Review: Steel ARC by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Steel
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Hardcover: 304 pages
Reading Level: YA
Published: March 15, 2011
My Copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked stars

Blurb (from Around the World Tours):

Summary:  When Jill, a competitive high school fencer, goes with her family on vacation to the Bahamas, she is magically transported to an early eighteenth century pirate ship in the middle of the ocean.

My quick wicked thoughts...An adventerous story with lots of sword fighting but falling short on character depth and romance.

Why I was tempted to read this...I was so excited to read this when I read the blurb and the cover is great

Cover thoughts...I love it...very magical

Romance meter...Eh.  I was REALLY hoping for some more romance in this book, there was so much chance for it but it really disappoints in that area.

Characters and plot...The book had lots of adventure, sword fighting and drama.  I felt it lacked character development...I would like to get more into Jill's head but it seemed to be told from an observer point of view.  As I already mentioned, the was also lacking in the romance department so I was kinda bummed about that.  The action was enough to keep you interested and reading the book though.

The ending...was about what was expected, no huge surprises there.  It ends good, but I don't really see this as a series, more of a stand alone book. I didn't find anything on the author's website to confirm that.

Book of Love - Knight Angels by Abra Ebner

Title: Book of Love, Knight Angels
Author: Abran Ebner
Paperback: 368 pages
Published: April 7, 2010
Reading Level: YA
My copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from Amazon.com:

When seventeen-year-old Jane Taylor witnessed her father's death, something happened to her. Ever since, her thoughts have been consumed by death, going so far as to foresee the ever-changing deaths of those around her. Sixteen-year-old Emily Taylor resented her sister's closeness with their father, who died when she was six. With the strange ability to read minds, she drowns the voices out with drugs, sending Jane over the edge. When seventeen-year-old Wes Green was adopted, he moved in next door to Jane, finding in her a childhood friend turned high-school crush. All summer, the pain in his bones seemed unwarranted. He was done growing long ago. When senior year starts, however, the pain only gets worse. The foreseen changes are not expected, and far too animal for his taste. When Max Gordon found himself standing above the dying body of an innocent seven-year-old girl, he saw in her eyes something he hadn't seen in the century he'd spent roaming Earth. Her father was already dead, but there was hope to save her. Jane was her name, and already she was all he ever wanted. It was his job to bring her back, and it was his job to protect her - the biggest mistake of his life. When these four teens enter Glenwood High their senior year, no one but Max could understand the future ahead of them. Drawn together by blood and friendship, they each hide a dark secret that will soon bind them together. Max has to protect Jane, Jane wants to be normal, Wes wants Jane to love him, and Emily just wants the voices to stop... But their fate just wants them dead. 

My quick wicked thoughts...this book has everything! Guardian angels, shape shifters, mind readers and people that can see your death!

Why I was tempted to read this...it just sounded good from the blurb, and like I said above..it has everything!

Cover thoughts...it's pretty, I assume that is Jane on the cover

Romance Meter...there was definitely enough opportunity for it! And I would say this is an upper level YA due to the reference to sex and drugs.

Character and Plot...I really really liked this book except for one thing.  At times the characters (specifically Jane, Wes and Emily) were SO self absorbed and selfish I just wanted to slap them! I am hoping that is a first-book-in-the-series thing because I really enjoyed the story, plot and romance.  There is a lot of bouncing around from different characters POV's, but this didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.  I really loved the Max character and despite the other irritating me at times, I really want to read the second in the series which I hear is due out at the end of summer/early fall.  I am hoping that the characters have moved past some of their insecurities and we can get to getting back at the "bad guy" :)

The Ending...the ending was good and drama filled but the solution to saving people was found a little easy for my taste.  It almost wrapped up a little too quickly.

Review: Everlasting (ARC) by Angie Frazier

Title: Everlasting
Author: Angie Frazier
Hardcover: 336 pages
Published: June 1, 2010
Reading Level: YA
My Copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from author's website:

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty. On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous - and alluring - magic. The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who - and what - matters most.

My quick wicked thoughts...Take family values, throw in some forbidden love  and family secrets and add a dash of Indiana Jones action and you have Everlasting.

Why I was tempted to read this... I am a fan of historical fiction, so when that is combined with a YA novel with hints of magic and curses, I couldn't pass it up!

Cover thoughts...The cover is okay, nothing dramatic or showy, but you get an idea that there will be some romance on the water.

Romance Meter...It was about a 3 out of 5.  Camille is engaged to a decent sort of guy but there is just isn't a spark with him, as bad as she wants it to be there.  The chills and sparks come from the average guy that works on her father's ship...and he has been forbidden to her, being below her station in life, by her father.  The romance between Oscar and Camille is denied until the last part of the book, she is constantly fighting what she wants and what she needs to do out of duty.

Character and Plot...Camille is a likable character, trying to live up to what her father wants for her and trying to make that work with what would make her happy out of life.  Oscar is a good guy, faithful friend and later in the book proves to have backbone so that she doesn't walk all over him. Go Oscar!  The plot was consistent and you know where it was going, it was fairly predictable, no huge surprises for me.  It kept my interest with the budding romance and the journey that they were on. Camille has some very tough decisions and gets thrown for a loop with family secrets along the way and it makes for an exciting trip!

The Ending...It was fairly predictable but I was satisfied with it.  It set up nicely for a sequel, because there are some loose ends that are dangling.

Sequel...According to the author's website there is a sequel in the works! YAY!

Fun Author Fact...Everlasting is Angie's debut YA novel and she has two destructive cats...hey, i have one of those. NOT FUN haha

Review: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10)
Author: Charlaine Harris
Hardcover: 320 pages
Published: May 2010
Reading Level: Adult Paranormal
My copy: Borrowed from a friend
My rating: 3.5 of out 5 wicked hearts

Blurb (from Amazon.com):

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

My thoughts:

I am going to start out by saying that I am sure Charlaine Harris has a 'master plan' that she is going off for the Sookie Series, but it is not evident to me.  This book honestly felt like a filler book.  There wasn't much intense drama or life changing revelations in this book.  I can kinda see what it is leading into for book #11 and I look forward to some resolution with her, Eric and the new Vampire King.   I was over half way thru the book before I could see a plot forming.

That being said, I love the Sookie series so much, all of the above did not prevent me from finishing this book pretty quickly.  We see a different side of Sookie, Eric, Claude and even Jason in this book.  I think the characters were expanded and enriched in this book which makes it vital in the series, but don't expect many loose ends to be tied up.  Yep...I am still on the hook for book #11.

Review: Sisters Red (ARC) by Jackson Pearce

Title: Sisters Red

Author: Jackson Pearce

Hardcover: 336 pages

Published: June 2010

Reading Level: YA

My Copy: Around the World Tours

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked stars

Blurb (taken from Amazon.com):

Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for? 

My thoughts:

As you read the blurb, you can probably tell that this book is a take off of Little Red Riding Hood.  What I was a little unprepared for was that it is set in the present-day time period, I guess I expected it to be dated back in the 1800's with all the hunting werewolves with axes and wearing red cloaks etc.  That didn't necessarily take away from the book, I just would have thought that there would  have been more people that knew about werewolves and more efficient ways to exterminate them, ha ha.

I was undecided of what I thought about this book most of the way thru it.  The end of the book showed a lot of action and realistic thought processes that I felt was missing thru the first part of the book.  The story is told from alternating view points from the sisters, Scarlett and Rosie.  Scarlett lost her eye and gained ugly scars protecting her little sister from the Fenris (werewolves) when they were younger.  She feels the obligation now to hunt and kill all the Fenris to save the unsuspecting humans who do not know better.  Rosie does not have the drive to kill all the Fenris but feels the obligation because of what her sister went thru to save her.

This book is definitely a testament of sisterly love, almost to the point of creepiness. Scarlett is a girl on a mission and feels slighted if Rosie has any interest outside of the single goal of killing all the Fenris.  She is OBSESSED to the point that got on my nerves in part of the book because I found it somewhat unbelievable that someone would put aside EVERYTHING in their life in pursuit of killing every Fenris they ever encounter.  Scarlett (and therefore out of guilt, Rosie) had given up everything; a life, an education, a career, love...in pursuit of the Fenris.

I didn't dislike the book, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if the obsessed factor was turned down a notch and the romance/action was turned up.  It was definitely an interesting read that makes you question, how much drive is too much? To what point is your goal worth giving up everything you might want and making those around you to do the same out of guilt?