Book Review: Tiger's Destiny

Happy Monday! Today I'll be reviewing, Tiger's Destiny, the fourth book in The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck. 

Title: Tiger's Destiny

Author: Colleen Houck

Series: The Tiger Saga #4

Publisher: Splinter Publishing

Original Publication Date: September 4, 2012

Format Read: ebook

Genre: YA Paranormal

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from the publisher:
With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. 

It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling Tiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

It only took me a couple of days to completely devour Tiger's Destiny. I enjoyed every minute of it. This book is one great adventure. Of course with the climatic conclusion (almost conclusion as there is a 5th book coming out) of any quartet there are great losses and sacrifices that come along with the prize. You will probably laugh, cry, smile, and be amazed at various times while reading this book. 

While Tiger's Voyage with the dragons is my favorite book in the series, this one comes in a very close second. You start off right where that last book left off, with Kelsey being taken by Lokesh. But don't fear, she is quickly rescued (obviously), so we can get on with the adventure of completing the fourth prophecy so Kelsey's Tiger's can become men 24 hours a day. 

This time the adventure takes them into a world of fire and heat to collect Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire. And it is a strange world indeed filled with strange beings. They team must work quickly though, they must collect all of Durga's gifts and prepare to defeat Lokesh once and for all. 

Tiger's Destiny is pretty fast-paced. Almost too fast-paced in some parts. It seems like the characters just get to one part and then BAM! they are already done and onto something else. For instance, in the other books, like Tiger's Voyage, their journey to gather gather the item(s) needed to break the next part of the curse, takes up a good portion of the book. In this last book their journey into the fire world seemed relatively short in comparison. Although, I'm sure what else they could have done there. 

I would say the biggest portion (or at least it seemed that way when I was reading), was of our troops preparing for battle against Lokesh. Will they be able to defeat him? Will everyone survive? Will Kelsey still choose to be with Kishan?

If you enjoyed the rest of The Tiger Saga, you will enjoy this book. I am curious as to what the fifth book will be about, as pretty much everything gets wrapped up at the end of this book. 

My Rating: 

Book Review: Clockwork Angel

Happy Friday! Today I'll be reviewing Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. It is the first book in The Infernal Devices series.

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Infernal Devices #1

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Original Publication Date: August 31, 2012

Format Read: paperback

Genre: YA Paranormal, YA Steampunk

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from publisher:
Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

The Infernal Devices is a prequel series to The Mortal Instrument Series, but you do NOT need to read The Mortal Instruments before delving into this series. It works just fine as a stand alone series. Part of the reason  for this is Tessa. As an outsider who is naive to the Shadowhunter world, Cassandra Clare does an excellent job of using Tessa to introduce any new reader to what they need to know about the Shadowhunter world. As someone who has read the first three The Mortal Instruments, I did not find this information to be bothersome. 

There are three main characters that you follow: Tessa, Jem, and Will. Tessa is unwillingly draw into the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders, when she is forced to discover her ability to transform/shape-shift into any person that she holds a person item from. Jem, a slightly reclusive Shadowhunter who has a love for books and music, but also happens to be sick. And Will, a Shadowhunter, who hides his true feelings and acts like a jerk to keep anyone from getting close to him.

I liked all of the good main characters and side characters. Although, I have to say my least favorite good character is Jessamine. Then you have a wide variety of bad guys, the main one being the mysterious Magister. 

The above description of the book is an excellent one. We follow Tessa, Jem, and Will as Tessa is kidnapped, tortured, rescued, goes on a search to find her brother, and helps the Shadowhunters try to locate and defeat the Magister. The book is full of lots of twists and turns and a ton of action. You might guess some of the mysteries and not others. I had one figured out and missed the mark on another. Also, you WILL find out what Jem's sickness/disability is in this book (early in the book it was driving me crazy not knowing, but you will find out).

I liked this book enough to continue with the series at somepoint. I also would recommend it to friends and family, if this type of book was their thing. 

My Rating: 

Book Review: Sapphire Blue

I just fell in love with Ruby Red when I read it, so I knew I needed to read Sapphire Blue to see where the story was headed. I did and here is what I thought.

Title: Sapphire Blue

Author: Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell (translator)

Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy #2

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Original Publication Date: December 1, 2009 (by Henry Holt and Company October 30, 2012)

Format Read: hardcover

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Well, after reading the first book I already decided that I need to learn German, so I can actually read the last book in this series (just kidding, that would take me longer than the wait for the third book). After reading the second book, I still feel that way. I can't believe I have to wait until October 8th for the English translation of the third book, Emerald Green. It took me less than 24 hours (counting sleep, housework, etc...) to get through this book. It is a fairly fast-paced, quick read (or maybe that was just me wanting to know what was going to happen next). Sapphire Blue also contains the same little useful tidbits of information between chapters. I enjoyed them in the first book and continued to enjoy them here.

This book seems to fit very nicely in the middle of the trilogy (I haven't read the third, so I can't tell you will 100% certainty). You really need to read the first book before diving into this one, as it continues to build on the mystery from the first book. In this book we still have not gotten to the part where Gwen sees herself (in the first book). Plus more mysteries have been added in and Gwen is sent on more official missions back in the past. I just love the world Kerstin Gier has created. I also really like Xemerius that has been added into the story, I can see him continuing to be useful in the third book. You also find out a little bit more about Lucy and Paul and what they are up to. Not everything is answered though. 

I once again completely enjoyed my time escaping into Kerstin Gier's world. I can't wait to find out where this little gem of a series is heading and look forward to getting my hands on the final book later this year. If you liked the first book in the series you will like this one too!

My Rating: 

Book Review: Guardians of Stone

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Today I'll be reviewing Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney. 

Title: Guardians of Stone

Author: Anita Clenney

Series: The Relic Seekers #1

Publisher:  Montlake Romance

Original Publication Date: December 4, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Thriller, Adventure

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Amazon:
In the tradition of Indiana Jones, a feisty heroine with a sixth sense, and two sexy heroes, a dark, reclusive billionaire and a mercenary bodyguard are on a hunt for four powerful relics that could change their lives…and the course of history. But relics aren't Kendall’s only quest. Eventually, she’ll have to choose between her sexy boss and her badass bodyguard.

Kendall Morgan is a human bloodhound. Spending her childhood hunting relics with her ambitious archaeologist father, she knew the two of them shared a sixth sense for the history and location of objects—sometimes even people. What she didn't know was that their paranormal gift could ultimately be their undoing.

After the tragic plane crash that killed her father as well as her childhood best friend, Kendall dedicated her life to finding and protecting relics. When mysterious, sexy billionaire Nathan Larraby hires her for his latest expedition—the search for four powerful relics—she’s thrown into a world of high-octane danger. He sends brooding mercenary Jake Stone to watch Kendall’s back, but he may have created danger of a different kind.

As the team chases down clues, a man called the Reaper makes a play for the artifacts and will stop at nothing to put them to his own sinister use. What’s worse is that Nathan hasn't told the whole story, and the dark secrets he’s keeping could cost them the mission…and their lives.

Our heroine is touted as being a paranormal female Indiana Jones.  I can see where they get that idea. She is a relic hunter, she has a special paranormal gift, and she is female. But is the story groundbreaking? Not in my opinion. The story still is a pretty fast-paced, interesting read. It took me less than 24 hours, counting sleeping and breaks to do other things, to read the entire book and I did enjoy it. 

The above description, pretty much explains the storyline of the book, so I won't go into that. I will just say that I liked the storyline and thought it read pretty good. I could see this story easily being made into a movie. I also liked all of the good guys and could see where there is room for further development for them in future books. I also enjoyed the tension between Jake and Kendall. It's definitely one of those boy hates girl (even though he thinks she's hot), then boy decides he love (or at least lusts after girl). Jake doesn't like the fact that he's assigned to guard Kendall at all and it doesn't help that Kendall keeps sneaking away from him (she is use to hunting treasures on her own) or getting into trouble anyways. Then of course there is Nathan who is not telling his treasure hunting team the whole story. It all leads to confusion and who can you trust? Who are the real bad guys?

I also think having Nathan a super rich backer (with an endless supply of money and toys) certainly helped the author with her story. Because she wrote him that way, it made it real easy to give her heroes all the cars, money for hotels, as well as any gear they could possibly need. Oh, and the ability to easily track them down and find out where they are at, at any given moment. For the most part, I didn't have problem with it, I just think was almost a crutch that prevented the author for coming up with more creative and interesting ways to progress the story. 

Overall, I liked the story, but it didn't really impress me. I would recommend it to friends as a nice, quick, easy adventure read. I do plan on checking out at least one more book in the series too, when it finally comes out. 

My Rating: 

Book Review: World of Shell and Bone

Happy Friday! Today I'll be reviewing a book with a very pretty cover.

Title: World of Shell and Bone

Author: Adriana Ryan
Series: World of Shell and Bone #1

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Original Publication Date: December 12, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Dystopia, YA Post-Apocalyptic 

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:
In a world ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, Vika Cannon knows there are no guarantees: no guarantees of safety, no guarantees that your neighbor is not actually a spy for the government, and no guarantees you'll be allowed to emigrate to a new life in China.

New Amana is dying. Food and water are scarce, and people suffering from radiation-caused mutations--the Nukeheads--are the new class of homeless.

Vika has just one purpose: to produce healthy progeny using a Husband assigned by the Match Clinic. Unhealthy children are carted away to Asylums to be experimented on, just as Vika's little sister Ceres was, eight years ago. Parents incapable of producing healthy progeny are put to death in gas chambers.

When she's assigned a Husband shortly after her twentieth birthday, Vika expects him to be complacent and obedient. But Shale Underwood has a secret. He is a member of the Radicals, the terrorist group intent on overthrowing the government. And Shale has information about Ceres.

As she learns more about the Rads's plan, Vika finds herself drawn to Shale in ways she'd never imagined. When freedom calls in the way of a healthy pregnancy, will she betray her government and risk death for Shale and Ceres?

The description sounds intriguing, doesn't it? That combined with that pretty cover enticed me to read this book (still not sure how the cover relates to the book). 

I really liked the first half of the book. I did find some parts a little far fetched. Basically there was a really big war, a nuclear war. Lots of men went off to fight and most of them died. New Amana is made by "feminist" women rising up to take the lead. I say feminist lightly because what is a feminist?

A feminist is an advocate for social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.

And that is clearly NOT what is happening in this book. In this book men are inferior to women, partially because it was men and testosterone ways that brought about the war. The women in this book are not any kinder though. 

Also in this book China has become the new super power. Clearly they somehow managed to stay out of the war and all of the nuclear pollution managed to stay away from the air over China. So, China has the cleanest air in the world. This is partially explained by saying they have new technology to help clean up the air and keep it clean.

This technology is suppose to be in use slowly cleaning up the air over New Amana which will take years. In the meantime, people are left to breathe horribly polluted air. And the population is dwindling. I should say healthy population. Because in this new world they institutionalize or murder (via gas chambers) anyone who is not genetically healthy or cannot produce a child within a given time frame. 

If you are a good little citizen and manage to produce children or meet specific fitness guidelines, you have a chance of getting a boat ticket to immigrate to China to live while New Amana is cleaned up. Those left behind will continue having dwindling safe food and water and will most likely die. Oh, and if you turn in fellow citizens that break the law, you get extra special brownie points with the government. These "law breakers" tend to be immediately sentenced to death with no chance to defend themselves.

Not necessarily all believable, but interesting nonetheless. We follow Vika, one of the sheep of New Amana who blindly follows what the government expects of her. As a character she starts out pretty flat but develops okay over the course of the story. She is given a Husband, who is suppose to keep house (think 1950's role reversal), help Vika conceive a child (via boring and clinical sex), and if Vika chooses, stay home and help raise the child. Vika is assigned Shale. Now Shale is an interesting character. I really liked him. Shale is really part of the rebel underground who was given the task (he volunteered) to be Vika's Husband and try to get information from Vika's work that will help the rebels. Vika works for a government agency who sorts coded data related to the movement of people to and from the asylums and gas chambers.

Vika slowly comes to realize that the government is bad and decides she wants to help the rebels free children from the asylums, including her little sister. All while this is happening her relationship with Shale develops. And they are off on their mission. So far so good.  I was really liking it at this point and was even discussing it with my family and friends. And then the story goes down hill (for me anyways).

SPOILER ALERT

Which also happens to be around the time that Shale disappears from the story. When you have such an interesting character, why oh why did the author feel the need to drop him from the story. I kept waiting for him to reappear, but he never does. I REALLY hope if the author gets around to writing the sequel that she puts SHALE back in. 

Anyways, at this point in the book, things just go down hill. Vika is treated horribly by a man that felt she was to blame for him being kicked out of the rebels. I didn't really feel what happened to her was necessary for the story. Then we have wandering and wandering and finally finding a camp of asylum refugees and her sister (SORRY). And then there is waiting, and waiting and more waiting for the sympathetic government officials to show up to transport the children via a special boat to China.

END SPOILER ALERT

Overall I feel the author started out with a 4-5 star book. Definitely would have been 5 if she had thrown in chapters from Shale's POV. I would LOVE to have his POV of the whole situation. Then about halfway through you drop the most interesting character from the book. The second half was a 1.5-2.5 star book. This leaves me with having to give this book a 3 star rating. It definitely has potential, but I think it needs to be reworked. Maybe pick up a professional editor or rework the story a little. 

My Rating: 

Book Review: Dead Letter Office

Recently I was given the opportunity to get my hands on Dead Letter Office for FREE in return for my honest review. While I came across the opportunity through the Never Too Old For Y.A. Books Group on Goodreads. However, I received the book from Coliloquy.

One of the reasons I agreed is because this book is an Active Fiction title.

What is Active Fiction?

""Active fiction" is a new type of e-reading experience that allows the reader and the author to interact with each other and the text in new and different ways." - per book description on Goodreads.

Basically you read part of the book, then you come to an either or question (sometimes there are more than two choices). You pick where you want to go. What you pick doesn't impact the overall storyline (you still end up at the same ending).

Title: Dead Letter Office

Author: Kira Snyder

Series: Parish Mail #1

Publisher: Coliloquy
Publication Date: February 11, 2013

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Paranormal, YA Crime Mystery

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:
When Celia’s father is killed in Afghanistan, she moves with her mother to New Orleans, the city where her father grew up. Struggling to adjust and haunted by troubling dreams, Celia finds comfort in new friends like Tilly, a practicing witch, and Donovan, the son of police detective. On Halloween, bizarre supernatural occurrences rock the city. Celia meets the mysterious Luc and finds a letter, over a hundred years old, addressed to her.

The paranormal repercussions continue when Celia learns that Luc is the restless spirit of a young man murdered in 1854, only able to assume solid form at night. And then, to her shock, Celia finds that the letter, which describes the suspected murder of a man in 1870, contains uncanny parallels to the present-day death of Abel Sims, a homeless veteran.

With help from Luc, Tilly, and Donovan, Celia races to solve the murder—and the mystery of the letter—using both magical and forensic clues.

I found this book to be a nice, fun, quick, and easy read. A few parts were a little creepy, but it wasn't a scary story. Example: Celia is in the cemetery and feels someone put a hand on her shoulder, but when she turns around no one is there. 

The above description from Goodreads explains the basic storyline, so I won't go into that. I will tell you that I liked all of the characters in the book. Celia seemed the most developed. While I felt like I needed to know a little more about Tilly and Donovan. I think some of that is related to the choose where you go. I think it cut down on some of the usual character building. I fully expect to get to know them better as the series goes on. I also liked Luc. As I knew this was a paranormal type of story, I had no problem believing in the ghost aspect of it. The mystery as a whole could have been thought out a little better and I'm still not sure what the connection was between the old murder and the present day one (did I miss that somewhere?). I once again wonder if some of the simplicity/missing/jumps were part of the drawback to the choose where you go. 

I definitely hope there is further information in the next book of the series. I could tell there was clearly more going on with Celia's family (her grandfather, clearly knew more than he was telling). I felt the author did a pretty good job with the struggles between Celia's Mom and Celia's Paternal Grandparents.

This was the first "choose where you go next" type of story that I've read. Overall, I liked my options, but it was still a little limiting. Sometimes I wanted a third option that was a combination of the two or a completely different third option. These choices do give you more options for readability later on. You could easily re-read the story and pick a different option on where to go. Even though it's suppose to get you to the same end, there was one part near the end that I pretty sure was more in reference to an option other than the one I picked. It was related to Tilly.

Overall I was amused and I wouldn't mind reading this type of story in the future and possibly further into this series itself. A Solid 3 Stars, as it definitely has potential.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Ruby Red

Happy Wednesday! We're halfway through the week! Today I'll be reviewing a book I picked up at a Scholastic Book Sale a while back. It's been sitting in my to-read pile for so long I forgot what the book was about, which is really sad. It's has a gorgeous cover with and even more wonderful story contained within.

Title: Ruby Red

Author: Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell (translator)

Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy #1

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Original Publication Date: January 6, 2009 (by Scholastic October 2012)

Format Read: paperback

Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description on Goodreads:
English book series: Ruby Red Trilogy

Although I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.

Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century . . .

First of all I clearly need to learn German STAT. I managed to get a copy of the 2nd book from my library, but the 3rd book doesn't come out in English until OCTOBER! OCTOBER! That is clearly way too long to wait. 

This book was originally published in German, not that you could tell. The translator did an excellent job. So far the book has been translated into multiple languages (seventeen according to the back of my copy) and has been on the German best sellers list for about 2 years or so. AND apparently a movie just came out (see trailer below). Now I need to figure out how to get a European film with English subtitles on it. 

Awesome, right? You can see a few more scenes if you watch this music video from the film.



Anyways, I'm not here to talk about the movie, but the book. The writing works well for the slightly younger crowd. The publisher recommends 12 and up. I would be more than okay letting a 12 year old read this and possibly even a 10 or 11 year old, depending on their level of maturity. 

The book starts off with a short prologue and then you are off into the story. If you are anything like me, then it won't take you very long to get sucked into the story. My copy was a little over 300 pages, so it took me less than a day to read, counting stopping to do things (only when I had to). 

I really liked the main character, Gwen. After her father died, her family (Mother, Brother, Sister and Gwen), moved in with the Montrose family, which is also Gwen's mother's family. Their family has a secret. They have a time-traveling gene that runs in the family. Not every generation time travels. It was believed that Gwen's cousin Charlotte had inherited the gene. Gwen and Charlotte are the same age. Since it was always been believed that Charlotte had the gene, she was treated as the better member of the family and had been introduced into the secret ways of time-traveling. They are both at the age, when the gene becomes active. They are on the lookout for certain symptoms to appear. 

The following is an excerpt from the book from between the prologue and chapter one:

"Uncontrolled time travel usually announces itself a few minutes in advance, but sometimes hours or even days ahead. The symptoms are sensations of vertigo in the head, stomach, and/or legs. Many gene carriers also speak of a headache similar to a migraine. 

 The first journey back in time ̶ ̶ also known as the initiation journey ̶ ̶ takes place between the sixteenth and seventeenth years of the gene carrier's life.

From The Chronicles of the Guardians, Volume 2: General Laws of Time Travel" 

Unfortunately for Gwen, she starts to experience these symptoms, but complete dismisses them, because she is NOT suppose to have the gene. She dismisses it all the up until she time travels for the first time. She is obviously confused. AND her family, especially her cousin is NOT happy with her at all. 

Besides the whole time-traveling thing, Gwen can also see ghosts. I wasn't prepared for this part of the story, but I was quite amused with the school ghost. We follow Gwen as she adapts to her new found role. Not only to be a time-traveler, but also a time-traveler with a specific purpose or task she is suppose to complete with her time traveling partner (who is a slightly misunderstood hottie). As she is not completely trusted we don't find out fully what that task is in this book.

In between each chapter is a little tidbit from one of the time traveling books that Guardians have or a quote related to time travel, etc...these were all interesting to me. Well, the whole book was really. I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable read and I think you will too.

If you want more time travel fun, you might want to consider checking out Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Tawn Bergren.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Hunted

Good Afternoon Everyone! I will be posting several reviews this week. First up is Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield.

Title: Hunted

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Series: N/A

Publisher: WestSide Books

Original Publication Date: December 15, 2011

Format Read: hardcover

Genre: YA Paranormal

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:
Caitlyn is a telepath in a world where having any Paranormal power is illegal. Caitlyn is on the run from government troopers, who can enslave, torture, or even kill her, or make her hunt other Paranormals. When Caitlyn settles down in a city, she falls for Alex, a Normal (someone without Paranormal powers), which is dangerous because he can turn her in. And she discovers renegade Paranormals who want to destroy all Normals. Caitlyn must decide whether she's going to stay in hiding to protect herself, or take a stand to save the world.

I really liked this book. There was definitely a theme to the story about standing up for what's right.

This book reminds me of other books I've read about the way Jews were treated leading up to and during WWII, how the Japanese were treated in the USA during the same time, as well as many other times where we have stood up for basic human rights.

In Cheryl's world, some people have special powers; telekinesis, mind reading, etc...(think like the people on the Heroes TV show from a few years back or X-men, etc...). In this world, the government is aware of these Para's. They are frightened of them. There is a big anti-Para campaign and ALL para's are supposed to be registered and licensed. At the same time the government enslaves Paras and forces them to do their bidding or face torture.

In this book we follow Caitlyn, she is a very powerful mind reading Para and she is on the run with her mom. They have been on the run since riots broke out and her father was killed. During this same riot her brother also went missing. Caitlyn and her mom have been moving from town to town using the Underground safe-houses. However, lately it seems they are being found sooner and sooner. There is clearly a mole in the Underground. They decided to go off the radar of the Underground, everything, and try to make it on their own.

The town they end up in has a very big Anti-Para population as well as a pretty good portion of Para-Supporters. Tensions start to rise as more and more terrorist types of attacks are blamed on the Paras. Everyday more and more Paras are picked up by the government. But not only does Caitlyn have to worry about that, there is also a Para serial killer on the loose that drains the energy from Paras, with a particular appetite for powerful Paras, and he has his eyes set on Caitlyn.

It's a really wonderful book where you follow a world that is just on the cusp of change. Will everyone get on board with the government to catch all of the Paras? Or will people start to realize they are really like us (special abilities or not)?

I recommend.

My Rating: 

BONUS
If you are still undecided on whether or not to check out Hunted, you can read, PinPoint: A HUNTED Short Story. Along with the short story, you can also read the first six pages of Hunted.

Title: PinPoint: A HUNTED Bonus Short Story

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Series: N/A

Publisher: Sun and Rain Press

Original Publication Date: November 9, 2011

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Paranormal

Purchase: Amazon

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Description from Goodreads:
Teen telepath Caitlyn "overhears" someone planning to set another student up as a Para--something that could cost that student their home, their family, and even their life. Caitlyn is in a race against time to help protect another student, who might, after all, be a Para. Enjoy this free bonus short story for readers of HUNTED that gives you a glimpse into Caitlyn's world

This VERY short story reads like a deleted scene from Hunted. I thought it was okay. Could have been longer though. I picked up this short story for FREE on Amazon back in September 2012, as of today, April 16, 2013, it is still listed as FREE.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Into the Dark Volumes 1-4

Recently I was given the opportunity to get my hands on Into the Dark Volumes 1-4 for FREE in return for my honest review. While I came across the opportunity through the Never Too Old For Y.A. Books Group on Goodreads. However, I received the volumes directly from the author herself. 

Title: Into the Dark, Vol. 1 

Author: Milly Silver

Series: Into the Dark #1

Publisher: White Hot Books

Original Publication Date: November 16, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Purchase: Amazon

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Description from Goodreads:

Love the fast-paced action in The Hunger Games Trilogy?
Want to relive the romance of The Twilight Saga?

This new Young Adult series is for you!

"The only three people in the world who I truly loved were my best friend, Ben, my Uncle Spencer and his fiancee, Irene. I am now grateful for what I didn't know on that sunny afternoon. One of them would soon be lost to me. The other two, I was destined to kill without hesitation or remorse.
It wasn't premeditated.

It was what needed to be done.

So I did it."

Success means love. Failure a death sentence.

When seventeen-year-old Oxford student Emily Baxter steps forward to become part of the search and rescue team for her kidnapped family member, she sees it as her last chance to put things right. Despite her seizures and being ripped between parallel universes, Emily is determined to get back to living a normal life. But first Emily has to join forces with the mysterious Gifted & Talented set and the darkly beautiful Henry Seadon. And survive. Killing the Misery-Makers who get in their way is a necessary evil.

INTO THE DARK SERIES #1-4 by Milly Silver is a YA fantasy romance series. It's a story of family, love, loss, and being uniquely gifted.

This is an exciting brand-new four-part YA action adventure series by British YA author, Milly Silver.

My thoughts on Volume 1:

When I started reading this book, I didn't bother to go back and read the description and I didn't remember exactly what it was about, only that the description sounded interesting when I signed up for the Read 4 Review. Let me say this straight off MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL FOUR VOLUMES BEFORE YOU START READING!!!

The beginning of the book manages to suck you right in. You start out learning about what happened three and half years ago. We start out with Emily in someplace very dark and hiding from the Misery-Makers. I think they could be named better, but can't think of something off the top of my head. Anyways, if they get a hold of you they basically torture you very slowly and painfully. 

After the incident, we find out that in the real world Emily has blacked-out and had a seizure. Only, she doesn't really black-out when she has a seizure, she really travels to different parallel universe. Sometimes, it's one she has been to before and sometimes not. 

I like how the author shows us the differentiates between when Emily is in a parallel universe or in the real world by using a bold font when she is blacked out and regular font for the real world. It helped me keep track of where I was when one of my kids would distract me.

We find out that for an unknown reason, the blacking out has been happening to Emily since she was thirteen and have slowly been happening for a longer period of time. We also find out that Emily was basically abandon by her parents shortly after she started blacking out and having the incidents. She lives with and is home-schooled by her Uncle Spencer. She is also very close with Uncle Spencer's girlfriend Irene and her best friend Ben. They are the only ones who know what really happens when Emily blacks out. I feel the author does a pretty good job of establishing their close connection all within the first 15% of volume one before our story really kicks off. With one last black-out three and half years ago Emily accidentally drags Irene with her into the world of the Misery-Makers. We don't know how it happens, but it does and Emily panics and Irene is taken by the Misery-Makers.

Fast forward three and half years. Emily walks around feeling guilty all the time for what happened to Irene. However, Irene is NOT dead. She is merely in an unresponsive coma. With only a short period of time before Irene's family is planning on pulling the plug. Can Emily find a way to bring Irene back before time runs out? 

Emily is also trying out university and is attending her first year at Oxford. On her very first day she visits Irene and heads off to school on her bike only to almost get ran over by a mysterious hot guy in a fancy sports car. While yelling at him she is also drawn to him. You also meet quite a few more people in first volume that sets up the story.

Needless to say, the first installment in this four volume series that adds up into one full length novel really manages to suck you in. It ends on a little bit of cliffhanger. I thoroughly enjoyed it and went directly from volume one into reading volume two. 

Title: Into the Dark, Vol. 2

Author: Milly Silver

Series: Into the Dark #2

Publisher: White Hot Books

Original Publication Date: November 30, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Purchase: Amazon

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Description from Goodreads:

In this second installment, Emily becomes dangerously close to the intriguing Henry Seadon and his elite G&T group. As Emily tries to piece together what is happening in her life, she begins to see Henry as the key to saving Irene... and herself.

My thoughts on Volume 2:

I immediately started this volume after reading the first volume. In this part Emily continues making friends and is drawn into a relationship with the mysterious Henry Seadon. She also finds out a little more of the teen who she has been helping her when she is in the parallel universe. She also meets a little girl who tells her that Henry and The Logician are the key to helping Irene. Who is Henry really? Who is the Logician? And how can the two of them help Emily get Irene back?

This part is also a really quick read and is filled with a fair amount of budding romance/I'm instantly in love with you. I devoured it all in a very short period of time and moved onto volume 3, as volume 2 also ended on a cliffhanger.

Title: Into the Dark, Vol. 3

Author: Milly Silver

Series: Into the Dark #3

Publisher: White Hot Books

Original Publication Date: December 10, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Purchase: Amazon

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Description from Goodreads:

In this third installment, Emily learns from Henry how she is to become a crucial member of the G&T team. And that she is not alone in the quest to save Irene. As pieces of the twisted jigsaw fall into place, will Emily and Henry find a way to be together?

My thoughts on Volume 3:

Yea! I finally found out more about the G&T Team and what they do. All very interesting information. Lots of good stuff in this volume. I don't want to spoil, but you will want to read it one sitting if you have the time. I, unfortunately, I to go to bed in the middle of reading this. I started right back up the next day as soon as I could. Emily gets a seizure dog in this part and is recruited to be on the G&T team. I like the dog, Laisa. Although, she doesn't predict Emily's seizures a whole lot sooner than Emily feels one coming on herself.

Title: Into the Dark, Vol. 4

Author: Milly Silver

Series: Into the Dark #4

Publisher: White Hot Books

Original Publication Date: December 27, 2012

Format Read: kindle

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Purchase: Amazon

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Description from Goodreads:

In this final installment, Emily discovers Henry is not all that he seems. With her world crashing down around her, how will she rescue Irene? And as she faces the biggest decision of her life, will she have the strength to do whatever needs to be done? Find out how the exciting story ends!

My thoughts on Volume 4:

Overall, I liked the final installment in the series. I did feel that the whole fight with Henry was very contrived. I think a little more creativity could have been used to get where the author was trying to go. I was surprised to find out who the Logician really was. I wasn't expecting it to be the person it was. 

My Thoughts on the Series as a Whole:

I felt this was a very good book. I do wish the author would combine all four volumes into ONE ebook that people could purchase though. It is a very quick and engrossing read. If you do pick it up, you might want to try to have enough time to read it all in one sitting. It is a hard one to put down. The book is written by a British author, so you do have all of the British spellings, like colour, favourite, realise, etc...I find myself reading the British versions slightly different in my head, but it's not too distracting from reading the story. 

I thought Volume 3 was definitely the most exciting. Like I mentioned on my thoughts about volume 4, I was surprised about who The Logician really was. 

THIS happens, just like the author said it would: "The only three people in the world who I truly loved were my best friend, Ben, my Uncle Spencer and his fiancee, Irene. I am now grateful for what I didn't know on that sunny afternoon. One of them would soon be lost to me. The other two, I was destined to kill without hesitation or remorse.

It wasn't premeditated.

It was what needed to be done.

So I did it."

I like how the book didn't have a love triangle like almost every other YA book. Although, at the very end, it seems like it was opened up for one. You do end up with a nice conclusion, even though the story is left open enough for a sequel. I would recommend this book to others and definitely enjoyed reading it.

My Rating: