Book Review (33).

Destined (House of Night #9)

by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

Published: 25th October 2011

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 325

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

** Warning May Contain Spoilers For Those Who Have Not Read The Previous Books In The Series**

Breathing hard, Aurox stood there over the bodies of his vanquished enemies. He turned to Neferet.

"Very good," she said in her emotionless voice. "Let us leave this place before the authorities descend."

Aurox followed her. He walked heavily, his hooves gouging furrows in the dirty alley.

Weak. He felt weak. And more. There was something else.

"What is it?" She snapped at him when he hesitated before entering the car again.

"I do not know. I feel--"

She laughed. "You don't feel at all. You're obviously overthinking this."

"Yes, Priestess." Aurox got in the car and let the world speed past him.I do not think. I do not feel. I am a weapon.

Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet -- which would be a whole lot easier if the High Council saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together -- if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia's handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there's the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more -- or possibly less -- than human. Only Neferet knows he was created to be her greatest weapon. But Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there's something strangely familiar about him . . .

Will Neferet's true nature be revealed before she succeeds at extinguishing Light? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox's humanity in time to protect them all? Find out what's destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

My Thoughts.

I love this series and this would have to be one of my favourite books so far.

After the sobfest that was the last book we are back with Zoey and the gang where they are living in the depot and have returned to the House Of Night to attend classes again with Rephaim in his human form, of course no one wants him there least of all Dragon but Stevie Rae and her friends stick up for him.

We have a new boy Aurox who is very good looking but he's not all he seems and if you've read the last book you'll know what I mean he is told by Neferet not to feel anything but he can't help it whenever he's around Zoey, Neferet decides to employ humans to work in the school in hopes to create chaos but the 'horse whisperer'  she hires to work with Lenobia is hot and there is definate chemistry going on there.

Thanotos from the high council comes to teach Zoey, her gang and the red fledgings and then after finding out that Zoey's Mum was murdered in the previous book wants to do a spell which will replay her death and see who killed her, but of course just like every circle cast at the end of the book something always goes wrong, and someone dies.

I cannot wait for the next book, I love these characters and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I give this 5/5

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

The Secret Year

by Jennifer R. Hubbard 

Australian.

American.

Book Review (32).

Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles #1)

by Nancy Holder (Goodreads Author), Debbie Viguié 

Publication: 8th December 2011

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 383

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

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 hidden 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.

My Thoughts.

The story starts in the midst of an earthquake in California which kills Katelyn's 'Kat' Mum, so because her Father is also dead she is sent to live with her Grandfather in Arkansas in a small town called Wolf Springs.

Her Grandfather's cabin is in the middle of the forest with no one else around for miles and she's told not to venture into the forest or be outside in the dark.

Her first day there she is introduced to Trick a boy her age who will be picking her up every day for school, Kat is attracted to Trick but on her first day she is assigned an assignment with a girl called Cordelia who warns her off Trick,  even though she acts very weird herself and someone else warn's Kat about Cordelia.

Two girls are mauled and killed and Kat finds out there are wolves in the woods and that is what killed the girls.

We have our obligatory love triangle involving Trick (who is definately hiding something) and Cordelia's cousin Justin who has no problems making out with Kat even though he has a girlfriend.

I did really like this book and it leaves you with plenty of questions which I hope will be answered in the next book.

I give this 4/5

A big thanks to Dorothy @ Random House Australia.

Feature And Follow Friday (9).

                      A Weekly Meme Hosted By Parajunkee And Alison Can Read.

Q: When you’ve read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

I don't like to give away my books when I've finished them unless I have a double, which because of that doesn't leave me with much room around the house.

Home Libraries.

And I thought I had a lot of books!

Home Libraries.

I had to laugh at this one.

Home Libraries.

I love the look of these bookshelves, but being terrified of heights I wouldn't be climbing that ladder a whole lot or at all!

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Saving June

by Hannah Harrington

Australian.

American.

Waiting On Wednesday (9).

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father

by Jessica Brody 

3rd July 2012 Farrar Straus & Giroux

If she wants to receive her beloved trust fund, every week for the next year, seventeen-year-old Lexi Larrabee must take on a different low-income job. All 52 jobs have been carefully pre-selected by her father himself.

What Lexi doesn’t know is that each job was at one point held by one of world’s most influential people. The goal is to teach his daughter a few lessons about life, compassion, work ethic, and the value of a hard-earned dollar. If each of these jobs eventually led to wealth and success, at least one of them has to work for Lexi.

Left with no other choice, Lexi grudgingly sets off on her quest, each week being comically presented with a highly undesirable job. All of them are designed to turn Lexi into an entirely different person.

Silver

by Rhiannon Held

5th June 2012 Tor Books

The Girl is Running. She's alone; a werewolf without a pack, a shape-changer who cannot change, an intruder in Roanoke's territory. It's Andrew Dare's job to catch her, expel her, or kill her. He's the enforcer, after all, in charge of security. But when he catches her at last, he finds someone he wants to protect, not kill. A tortured stranger who needs him...and who warns of a threat to all the packs of North America

Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark #1)

by Gena Showalter

26th June 2012 Harlequin

From the New York Times bestselling author who brought you the Lords of the Underworld comes a dark, seductive new series featuring angels poised at the brink of destruction…

Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed too dangerous, too ruthless, and if he isn’t careful, he’ll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred . . . until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he’s never before known.

Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation—or her ultimate damnation?

The Temptation (Kindred #1)

by Alisa Valdes

24th April 2012 HarperCollins Publishers

His touch was electric.
His eyes were magnetic.
His lips were a temptation....
But was he real?

After crashing her car on an empty highway, Shane is miraculously saved by Travis, a mysterious cowboy who walks out of nowhere. She is instantly attracted to him, and for the first time, she believes in “soul mates.” But Shane soon discovers that Travis is dead and that strict rules from the Underworld govern kindred spirits of different dimensions. Breaking these rules could destroy both their souls. And while Travis is almost impossible to resist, temptation proves to be the kindest enemy they encounter.

Can true love surpass the power of pure evil? Part love story, part supernatural thriller, this first book in the Kindred trilogy will leave readers lusting for more! 

Book Review (31).

Midnight Rising (Midnight Breed #4)

by Lara Adrian 

Publication: 25th March 2008

Publisher: Dell

Pages: 384

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

**Warning May Contain Spoilers Of Previous Books In The Series**

In a world of shadows and dark, cosuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon...

For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.

Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way—least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio’s touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio’s midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart. . . .

My Thoughts.

This book would have to be my favourite so far in the series, ever since Rio was in the explosion I've been wanting to read his story.

The story starts with Dylan on holiday with her Mum's friends (she took her Mum's place after she was diagnosed with cancer) and she see's the ghost of a woman that leads her to a cave where she comes across an empty coffin and heiroglyphs on the wall and inside is Rio who is planning on blowing up the cave with himself inside it.

Of course Dylan being a reporter she comes back the next day and takes photos and sends them off to her editor, once Rio realises he goes after Dylan  to steal back the photos before they go public and to scrub her memory until he finds out she's a breedmate.

Rio has to come to terms with his horrific scars enough to believe that Dylan could fall in love with him regardless of his appearance, and to overcome the betrayal of his wife who set him up to receive his injuries.

I loved this book and they seem to keep getting better as the series goes on.

I give this 5/5

Book Review (30).

Wildcat Fireflies: A Meridian Novel (Fenestra #2)

by Amber Kizer 

Publication: 1st December 2012

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 528

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

**Warning may contain spoilers from previous book.**

Meridian Sozu is a Fenestra—the half-human, half-angel link between the living and the dead. She has the dark responsibility of helping souls transition safely into the afterlife. If people die without the help of a Fenestra, their souls are left vulnerable to be stolen by the Aternocti, a dark band of forces who disrupt the balance of good and evil in the world and cause chaos.

Having recently lost her beloved Auntie—the woman who showed her what it meant to be a Fenestra—Meridian has hit the road with Tens, her love and sworn protector, in hopes of finding another Fenestra. Their search leads them to Indiana, where Juliet, a responsible and loving teenager, works tirelessly in the nursing home where she and several other foster kids are housed. Surrounded by death, Juliet struggles to make a loving home for the younger kids, and to protect them from the violent whims of their foster mother. But she is struggling against forces she can't understand . . . and even as she feels a pull toward the dying, their sickness seems to infect her, weighing her down. . . .

Will Meri and Tens find Juliet in time to save her from a life of misery and illness? And will Meri and Tens' own romance weather the storms of new discoveries?

My Thoughts.

This book takes place one month after the first book and Meridian and Ten's have driven around in that time looking for the girl and the cat which was mentioned in a newspaper at the end of the first book.

We have alternating chapters in this book between Meridian and the Fenestra they're trying to find Juliet, who is a foster kid under the guardianship of a horrible woman who beats the children and forces them to look after the elderly who are sent there to die.

Juliet doesn't know who or what she is and so when someone in the house dies she faints and ends up with their injuries not knowing she needs to create a window to let the souls through.

We have some new characters Father Anthony 'Tony' who is linked with Tens and Juliet's pasts, Rumi who's parents were both Fenestra's and the foster kids Bodie, Sema and Nicole.

With the alternating chapters in this book I would have loved chapters from Tens pov just so we know what he's thinking and to perhaps find out more about him.

I look forward to the next book to see how Juliet copes with being a Fenestra and quite possibly the discovery of more Fenestra's and Protector's.

I give this 4/5

A big thanks to Dorothy @ Random House Australia.

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1)

by Amanda Hocking 

Australian.

American.

In My Mailbox (9).

In My Mailbox Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Kristi @ The Story Siren.

Review.

(ARC) Touch Of Power (Healer #1) - Maria V. Snyder (Harlequin Teen Australia)

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) - Moira Young (Scholastic Australia)

Saving June - Hannah Harrington (Harlequin Teen Australia)

Spellbound (Spellbound #1) - Cara Lynn Schultz (Harlequin Teen Australia) 

Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1) - Amanda Hocking  (Pan Macmillan)

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) - Julie Kagawa (Harlequin Teen  Australia)

Pre-Order.

Bound By Darkness (Guardians Of Eternity #8) - Alexandra Ivy

Within The Flames (Dirk & Steele #11) - Marjorie M. Liu

Immortal Rider (Lords Of Deliverance #2) - Larissa Ione

Brought.

A Vampire For Christmas Anthology

Die For Me (Revenants #1) - Amy Plum

Anna Dressed In Blood (Anna #1) - Kendare Blake

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

The Future of Us

by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

Australian.

American.

I'm not sure which one I prefer I'm undecided.

Feature And Follow Friday (8).

Q: Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?

O.k well I would probably say any of the books in my three all-time favourite series which are:

Twilight Saga - Stephenie Meyer

Harry Potter - J.K Rowling

The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare

I could buy them for my family, but sadly I'm the only one that really reads.

Book Review (29).

Meridian (Fenestra #1)

by Amber Kizer 
Publication: 11th August 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Pages: 320
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

My Thoughts.

From as far back as she can remember Meridian has attracted dead animals to her, waking up each morning to find dead rats, spiders and insects her backyard is like a cemetery.

On her sixteenth birthday as she's walking home there's a car accident and she experiences excruciating pain, her Dad bundles her into a car, drives her to meet up with a taxi which then takes her to the bus depot where she has a ticket to go to Revelation, Colarado to go stay with her Great Aunt Meridian (her namesake) while her family goes into hiding.
There she finds out she's a Fenestra (half -human, half-angel) and her job is to send people's souls on into heaven, her Aunt who is also a Fenestra helps to teach her as well as her protector Tens.
But there are evil forces trying to stop her called Aternocti and they want her on their side to lure souls into hell.
Of course there's a little bit of romance and I can't wait to see Meridian's and Ten's relationship develop in future books.
I did not want to put this book down it was so good and I even had a little cry, I'm now off to start the second book.
I give this 5/5

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1)

by Jessica Shirvington 

Australian.

American.

I personally prefer the American cover because it gives you a better idea of what the book's about.

Book Review (28).

Last Breath (The Morganville Vampires #11)

by Rachel Caine

Publication: 1st November 2011

Publisher: NAL Hardcover

Pages: 335

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville’s latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn’t merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely?

My Thoughts.

**Warning May contain spoilers if you haven't read books 1-10 In The Series**

I have to start by saying I love this series and I'm never disappointed.

So we're in Morganville and Eve and Michael are planning their wedding, a lot of human's and vampires are opposed to the engagement.

Vampires are going missing around town and Claire keeps seeing a mysterious man who's there one minute and gone the next and no one else seems to see him, at the same time Amelie has been given a letter with just one word 'run' and just that one word upsets her enough that she orders all vampires out of Morganville.

Without spoiling anyting this book had a huge twist you would never see coming and the reactions were enough to leave me in tears.

One thing I missed in this book was the interaction between Claire and Myrnin , Claire refuses to speak to Myrnin for most of the book  after he was ordered to do something by Amelie that upsets Claire.

In this book not only do we have Claire's pov but also Shane, Eve, Michael and Amelie and it's great to see how Amelie thinks.

While this book doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger what happens makes me want the next book in my hands right now!

This book is definately my favourite in the series.

I give this 5/5

 

Waiting On Wednesday (8).

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance(Mammoth Romances)

by Trisha Telep (Editor)

7th August 2012 Running Press

A wonderful collection of stories of supernatural love by Sharon Shinn, Dru Pagliasotti, Caridad Pineiro, Jennifer Estep, Gwyn Cready, Carolyn Crane, Jeannie Holmes, Anna Campbell, Julia London, Christie Ridgway, Holly Lisle and Liz Maverick. In happy-ever-after endings, ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh

Lucid

by Ron Bass, Adrienne Stoltz

19th July 2012 Razorbill

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different - except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This is a dazzling debut that will still readers' hearts

Fade Out

by Nova Ren Suma
5th June 2012 Simon Pulse

If this were a movie, you'd open to the first page of this book and be transported to a whole other world. Everything would be in black and white, except maybe for the girl in pink polka-dot tights, and this really great music would start to swell in the background. All of a sudden, you wouldn't be able to help it--you'd be a part of the story, you'd be totally sucked in. You'd be in this place, filled with big lies, mysterious secrets, and a tween girl turned sleuth....

Zoom in on thirteen-year-old Dani Callanzano. It's the summer before eighth grade, and Dani is stuck in her nothing-ever-happens town with only her favorite noir mysteries at the Little Art movie theater to keep her company.

But one day, a real-life mystery begins to unravel--at the Little Art! And it all has something to do with a girl in polka-dot tights.... Armed with a vivid imagination, a flair for the dramatic, and her knowledge of all things Rita Hayworth, Dani sets out to solve the mystery, and she learns more about herself than she ever thought she could

My Life in Black and White

By Natasha Friend

28th June 2012 Viking Juvenile

Lexi has always been beautiful, but her beauty is taken from her when she goes face-first through a car windshield. Now Lexi has to dig deep to figure out how to define herself. Help on her journey of self-discovery comes from unexpected sources: Ruth, Lexi’s sister, “the smart one” to Lexi’s “the pretty one,” with whom Lexi has never been close; and Theo, a classmate who is still recovering from his sister’s recent death from anorexia