Moon he leaves thinking he’s trying to protect Bella, but he makes this decision completely on his own without letting Bella have any say in it. He makes a number of decisions for the both of them without taking what Bella wants into account. Edward is physically stronger than Bella. Edward treats Bella like she’s fragile and in need of protecting. Edward keeps secrets from Bella about what he is. When Bella finds out what he is she instantly trusts him completely.

Main Character: Katsa – strong, agile, empowered, guarded, an outcast, hot temper   Love Interest: Po - snarky, charming, bold, secretive   Novel’s view on sex: there’s no need to have commitment of any kind with those you sleep with.   Katsa has the power in her relationship with Po. She tells him that she might just up and leave one day, without any regard to Po’s feelings or suggestion of commitment to their relationship. She only asks if he can handle this. Katsa calls the shots in her relationship keeping herself guarded and untrusting.     Katsa is physically stronger than Po. Katsa and Po spar together until Po is covered in bruises.   Po keeps secrets from Katsa about what he is. When Katsa discovers Po’s secret she’s so mad at him she doesn’t even want to let him explain.

In neither of these books are the characters equals with their partners, though one could argue that by the end of the Twilight saga Edward and Bella become equals, as they could with Graceling. And in truth, just because one character is physically stronger than their partner does not mean they can’t have an equal relationship. The problem with the inequality of both Bella and Edward’s relationship as well as Katsa and Po’s is that one character holds all the power in the relationship where the other has none. This is unhealthy.

In Twilight Bella would do anything for Edward, she’s willing to die for him, and he becomes the only thing of any importance in her life. This all encompassing view of Edward that she has is not healthy. But, it's not healthy to get into a relationship where you're unwilling to open up to the other person either. In Graceling Katsa has no interest in relationships what so ever. She hates the idea of marriage and thinks of it as this horrible oppressive thing that has absolutely no benefits. After a few chapters she’s so afraid of giving up her newfound freedom that she offers zero commitment to Po when the attraction starts to grow between them. In both of these cases these relationships are presented as healthy when they are not. A healthy relationship has both equality as well as commitment, these things are essential for happiness and trust.

One thing I will say is that in Twilight the negative aspects of Bella and Edward’s relationship were not glorified (despite what some may say, I truly do not think they were). The unhealthy choices made, such as Edward leaving Bella for "her own good", do not turn out well and it’s obvious later that these were bad decisions to have made, though at the time they are made they are presented as perfectly normal decisions to be making in a relationship. And, as for Graceling it does seem that by the end of the book Katsa does develop some kind of commitment to Po, though she continues to hate the idea of marriage and still refuses to see anything positive about it. (I guess I just wish Bella had given Edward a little more grief for leaving her and I wish Po hadn't been so calm about Katsa's inability to give him even an ounce of commitment)

My reason for writing this post is that Twilight has gotten a lot of backlash for portraying an unhealthy relationship, however I think Graceling shows the same level of unhealthy attitude in a relationship the difference being that the roles are switched from a man having all the power in a relationship to a woman having all the power in a relationship, but no one is talking about Graceling being unhealthy. When a man gets into a relationship with zero commitment to the woman we call him a "player" but when a woman does it she's "empowered"? The truth is the relationships in Twilight and in Graceling are both unhealthy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a man or a woman who’s being controlling and holding all the power in a relationship, it’s wrong either way. Couples should work together to compromise and make each other feel supported.

Now, I’m not saying these are bad books. I enjoyed both of them, and I certainly loved Wuthering Heights. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing about a relationship that has unhealthy elements in it in a story, because let’s be honest, that’s reality. Relationships can be unhealthy sometimes. People do sometimes feel so engrossed in another person that it feels like they’d die without them, and they do build up walls to protect themselves and fear commitment. But, the young adults who are reading these books need to recognize that the unhealthy parts of these stories are not okay. And, honestly I think they will. Young adults are not going to be brainwashed into thinking that your boyfriend not allowing you to see one of your friends is okay. They’re gonna say, “Hey, that was really messed up that Bella had to sneak out to see Jacob.” Or at least, that’s what I hope.  

Review for Opal by Jennifer Armentrout

Passion and a Great Plot

5 stars. I loved Katy and Daemon’s relationship in this book, and the development of all the characters was fabulous. Everyone has grown and changed since the last book. This is a series that hooked me from the very first book and I can’t wait for the next installment.

Opal is the third book in the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout and it does not disappoint. This steamy alien-romance novel was nothing I expected and yet at the same time everything I hoped it would be. I loved that nothing happened too easily. I wanted Katy and Dee to make up so badly, but with what happened in Onyx the distance between them in this book is believable. It takes time for their friendship to mend, just like it takes time for Dawson to come around and to get back into the swing of things.

I was excited to start reading this knowing that Katy and Daemon were finally together, and once I got into Opal I felt like their relationship was completely natural. I liked that they still had that snarkiness between them and that they still pushed each other’s buttons. I also liked that what kept Katy and Daemon from hooking up was nothing more than the fact that they kept getting interrupted. I’ve read too many books where the main character is trying to be a good role model by waiting for marriage, but that’s not always realistic. For Katy and Daemon they don’t have sex right away, but it’s not for a lack of trying, and some of the interruptions that break them up are quite funny. Then when things finally do work out for them it feels right and is written incredibly well.

I also liked that while this book had enough sexiness to keep me smiling, it didn’t feel like the characters were ignoring the more serious issues in the plot. Onyx left a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up and this book takes care of most of them but still leaves a few things to wonder for the next book. And, with that cliffhanger of an ending Origin is going to be completely different than I was expecting. This series has thrown one surprise after another at me and the release of Origin can’t come soon enough.

If you haven’t started this series yet, pick up Obsidian today.

Read my Review for Obsidian
Read my Review for Onyx

Review for My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Real Characters with New and Different Paranormal Concepts

4.5 Stars. I loved these characters from the very beginning; Kaylee, Emma and Nash are all very real and I wanted to know more about them. However, I did wish there had been a little more of Emma considering she was Kaylee’s best friend, and I did feel like Kaylee’s relationship with Nash came about a little too easily. However, they had known each other for some time, even though not well, before the novel started. I also wish we had been told a little more about why Nash likes Kaylee. He falls for her rather quickly but they don’t have a lot in common, at least other than one big thing.

Kaylee has had a huge secret kept from her, her entire life and at sixteen she’s forced to face it before her father or aunt and uncle were really prepared to talk to her about it. Kaylee is a Banshee and she knows when someone around her is about to die, then she lets out a terrible scream once they pass which can suspend their soul for a short time. It’s a frightening ability but one that Kaylee is able to get a handle on, until she realizes that there’s someone out there that’s taking people before their time and Kaylee can’t stand to let girls die for no reason.

This starts out with action and there’s something going on throughout the entire book. It was an exciting read and there were surprises up through the very end. But, I didn’t completely believe that Kaylee’s aunt would make the choices she did at the end of the novel, it just didn’t feel like that ending had been set up as well as it could have been. The plot overall is exciting and different and I truly enjoyed this book. I just wished a few parts had been fleshed out a little more. Overall I enjoyed this read and will continue on with the next book in this series.

Read my Review for My Soul to Save

Review for Shadows by Jennifer Armentrout

Prequel with a love story of its own.

4.5 Stars. This prequel to Obsidian was a great piece offering some backstory to the Lux series. It really helps you to understand all these characters that Katy meets in Obsidian, and why they react to her the way they do. I liked that this this book was written in the third person instead of seeing it through Dawson, or another character’s eyes. The rest of the books are in first person through Katy’s point of view, but by Shadows being in the third you are really able to get a feel for all of the characters, not just Dawson and Beth which I think was important.

I liked getting to know Dawson and Beth, their personalities are so different from Daemon and Katy, and so is their relationship. This book has a lot of the same elements that I loved in Obsidian, but it’s a very different story. The Lux series is about aliens, but also feeling like an outcast and fighting against what everyone else wants for you to do what makes you happy. Dawson and Beth have some similar hurdles to overcome as Katy and Daemon, but they’re very different people. Just seeing how Beth discovers that Dawson is an alien is a good example of this as well as a wonderful scene. You really feel for Beth and Dawson as the book goes on and you want them to have a happy ending, but if you’ve already read Obsidian or Onyx then you know that’s not exactly how it goes.

My only real complaint with this book is that there could have been more of it. It was a little short, but there was enough here that Armentrout could have written a full length novel. As it stands it fits perfectly into the Lux series, but Dawson and Beth could very easily have a series of their own. Overall this was a worthwhile read and if you’ve read or are thinking about reading Obsidian I would pick this one up as well.

Sequels I Can't Wait to be Released

I love a good series, but waiting for the next book to come out, especially when it's release date is months or even a year or more away can drive you crazy. Here are the books I'm counting down the days until their release.

SamanthaYoung’s fourth book in the Fire Spirits series
“Darkness Kindled”
Release Date: 2013

I have to congratulate Samantha on recently being picked up by Penguin. She deserves it, but with “On Dublin Street” hitting it big “Darkness Kindled’s” release date has gotten pushed back. I am utterly devastated. This book will be the final piece to her Fire Spirits series which I have fallen in love with and am dying to find out how it ends.

What I loved about these books was that they were something I’d never read before. Samantha mixes the Jinn mythology perfectly with urban romance, and her character development is spot on. I’d never liked a love triangle more than when I read “Smokeless Fire,” and the series only gets hotter from there out. “Scorched Skies” and “Borrowed Ember” were each better than the last and because of this I have high expectations for “Darkness Kindled”.
Read my Reviews for:

SmokelessFire
Scorched Skies
Borrowed Ember

Jennifer Armentrout’s third book in her Lux series
“Opal”
Release Date: December 18^th 2012

I wasn’t expecting to love this series as much as I do, but after reading “Obsidian” Jennifer’s Lux series has quickly skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list. I didn’t put “Obsidian” down until my kindle died then proceeded to twitch nervously as it charged. Then, I read its sequel, “Onyx”, just as fast. Now I’m trying to pace myself with the Lux prequel “Shadows” to hold me over until December 18^th. These books were angsty and action packed and I found them impossible to put down.

Aliens aren’t normally the first thing that comes to mind when I talk about the kind of books that I like to read, but the aliens in this book are hot. I got sucked in with the “I want you, but hate you,” romance between Katy and Daemon and with every second and every secret that was revealed I wanted more. Katy and Daemon have spent two books going back and forth fighting their attraction for one another, now I’m dying to see how they come together in “Opal”.
Read my Reviews for:

Obsidian
Onyx
Shadows

My second book in the Ivy Daniels series
"Hidden Beneath”
 Release Date: Summer 2013

Okay, so maybe I'm not going crazy waiting to read this one, but I am getting really excited about publishing it. When I started “Into the Deep” I hadn’t planned on there being a second book, but after I got into this project and started writing’s Brant’s background I knew I wanted to do another one. I still think “Into the Deep” is a great stand-alone piece, but there’s more story to be told with Ivy and Brant. In “Hidden Beneath” (Ivy Daniels 2) we get to find out where these characters are the summer after Ivy graduates high school, and they get sucked into a whole new adventure. Now that I have this book almost finished (with the first draft that is) I can say that I like it even more than the first. In the first book Ivy and Brant were just getting to know each other, but in the second book they have history, and it makes their relationship much deeper and much more complex.

In “Into the Deep” I wanted to look at judgment and the way people view one another. It was about learning to be understanding of other people and to not judge a book by its cover. In “Into the Deep” Ivy learns that people make mistakes, in “Hidden Beneath” she will have to learn how to forgive people for the mistakes they’ve made.
Read Reviews for Into the Deep on:

Amazon
Goodreads

Review for Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout

A Whole New Layer of Danger and Romance.

5 Stars. This was a great sequel, picking up the story shortly after where Obsidian left off, and it left me wanting to read more. In Onyx Katy learns that she has more than just Arum to worry about. The government has their eyes on the Luxen at all times, but what they’re after are not the aliens themselves. This book was a whole new layer of mystery and danger, and it was just as hot as the first.

 I loved that Katy developed powers and that she didn’t stay this weak human among aliens. She’s still the quirky, independent, and real Katy that I loved from the first book, but she does some growing up and has to learn some hard lessons. I loved that Katy pushed to be seen as an equal and not just some damsel in distress. However, this need to stand beside Daemon and not behind him did cause her to make some bad choices. There were a few times she kept secrets from Daemon that I was just screaming at her to say something. All the same, I did feel like she made believable decisions.

I didn’t mind the love triangle that was introduced, Blake was a well written character and I understood Katy’s attraction to him, he seemed so charming at the beginning, as the story went on however it was obvious that he had a lot that he was hiding. Armentrout did a wonderful job of giving him motive for his actions and making it believable.

I did wish there had been a little more Dee, though I understood why we didn’t see as much of her. She wasn’t forgotten though. Dee goes through some changes in this book and you see that she’s growing up as well. I loved that even though her relationship with Katy gets a little strained, there isn’t a second of doubt that Katy wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore.

Overall this was a wonderful book and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the third book, Opal.

Read my Review of Obsidian, the first book in this series
Read my Review of Opal, the third book in this series

Review for Purpose by Kristie Cook

Wanted More Dorian

3.75 Stars. This book started out strong and ended strong. It’s much more grown up than the first book and I loved the way Alexis’s character had developed between Promise and Purpose. She’s a little broken, and very real. Where I had some problems with this book was the middle. Tristan’s return is wonderful but his relationship with Alexis quickly gets lovey-dovey. I get that they needed time to reunite, but I felt like the middle of this book got a little too mushy.

This starts out years after Promise ends and I really liked that Alexis had grown as a person. She wasn’t the same girl from the first book, but she still felt like the same person. I really felt her pain, and believed that her love for Tristan combined with living with his absence and trying to hold on to hope that he was still alive would affect her exactly as it did. She was torn between not wanting to forget him and needing to be strong enough to continue on with her life. She pulls it together for her son though, and I understood that.

In Purpose Alexis is a little erratic at times, and she’s gotten much more bitchy, especially in the beginning. But, I felt for the most part that it was an honest portrayal of a girl growing older and becoming more cynical. Although at times she did seem a little too extreme. As the story went on I liked the idea of Alexis having this inner battle with good and evil. I also liked Owen a lot in this book and how complex his relationship with Alexis was. I wish that the author had explored this a little further even.

Also, I loved Alexis’s son, Dorian. He was written very well and I wished that he had been in this book more. I felt like the parts of the story that revolved around him were more real and better developed than others. For example, the over lovey dovey-ness in the middle almost felt a little out of place, it felt too easy when the author had done such a good job setting up the beginning to show the complexity of love. Then there’s all this mushy stuff and I felt like it lost its honesty and believability and in turn was romanticized too much. I wanted for Alexis and Tristan to have a wonderful reunion, and they did, but there was so much time spent on this that it almost felt like the characters had regressed some. I wanted to rush through some of the love scenes to see Tristan meet Dorian. I wanted this to happen so much sooner and would have traded some of the mushy love story in the middle for more time with Dorian.

Some of the other things that I didn’t like as much were that again, in this book Alexis was a little too naieve at times. She can just be a little oblivious and there were times when I figured something out chapters before she did.

Also, I felt the religious themes in this book were stronger than they were in the first one. I enjoyed Cook’s message and I loved that she’s written a book that holds true to her values without ignoring, or watering down the passion, but I think the author could have been less blunt and still gotten the same message across. Also there were times when I wondered if Cook was Alexis, especially when it becomes obvious that Alexis’s purpose in life was to write books to inform her readers about the evil in the world and how to protect themselves from it. Was this also maybe what Cook was trying to do by writing the book in the first place? This wasn’t something that bothered me much, just a thought.

Overall I enjoyed this read, and I did go on to read the sample of the next book wanting to know more. But, I feel at this time I’m going to take a break from this series to read something else, and maybe I’ll return to it later.

Read my review for the first book in this series Promise

Review for Promise by Kristie Cook

Well Developed Characters and Steamy Scenes:

4.5 Stars. This book opens with a lot of action, and it really sucked me in. I did feel a little like the very first scene of this book was a little disjointed from the rest of it; but, after reading the second book in this series it makes sense how it all fits together. The whole book has a very quick pace, which I enjoyed for the most part. Although at the beginning there were a few scenes that I wouldn't have minded if they'd been slowed down a bit.

Cook has wonderfully descriptive scenes, and fun sassy dialogue. I loved her main character Alexis. She is an introverted type, partly because of all the moving around she did as a kid. She never had time to make close friends. She also at times has low self-esteem, maybe again because she never had a chance to really connect with anyone, and maybe partly because of things she went through as a teen. Alexis has been an outcast, a freak, and rejected, and I found myself completely able to relate to her. And, she's got sass too. She's introverted but also independent and she channels her feelings into her writing. I liked that she had this talent; it made her feel like a very well rounded character. Also, she's not weak; she's a strong young woman. She just prefers to keep to herself.

There were times when I found Alexis a little too naive. I just wish she had explained better why she never looked deeper into what she was. Also, there were some things that were obvious to me, but she was completely oblivious to them. So, while I liked her character I felt she wasn't the most perceptive and that her lack of perception was somewhat unbelievable.

Tristan was also a wonderful character. From the very beginning I found him fascinating. He was confidant and very forward but also down-to-earth. However, he could be a little cheesy at times. For the most part I loved his character, but some of the things he said to Alexis, like constantly following up her name with "my love" was a little too much for me. I also hated that Alexis was always referring to Tristian as "yummy" or "delicious" as if she were eying up a candy bar. Despite these little annoyances however, their relationship really felt like it clicked to me. It felt real and felt like it truly grew. I believed Alexis when she said she was drawn to him and could feel that they were truly falling in love. I also liked that their relationship took time to develop.

This was a wonderful love story, and while there were also some unique ideas being used there were also defiantly some overdone plot devices as well. I can see why some people compared this to Twilight. Both Promise and Twilight are about this unyielding, forever love that two people experience, and they both involve supernatural creatures dealing with how to control and hide their powers. Because of this there are some similar themes between the books. But, I have to say, this book as a whole was very different from Twilight.

Also, I was bothered by the fact that some people didn't think this was YA, but that's mostly because I think a lot of people have a really screwed up definition of what YA stands for. YA - young ADULT. This book is not for kids. I would give it a 17+ rating because there are some really steamy scenes, but that's still YA for me. At 17 you're a young adult. And on that note, the romance in this was hot! (My thoughts on what it means to be a Young Adult)

One thing that was odd to me about this book was that Alexis wonders if her mother and Tristan will hook up. This just seems like a strange thing to wonder about your mother. Did her mother often date much younger men? Obviously as we learn more about the nature of just what Alexis, Tristan and Sophia are this question isn't as weird, but in the beginning before Alexis knows what she is I find this to be an odd thought for her to have. Later it's also clear that she and her mom are very close, they are almost more like sisters or friends then mother and daughter, but I think at first this really threw me off.

Where I had some problems with this book was at the end. I liked the way the plot went, but the story lost me a little. I didn't feel Tristan's sacrifice, and I'm not sure I entirely understood his decision. He seemed to go off and walk right into exactly what they were avoiding. I just wish the ending had sucked me in a little more, but for whatever reason it didn't. All together though this was a great read and after finishing it I immediately picked up its sequel Purpose.

Why we Love the Supernatural

Contemporary literature and Paranormal, or Fantasy novels often look at many of the same themes; the difference between the two being whether a story contains or lacks a supernatural element. So, I thought I’d look at what makes books that include otherworldly elements so popular.

Reasons we read supernatural stories:

Sean McGrath

Escape Reality: The thing that makes paranormal or fantasy novels so interesting is that they’re extra ordinary – a step outside of the normal. In a fantasy novel you have the ability to see things that aren’t possible in real life. Imaginations can run wild in a paranormal or fantasy novel. There are endless possibilities: A world without boundaries. In our everyday lives we deal with structure and rules. Fantasy novels break out of the routine to give us surprises and spontaneity.

Belief in the Extraordinary: Many of us like to think that there’s a bit of fantasy that exists in our own world. Whether it be that you believe in ghosts, or magic, miracles, or even just intuition, paranormal books help us to believe that maybe just a little piece of them really is real. We all want to believe in something, and fantasy books help up to keep hope alive that maybe there’s a little bit of magic in our own world.

Value the Ordinary: Seeing characters deal with life or death issues puts our own problems in their place. If so and so can save the world, well then I can pass my history exam on Friday. We like to read about epic quests and heroes battling immeasurable odds, because when they come out on top it makes us feel like we can conquer anything.

Symbolic Monsters: Real life problems can be symbolized by fantasy monsters. Stephen King once said, “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” We all have our own inner demons that we battle with every day. We can relate with the monsters in supernatural stories because sometimes they are the personification of the things we feel inside.

Kick ass Action: There’s nothing that can amp up a fight scene better than having characters with super powers. Fantasy stories not only have characters whose strength and agility can exceed that of the typical human, but they might also have magical powers, or an ability to heal themselves. Supernatural stories have the ability to have some truly epic action.

There are many sub-genres of the supernatural, including Fantasy which includes stories about mythical lands and creatures and epic quests, Paranormal which includes stories about things such as ghosts or vampires, and Science fiction which may deal with outer space or experiments gone wrong. But, what they all have in common is that they are more than just make-believe. They represent our inner demons, display the extent of our imaginations, and provide an escape from the monotony of our lives. For those reasons stories of the supernatural are important, and that’s why we love them.

If you liked this post check out “Why we Love Vampires”