Urban Fantasy Investigations

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Early Review: Killing Rites by M.L.N. Hanover

Killing Rites
Author:M.L.N. Hanover
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
The Black Suns Daugher Book #4
ISBN: 1439176345
ISBN13: 9781439176344
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Jayné Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers; something else is living inside her body. She's possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old teacher and the circle of friends he left behind, hoping to cleanse Jayné before the parasite in her becomes too powerful. Ex's history and a new enemy combine to leave Jayné alone and on the run. Her friends, thinking that the rider with her has taken the reins, try to hunt her down, unaware of the danger they're putting her in. Jayné must defeat the weight of the past and the murderous intent of another rider, and her only allies are a rogue vampire she once helped free and the nameless thing hiding inside her skin.

Answers we finally have answers. If you are anything like me you have been dying right along with Jayné from book one trying to figure out who and what she really is. The time has finally come that we have answers. KILLING RITES starts off a little bit after the events of VICIOUS GRACE. Jayné is beating herself up for the role she played in Chicago and is determined to find out who she really is and what exactly is sharing her body.

Ex ends up bringing Jayné to some old colleagues and things stack up to send Jayné on the run by herself to prove that she isn't being controlled by her rider. Although I love the whole cast of supporting characters, I actually ended up really enjoying seeing Jayné take care of things on her own. She really takes control of the situation she is in to take care of not only herself but her friends too. Ex plays a much bigger role in book 4 than anyone else. Aubrey and Kim are off trying to make their relationship work after they find out exactly what Jayné's uncle did to tear them apart. Chogyi Jake is off recovering as well as being pushed away by Jayné because she doesn't want to drag him into another possible place where he could get hurt. I missed having him around for the first half of the story but he did end up coming in towards the end and is back in the mix. Ex really is the only one there with Jayné and they end up getting pretty close. She starts seeing him through different eyes and starts thinking about possibilities. I think they could do great things together relationship wise so I'm hoping this develops more.

KILLING RITES was filled with inner struggles, hard choices and answers. It ended up being a tad bit slower then previous books but I think that it was pretty important information wise. There was still plenty of action and rider drama. The answers wont stop here though there is still plenty to learn and it looks like Jayné will be going home to look for them.

I gave it 4/5 stars

New Releases Nov 20-26

Tues Nov 22

Bad Blood (House of Comarré, #3) by Kristen Painter

Bride of the Night by Heather Graham

Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance, #2) by Larissa Ione

Feel free to add anything you see missing or let me know if there is a mistake in the comments. Happy Reading =)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Early Review: Fates Edge by Ilona Andrews

Fate's Edge
Author:Ilona Andrews
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Ace
The Edge Book #3
ISBN: 0441020860
ISBN13: 9780441020867
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she's determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades...

Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he's going to need Audrey's help...

Audrey is the first of the female heroines of The Edge series to not be close to her family. She was born into a family of thief's and wants nothing to do with them now. She is finally doing what she wants with her life, staying above the law and taking care of herself in a respectable way when Her father shows up one night and talks her into one last heist that pulls her into drama that she wants desperately to get out of and put right at the same time. FATE'S EDGE also takes place a big chunk of the time in the broken. I liked the mix between the Broken and the edge and the mix of magic and non magic.

Kaldar happens to be one of the brothers of Cerise from BAYOU MOON. He is the matchmaker of his family but has never considered taking a wife himself but Audrey catches his eye from the moment he meets her. There is also quite a bit of secondary characters from both book one THE EDGE and book two BAYOU MOON in FATES EDGE. Jack and George the brothers of Rose are a big part of the story with some minor parts from both Cerise and William and Gaston, Cerise and Kaldar's nephew.

For most of the book Kaldar spends his time trying to convince Audrey to take him to bed while Audrey spends her time pushing him away so she doesn't get hurt. There romance was fun to watch and provided plenty of sexual tension. Kaldar was a great flirt and had me laughing at his tactics quite a few times. There are some great action scenes as they are dodging The Hand at every turn. I really felt that Kaldar and Audrey worked well together and meshed well with the other characters of the series. I like that the series is thoroughly connected even though each book has its own guy and gal romance and story. I cant even begin to imagine how Ilona Andrews will end the series but I cant wait to see where Ilona Andrews takes the series next.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Week in review 11/13-11/19

Books Ive Bought/received

* Killing Rites by M.L.N Hanover- Publisher for review

* Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi-ARC- Win from Darkfairytales

* Chosen by Fate by Virna DePaul- Win from All Things Urban Fantasy

Books I read

Winging It by Deborah Cooke
Killing Rites by M.L.N. Hanover
Cold Fire by Kate Elliott

Reviews posted

Destined Mate by Katie Reus
The Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Legend by Marie Lu
Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

*Thursday I put of a trailer and Giveaway for Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié newest release UNLEASHED

*If you see something on my books Ive read list that you are dying to know about let me know I'm back logged on reviews and can move it up on the list if I know people are wanting one.

* I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Review: Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

Drink Deep
Author:Chloe Neill
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Publisher: NAL
Chicagoland Vampires Book #5
ISBN: 0451234863
ISBN13: 9780451234865
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and Merit the vampire can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn, or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times have never been more precarious for the vampires. If only they could lay low for a bit...
Then magic rears its ugly head when Lake Michigan turns black. The mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows a panic is coming. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for both the vampires and humans.

Because I try really hard not to reveal spoilers this is a very hard review to write. I have loved this series from the first chapter of the first book SOME GIRLS BITE. I love that Chloe has added in all these little hints that tell you of things to come and things to look forward to. This is definitely not a series that you can pick up at any book but book 1 so if you have not started the Chicagoland Vampires series yet I would highly recommend starting from the beginning.

As all you fans know there was a HUGE devastating cliff hanger at the end of HARD BITTEN. Hopefully you didn't hold that against the series because DRINK DEEP totally makes up for the absence of Ethan. Will you miss him? Of Course. But the story still rocks. I found the pacing to be slower then previous installments but there is a lot of action and detective work mixed in to everything. We see a lot of Jonah and don't worry all you loyal Ethan fans it isn't bad as you might be thinking. I actually really enjoyed seeing Merit become closer friends with someone outside the house or someone in her normal circle. There were so many surprises and major things that happened in DRINK DEEP that I will end this review with, you really have to read it. All you people that said you were going to stop reading after HARD BITTEN will be extremely disappointing if you don't snag a copy.

I gave it 5/5 stars

Friday, November 18, 2011

Early Review Legend by Marie Lu

Legend
Author:Marie Lu
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Legend Book #1
ISBN: 039925675X
ISBN13: 9780399256752
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Librarything Early Reviewers

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

I am on a bit of a Dystopian kick and LEGEND definitely kept me wanting to read more. There was a lot of action, adventure and entertainment. The story is told from 2 different points of view. June is 15 year old (although she seems way older to me, I had a bit of a hard time picturing her as 15) She is the golden child. The only one in history to get a perfect score on the test everyone takes to determine their future. She is strong, goal oriented, And has a plan for her future (or so she thinks). Day is the is the most wanted criminal. He's just as smart, and focused as June but he failed the test and was sent off to die. Instead he escaped and starting raising heck against the republic. He is loyal, smart, honorable and nothing like June thought he would be like.

I enjoyed both characters POV's they were both well spoken. Like many of the Dystopian's I have read the world building is fantastic. I cant even imagine being as creative as all these fabulous authors are as they write the worlds their books take part in. I am always amazed at how easy it is to picture the places that are described and I loved every minute of the futuristic Los Angeles that June and Day live in. The storyline was filled with great action scenes, romance, kick butt characters and fascinating adventures. If you love dystopian you wont be disappointed in adding LEGEND to your bookshelf. It stinks to have to wait for book 2 to come out.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Trailer, Review & Giveaway: Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Unleashed
Author:Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguié
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Adults
Wolf Springs Chronicles Book #1
ISBN: 0385740980
ISBN13: 9780385740982
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Publisher

Katelyn McBride's life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains.

Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hideen here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It's a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths.

And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night--welcome to Wolf Springs.

After the death of her mother Katelyn is sent to live with her grandfather in Wolf Springs. It is a huge change for her from the life she has lived up until now. UNLEASHED for the most part is a set up book. It sets up the scene for the series, introduces you to the characters and gets you really worked up to leave you with a big cliffhanger at the end for the really awesome stuff that will hopefully be coming along in book 2. Having said that, I still really enjoyed it and didn't want to stop reading once I picked it up.

The pacing was a bit slow on the start which made it take a bit to get into the story. I liked Katelyn. She of course was a bit miserable in the beginning but I had no trouble connecting to her character. She is from a big city so she of course is not really excited at the prospect of being in a small town. Trick is mysterious. I honestly still cant tell you what he is all about. I cant tell if he is hiding something about himself or trying to hide something about something else to try to keep Katelyn safe, hopefully some things will be revealed in book 2. There is also another guy in the picture, Justin. He is also a bit mysterious but also has dangerous added on top of it. Not sure who I'm rooting for but they both seem like they would be a good match after everything is thrown out there. There was a great cast of supporting characters. I enjoyed the small town set up and the mysteries of the town are still keeping me guessing. I'm excited for book 2!!

I gave it 4/5 stars

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