Firespell by Chloe Neill

Before I start I wanted to let you know that Novel Reads is on FaceBook now. Click here to add me as a friend (I can't embed it for some reason), I'll be doing some contests over there that are specific to the page.

Firespell by Chloe Neill ( A Dark Elite Novel: Book 1)

(BCC)

As the new girl at St. Sophia's Boarding School, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she'll have to face - but oh, how wrong she is.

When Lily's parents decide to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she is not happy. Lily's classmates are the ultrarich brat-pack type - and if that isn't enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophia's creepy campus.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout's a little weird - she keeps disappearing late at night. When a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout, who's running from a real-life monster. Scout is part of a splinter group of rebel teens who protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and the gone-to-the-dark-side magic users called Reapers. She lets Lily in on her secret, even though Lily has no powers of her own...or at least none she's discovered yet.

* This review is done from a copy supplied to Novel Reads by the publisher.

I've made it clear that I have no love for YA books about spoiled poor me rich girls away at a fancy schamncy boarding school. So when this book came I was more than a tad reluctant. What got me though, is my love of YA/Paranormal, the really cool cover, and the fact that I'd never read this author before. Things I very much love in a book.

Lily Parker, not quite sixteen year old, finds out just after her sophomore year that her parents, philosophy professors, will be going to Germany for a two year academic sabbatical, and she will be leaving her New York town for Chicago where she will go to school at St. Sophia's Boarding School. To say the least, Lily is not happy. She'd much rather stay with her friends and her comfort zone. But when St. Sophia's accepts her into the school, her future is set.

Lily hates St. Sophia's. There are the typical cliques and she's just not fitting in. Thankfully, one of her new roommates, Scout, is most definitely nice and true friend material. But, as the BCC says, Scout keeps skipping out late at night, and she seems more than a little tired after these outings. What Lily doesn't know about Scout and her secrets really piques her curiosity and she begins to follow her one night, that is after all, what a new BFF would do. But it isn't until Lily is on the receiving end of a fairly nasty prank that Lily truly finds out what Scout's been up to.

But Scout's mystery isn't the only one Lily is faced with - could it be her parent's had lied to her all of her life? Made a whole identity to cover up what they were really working on? As clues begin coming Lily's way about this, and evil magic users attempting to suck the souls of young magic users start to attack the school, Lily realizes she just may be in over her head. Or, does she have a bit of latent magic of her own?

Firespell is a refreshing addition to a YA Paranormal genre that is quickly filling up with shifters and vamps. Neill's writing is spot on, with great dialogue and the action packed scenes have the reader turning the pages and spellbound from the get go. I'm eager to read more from Neill and have added her Chicagoland Vampires Series to my wish list.

Take Care

Don't forget about the current contest I'm running, scroll down to yesterday's post or click here to see the details.

Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi

BAD BLOOD by Mari Mancusi

BCC:

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend, Magnus, is a vampire—and the leader of the Blood Coven. Their differences have never been an issue, until now…

When the Blood Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny’s humanity puts her out of the running. The chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, an Oxford University graduate, who just happens to look like a vampiric supermodel.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes scholar who can’t answer the most basic poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention—where Magnus and Jane’s bonding ceremony will be the main event—Sunny and her twin sister, Rayne, secretly tag along. And Sunny’s not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas—especially bad blood…

*This review is done from a book sent to Novel Reads by the publisher.

I’d never read Mari Mancusi before this book showed up at my door, and I’ll admit I was a tad bit reluctant to read this one. Not because it’s YA, but because it’s book four in an already established series. You see, I have this thing about series books. I don’t like to pick one up in the middle of a series, because I’m always afraid I’ll be lost and not able to follow along. You’d think I’d’ve learned my lesson by now, but alas, I haven’t and I’m always so pleasantly surprised when I find myself not only able to follow along but so engrossed in the story that I can’t put the book down.

The BCC does a very good job at explaining the basics of the plot but the actual story is so much more than the Sunny trying to prove Jane is an imposter bit. First of all, the girls estranged father lives in Vegas, so the little trip stands to be a twofer. Snoop around about Jane (the soon to be blood mate) and spend some time with their dad. Only dad isn’t there and the step family proves to be a bit more complicated than the girls could possibly imagine.

When Rayne, Sunny’s twin takes some major news about their new family badly and all but bails on Sunny, it’s up to Sunny to do all the detective work herself. But, when dealing with vampires (evil ones at that), it would be nice to have a girl’s sister around; especially when said sister is an actual vampire and a vampire slayer.

Bad Blood had me hooked from page one. The plot was fast paced and the writing solid. Sunny was a character I could get behind and bond with immediately. Told from a First Person perspective, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster, unwilling to say goodbye at the end.

I did have a few issues though, but they can only be a testament to a well written protagonist. First of all, Magnus just pissed me off. I understand that he’s a thousand year old vampire, but his condescending attitude when it came to Sunny and her suspicions of Jane made me simply want to stake him myself. I also wasn’t very impressed with Rayne and the way she completely ignored her sister when she needed her most. But I adored Sunny and her complete unwillingness to let down the people she loved and especially loved the end when she realized that things had to change if she and Magnus would be able to have a relationship.

The cliffhanger ending was a bit much, but sets it up nicely for a next book, and I’m more than a little excited to get my hands on it. I’ve also added the first three books in the series to my online book order, and can’t wait to read them. After some reading on the author’s site, I see that the books alternate protagonists between Rayne and Sunny, and I hope that this will help me understand Rayne a bit more, because as it stands, I’m really not a fan.

All in all, the Blood Coven Vampire Novel’s have been added to my must read list. Mancusi writes with a wicked sense of humor and keeps readers turning the pages eager for more.

Take Care

You can still enter for one of two $10 egift certificate to the online book seller of your choice, just leave a comment here or here. Winners will be drawn tomorrow, January 3.

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

I must admit that I had my doubts about this book when it arrived in my mailbox early last week. It's not that it's YA as I lurve me some YA. It's not that it's Paranormal, anyone who has ever read this blog or my posts from d&D knows that. What gave me pause was the whole Book Five thing. Now again, don't get me wrong, I love series, but I was leery about starting this one on the fifth book, especially in a series that so many friends of mine have already raved about. Crazy I know, I started Evanovich with TO THE NINES and I didn't come to Charlaine Harris until CLUB DEAD, of course I immediately ran out and bought the earlier books in those series and haven't missed one since, but I wasn't sure that could happen again, I mean, hello, did you read yesterdays posts, remember me? The newly cynical reader? But alas, it would seem that my bank account is going to be missing the exact dollar amount it would take to buy four books. Sigh. I think the publisher may be on to something - wanna sell lots of books? Give away one in the middle of a series, trust me if it's as good as this one, the rest of the books in the series will be bought up at lightening pace.

Lord of Misrule The Morganville Vampires-Book Five by Rachel Caine
(BCC)

MORGANVILLE TEXAS. JUST SOUTH OF NORMAL.
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans have coexisted in (relatively) bloodless harmony...until the arrival of Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to put the evil back in evil undead and smash the fragile peace. But Bishop isn't the only threat...

Violent black clouds promise a storm of devastating proportions. As student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements- both natural and unnatural - the unexpected happens: Morganville's vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Claire to one last choice: Swear allegiance to Bishop ...or die.

Sounds good, right? Well, that would be because it is. Now, since the author is obviously a doll, there is a THE STORY SO FAR... chapter, which does a fairly good job of giving a quick rundown so that the "new to the series" reader (me) can follow along. Of course this pre-book rundown is only a couple of pages, so I was still lost on a bunch of points.

Basically, from what I could gather, there was a vampire that founded the town of Morganville, Amelie. Now, in Morganville vampires and humans co-exist. It's a safe haven sort of town for vampires, and some or most of the humans there pledge their allegiance to certain vampires and are then under their protection (? - if you've read the series and I'm botching this up but good let me know). Bishop, Amelie's dad has come to Morganville and now wants to take it over and make sure that vampires really do rule and only humans who are a walking vending machine (they actually use this term in the book) will be allowed.

Of course, Amelie is not going to go down easily, and Claire along with her best friends Eve and Michael, as well as her boyfriend Shane are all willing (if not so calmly) to help stop Bishop from taking over.

Also from what I can ascertain is that Claire, though in college, is actually only 16 or 17. It was also clear that Claire was vital to the vampires, but I was never really sure why they needed her alive and protected so badly. There is some sort of disease floating through the vampire community, and Claire seems to be helping to find the cure, and by her age and the fact that she's in college it's obvious she's extremely gifted. However, I also got the impression it was more than just her mind that had the vampires so keen to keep her around. It also seemed hinted at that her boyfriend Shane may have more to him than even Claire knows. Hence me gonna go buy the other books in the series.

Anyway, we follow Claire as she and her friends race against time to save Morganville from total destruction. But all Hell's breaking loose, some of the humans have decided they think it would be a good thing if the fighting vampires killed each other off, and they're more than happy to help speed that along any way they can, and a monster of a storm is heading right towards Morganville with more than enough power to destroy the town on its own. Before long it's clear that Claire can't really trust anyone, because friends could turn out to be enemies and enemies may very well turn into, if not friends, allies.

When storm meets war the end result is so terrifyingly fantastic, that I was sitting on the edge of my seat unable to tear myself away until the very end where I was left panting for more. Caine has crafted a universe that is so well built that while reading there is no doubt in your mind that this place and these people really do exists. Caine has found a new fan and cheerleader in this reader, and I look forward to catching up with this series and continuing to follow it until the end. I expect I'll also be buying Caine's other series, but I think I'll start that on Book 1 (unless of course, some one *hint, hint* wanted to send me, oh I don't know, and autographed complete set *BG*).

Go get the book if you're a fan of the series, I really think this is one book you'll not want to miss. For those of you who have yet to start the series, I really do suggest starting with Book 1 (Glass Houses) just so you don't have as many questions as I did/do. Plus, we can go on that particular reading journey together!

But just in case you have any doubts, let me share with you a small bit of one of my favorite scenes from the book:

Shane said, "Some of those same people killed your son."

Theo looked at him with calm, unflinching eyes. "And without forgiveness, there is never any peace. I tell you this from the distance of many centuries. My son gave his life. I won't reply to his gift with anger, not even for those who took him from me. Those same poor, sad people will wake up tomorrow grieving their own losses, I think, if they survive at all. How can hating them heal me?

Take Care

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

The Elite by Jennifer Banash
(BCC)

It's the most exclusive luxury apartment building on New York's Upper East Side. If you don't live there, you don't know how to live...

When Casey McCloy steps into The Bramford, she's overwhelmed by the sophistication and elegance of it all. Fresh from the Midwest, she's moved to New York City to live with her grandmother and attend the prestigious Meadowlark Academy. Here, all that matters is who you know. The designer to know is Zac Posen. The girl to know is Madison Macallister: popular, pretty and platinum blond. She's not just Casey's new classmate and neighbor; she's an icon. So Casey aims to get in with Madison and her gorgeous gal pals from the start. As the reigning queen of coolness, Madison is capable of destroying reputations with one well-times whisper. Better to be on her good side.

After a haute makeover from her new frenemy Madison, Casey is wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people. Including Drew, the boy-about-town Madison thinks belongs to her and her alone...

Casey McCloy finds herself moving from Normal, Illinois to New York City, which is anything but normal, to live with grandmother while her mother heads to London. Casey's grandmother lives in The Bram. Only the most exclusive apartment building in town. She's nervous. She's sweating bullets (what an embarrassing habit!) and her hair won't behave. On her way to her grandmother's apartment, Casey runs into Madison Macallister and her friends Phoebe and Sophie. It's obvious by the looks of the girls that they are only the most popular IT girls. So when they invite Casey to join them across the street to sunbathe, Casey jumps at the chance to hang out.

When Drew shows up and starts flirting with Casey she's immediately smitten. But Madison is less than thrilled. Drew is hers, and hers alone. When the heat starts to really ratchet up between Casey and Drew so does Madison's anger. Casey knows these girls have the power to make or break her in her new life, the problem is, Casey's not so sure she wants to be made but she is sure she doesn't want to be broken.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It's been a long while since I've picked up a YA novel and felt that it was less than fabulous. Unfortunately, I just didn't really connect with this one. For one, when I read books in this genre, I always think about the young ladies I know and would I feel comfortable giving this book to them to read. The answer with this one was No.

The kids in this book are starting their Junior Year of high school, and let me tell ya, the way they drink alcohol (and apparently have been for some time) and the way they casually talk about lust was just a bit scary to me as an adult. All of the characters save Drew have horrible relationships with their parents.

The Elite is written in Third Person, and there are five, yes five, POV's. While this isn't unheard of, the book is but 237 pages long and I didn't really have enough time with any one story line to really connect to the characters. I realize that this is a first book in a new series, but there was just too much set up for what I think must be future story lines, for me to really feel the major plot (the Casey-Drew-Madison plot).

I'm not a big fashion kinda gal. My wardrobe is fairly basic and consists mostly of jeans and tee shirts. There were so many name brand and high fashion names being thrown at me in the pages of this book my head was spinning. I realize that the book is set in Upper East Side New York, where fashion is a big deal and money is no issue, but I'm from the real world, and well, I didn't like all the name dropping.

The Elite is getting rave reviews all over the 'net these days, and you should really read up on them and decide for yourself on this one. It just didn't fit in with my idea of what good YA fiction is all about. I don't like reading about over-privileged poor little rich girls, that have a mean streak wider than their parents bank accounts. I think that Casey could have been a superior character, but her growth was really more told than shown, and with so many POV's the characters all fell flat.

Will I read the next book in the series? I just don't know. I'd like to see Madison grow up a bit, and I'd like to see a bit more of her friends, Phoebe and Sophie and how they deal with some of the things going on in their lives. But I just don't think I'll be able to bring myself to do it. With so many wonderful YA titles out there yet for me to read, I'll probably pass on this next one.

Take Care

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker

I "reviewed" (let's be honest, we all know that's not really what I do) the first book in this amazing series while at D&d. You can check it out here. And since I've already posted a rant for the day, I'm just gonna dive right in...

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker
(BCC)

IT'S TIME TO JOIN THE REAL WORLD - IF SOMEONE WOULD JUST TELL ME WHERE THAT IS.

I know I'm supposed to be Violet Greenfield the fresh-faced runway model, a cultured and worldly nineteen-year-old with super-high confindence because I've done fashion weeks internationally. But the truth is, modeling hasn't raised my self-esteem all that much. And now that I'm finally headed to college, I'm afraid I'll turn back into that girl who blended into the walls all throughout high school...

Vassar is just a two-hour train ride from New York City, so technically I could keep working. But I'd rather accept an editorial internship at Teen Fashionista. It's a chance to be appreciated for something besides my height and weight! My friends in fashion think I'm crazy to stop modeling, but my best friend Roger is all in favor of it. Of course, things have been weird between us ever since we kissed - and now he's got a new girlfriend. So I guess the question is:

If I'm not "Violet on the Runway" anymore, who exactly am I?

I Love the Ya genre. Seriously. The reach of the YA book is going far beyond that of the age range it's geared toward which is awesome, in and of itself. But what I really love about a good YA book, is that it holds the power to suck a reader in and change them from semi-reader to Reader. It's books like this one that do that.

In VIP Walker once again takes us into the shoes of Violet Greenfield. She's off to college and she's pretty sure she's done with the modeling thing. But the modeling thing won't let her go. But sometimes that's not always a bad thing. Being a model helps Violet land a great internship, allows her to speak to high schoolers about body image, and has brought her one of her best friends.

Walker's is one of the freshes voices in the YA genre. Violet is a character that females of all ages can relate to. She faces victories, self doubt, and yes even heartache, "Still, I don't know if I'm ever going to get over this betrayal. It's completely weird how your heart can physically hurt. Like, I can feel this actual pain in my chest right now, and I'm not just imagining it. It aches, like if someone hit me really hard on my left boob, or like I broke something there." It is rare for me to want to cry and smile at the same time, but Walker managed that feat.

If you have a daughter, niece, granddaughter, friend, whatever, give her these books. Read them with her, experience this wonderful world together. Where super models don't always feel so super and real life and love cause us pain as well as bring us joy.

VIP will leave you with a huge smile on your face and a desire to run to the bookstore to find more wonderful YA titles. If you've been hesitant about picking up a book labeled YA, nows the time to give 'em a try, I say start with Walker.

Take Care

Introducing Novel Chats...

...'Cause sometimes I'm lazy. Well, not really lazy just short on time. You see, I read a LOT during the short hiatus I took after leaving d&D and starting this blog, and I haven't had a chance to really post about any of those books. And since it's been a LONG time ( a few months at least) and I can't re-read them all - Novel Chats was born. Basically, I'll take a few of the books I read during that time period and just post the general thoughts I have about the books.

For my first ever Chat session, I'm focusing on two series I started during my time off.

I'm a huge fan of the cozy mystery genre, so when I saw this new series (only two books in) at the book store, I grabbed them up expecting great things. In fact, I enjoyed the books, but they were no where near as "cozy" and endearing as I usually find the books in this genre. I never caught the sudoku bug, and that in and of itself could be the reason I didn't fall in love. I also didn't form any real connection with the heroine, and when I went online to find out more about the author and found nothing- no author website, not much about her on the publisher site-I felt even less enthusiastic. The mystery in the first book was far too easy to solve, and while it was a bit harder in the third, it still felt incredibly transparent. However, I'll read the next one upon its release, because they were a fairly quick and easy read. Also, for those readers that did ride the Sudoku Crazy Train, there are free puzzles and tips. All in all, I have to give the series a C-. But don't just take my word for it, leave me a comment on this post about why you'd like to read the series, and I'll select a reader at random to receive my copy of the books. I've only read them once, so they are practically like new. I'll run the contest until Thursday night, as I won't have a chance to get to the Post Office until the end of the week anyway.

The next series I started while on hiatus was Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. I'm a Mead lurver. I admit it freely. Mead was my first ever FAB pick while at d&D, and her Succubus series even has The Hubs hooked. I'm also a big fan of the YA genre. HUGE fan as a matter of fact, so I started this series with great expectations. I'm happy to announce, that the expectations were met. While the characters may be younger, therefore the raunchiness toned down, Mead's voice is apparent, and her talent for First Person storytelling that leaves you knowing not only the storyteller but the secondary characters makes this a series not to be missed. The take on the vampiric world is unique, the suspense is amazing, and the pacing is sprint speed. With a strong and unique heroine, Mead's new series will delight readers of all ages. I give this series an A!

Don't forget my contest this week with Angie Fox, just click the link on the side bar or scroll down for the details!

Take Care