Book Review (119). Half-Blood - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Publication: 18th October 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 281
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

My Thoughts.

What can I say about this book and author that hasn't been said before?

I love this series, this would have to be my favourite new series (well new to me) that I've read this year, and Armentrout is fast moving up my list of all-time favourite authors.

I love the characters in this series Alex and OMG Aiden! I love him and there's nothing I like better than reading stories with a forbidden romance included.

My eyes snapped open as the freakish sixth sense kicked my fight or flight response into overdrive.

Alex is back at the Covenant, her Uncle is now Dean and subsequently let's her know where she stands, if she can't get up to par in her training (having missed three years after being on the run with her Mum) by the time school starts she'll either become a Pure's slave or be thrown out.

So Aiden a Pure and a Sentinel, and who Alex has had a crush on for years (but because she's a Half-Blood and he's a Pure they can never be together) is to train her and get her up to speed.

"Down the hall is a gym. You should visit it... often." My mouth dropped open. "You're far too skinny. Right now a ten-year old could take yo u."

I love the banter between these two and I have so many favourite quotes I could add to this review, instead I'll just add a few.
"You need to work on your upper body strength, Alex. Not your motor speech skills."
I glanced down at the dumbbell and pictured it flying across the room-at his face. But it was such a nice face, and I'd hate to ruin it.
"Alex stop staring at me and do some cardio." He flipped another page. I blinked. "I hope that book of yours is on charm and personality skills."
I propped myself onto my elbows, scowling. "How come you smile when you knock me down?" He offered his hand. "It's the little things that make me happy."
These two have such amazing chemistry together, and even though you know that they can't be together, I did nothing but wish for it the whole book through, and fingers crossed my wishes will eventuate and I will be an extremely happy girl!
The fact that you know that Alex and Aiden belong together makes it harder to wait, but I'm positive that somehow they will find a way.
We also have the arrival of Seth the Apollyon (a Half-Blood who has all the elemental powers plus a fifth one), at the Covenant, he will end up changeing Alex's life forever!
Alex and Seth have quite a few of their own hilarious comments.
"Um... sorry, I didn't see you." "Obviously. You were staring at the ground as if it had done something terrible to you."
I shot him a warning look. "I don't care if you can shoot lightening from your hand. I will kick you in the face."
I could go on and on with all of the quotes I loved in this book, Armentrout's writing is simply fantastic and I can't seem to get enough.
There were so many twists and turns in this book which kept the story fresh and exciting, and had me rushing through the pages.
I can't recommend this book highly enough, please do yourselves all a favour and pick this series up, you won't be sorry!
I give this a huge 5/5.

Book Review (118). Daimon - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Daimon (Covenant 0.5)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication: 10th May 2011

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 75

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty. 

According to her mother, that’s a good thing. 

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill.

The daimons have found her.

My Thoughts.

Why I have never picked up a book by Armentrout before now is completely beyond me, I have heard so many good things about the author and everybody seems to absolutely love the books, since I got sent the third book for review it gave me a reason to finally pick this series up and start reading, and boy I wasn't disappointed and I can see why these books have such a big following!

Although this book is really short (out of the 75 pages only 62 is the story) I was completely absorbed and wanted to dive straight into the next book, which luckily I had on hand.

She smelled like mothballs and death.

And so begins the story of Alexandria 'Alex' who for three years has been on the run with her Mum from the Covenant a place for Pure's and Half-Blood's (descendants of the greek gods), Alex has a knack for getting herself into trouble and has had to move school's and town's quite often.

Actually, I was prone to random acts of stupidity. I considered it to be one of my talents.

While around mortals Alex has to watch herself and not let on that she is anything out of the ordinary, and so has to hide her true self. Alex and her Mum are also always on the lookout for Daimons (Pure's who have been turned into Daimons who only care about killing, and sucking the Aether out of mainly Pure's but Half-Blood's as well).

But what happens when Daimons find out where Alex and her Mum live?

I love this series already and I can already tell I'm going to be a big fan, now to read on and see what happens to Alex next!

I give this 5/5.

Feature And Follow Friday (37).

Q: Do your reading habits change based on your mood? Do you read a certain genre if you are feeling depressed or happy?

My mood doesn't affect the genre of what I read, as long as it's a good book I can read it through any mood swing.

Book Review (117). Survive - Alex Morel

Survive

by Alex Morel

Publication: July 2012

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont

Pages: 259

Genre: Action/Adventure

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Jane is running away from everything. From the facility she’s been living in, from her pain, from her guilt, from life. She boards a plane to Montclair, New Jersey, though her destination isn’t important – she doesn’t plan to be alive when the plane lands.


Jane has devised the perfect suicide. She’ll fall asleep on the plane and never wake up. But as she’s reaching for her pills in the tiny bathroom, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black.

Jane wakes amid the charred wreckage of a plane crash on a snowy mountaintop, and discovers just one other survivor – a boy named Paul. Lost in a perilous, icy landscape, with little food and water, their chance of survival seems small. But as the pair unite against the vast wilderness, Jane discovers a reason to fight for her life.

My Thoughts.

I loved that Morel didn't end this book the way that most Y/A  books do in the sense that not every story has a happy ending and it just adds more realism to the story.

This book does touch on serious topics such as depression and suicide but is done in a tasteful manner and it explains a lot of back-story concerning Jane.

This book is action packed pretty much from the get go, and you never know what will happen next.

It's not that far into the story when the plane crash occurs, just as Jane is about to ingest the pills in the bathroom the plane nosedives and starts it's plummet towards the ground, when she wakes up she finds the plane crashed on a mountaintop in three pieces, everybody is dead except for Paul, a boy who was seated in the seat next to hers.

At first their relationship is a bit love/hate and their comments to each other had me laughing to myself.

'What if you fall?" I call down. He looks up and smiles. 'It'll be romantic, Jane. We'll die together, like Romeo and Juliet.' I take a big gulp of air and breathe out. What an ass.

'Jane Solis,' he shouts, still flat on his back, 'you pull like a donkey.' Like I said, what an ass.

'No-one's ever touched them before. I mean nobody I didn't pay to touch them.' 'You employed some male hookers to touch your scars?' 

It's not long before Jane and Paul start to depend on each other and slowly start to develop feelings for each other, you wish nothing will come to harm for these two and that they make it off the mountain and that they both make it home safely.

But with the huge possibility of hypothermia, no food and treacherous conditions in the snow and freezing cold the odds are against them.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, and if that wasn't enough it even had me in tears, this book took me on a roller-coaster ride and it was hard at times to put the book down.

I loved this book and can't wait to see whats up next for Morel.

I give this 4/5.

A Big Thanks To Hardie Grant Egmont Australia.

Cover Reveal: Rua - Miranda Kavi

Rua by Miranda Kavi

Expected Pub: September 3, 2012

A girl with an unknown destiny.

A boy from a hidden world.

When Celeste starts at a new school in a small, Kansas town, she hears whispering voices, has vivid nightmares, and swarms of blackbirds follow her every move. She is oddly drawn to aloof Rylan, the other new student who has his own secrets.

The exact moment she turns seventeen, she wakes to a bedroom full of strange creatures, purple light emanating from her hands, and Rylan breaking in through her bedroom window.

He knows what she is . . .

Intriguing and deeply romantic, RUA is page-turning YA novel with a supernatural twist. 

Author Bio:

Miranda Kavi

Miranda Kavi is a YA and Urban Fantasy author. She has worked as an attorney, an executive recruiter, and an assistant in a biological anthropology lab. She loves scary movies, museums, and is hopelessly addicted to chocolate. She lives in the Houston area with her husband and daughter.

Author Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10592745-miranda-kavi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/miranda00writes

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MirandaKavi

Bookish Brunette Blog Tours.

Cover Reveal And Giveaway: Colonization: Paradise 21 - Aubrie Dionne

Finding a new home has never been so dangerous.

Andromeda has spent all seventeen years of her life aboard a deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet. Her safe cocoon is about to break open as Paradise 21 looms only one month away, and she must take the aptitude tests to determine her role on the new world and her computer assigned lifemate. As a great-granddaughter of the Commander of the ship, she wants to live up to her family name. But, her forbidden love for her childhood friend, Sirius, distracts her and she fails the tests. The results place her in a menial role in the new colony and pair her with Corvus, “the oaf”.

But when Andromeda steps foot on Paradise 21, her predestined future is the least of her worries. Alien ghosts from a failed colonization warn her of a deadly threat to her colony. And when Sirius's ship crashes on the far ridge in an attempt to investigate, she journeys to rescue him with Corvus.

Andromeda now must convince the authorities of the imminent danger to protect her new home. What she didn't expect was a battle of her own feelings for Sirius and Corvus.

Can she save the colony and discover her true love?

Author Bio:

Aubrie Dionne writes science fiction fantasy with romantic elements. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She’s also a professional flutist in New England.

Please visit her website: www.authoraubrie.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2964057.Aubrie_Dionne

Twitter: @authoraubrie

Blog: http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com

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Book Review (116) Two Weeks' Notice - Rachel Caine

Two Weeks' Notice (Revivalist #2)

by Rachel Caine

Publication: 25th July 2012

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Pages: 324

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Age Appropriate: 16+

**Warning Contains Spoilers From The Previous Book In The Series**

After dying and being revived with the experimental drug Returne, Bryn Davis is theoretically free to live her unlife - with regular doses to keep her going. But Bryn knows that the government has every intention of keeping a tight lid on Pharmadene's life-altering discovery, no matter the cost. Thankfully, some things have changed for the better; her job at the rechristened Davis Funeral Home is keeping her busy and her fragile romance with Patrick McCallister is blossoming - thanks in part to their combined efforts in forming a support group for Returne addicts. But when some of the group members suddenly disappear, Bryn wonders if the government is methodically removing a threat to their security, or if some unknown enemy has decided to run the zombies into the ground…

My Thoughts.

I've come to the conclusion that Rachel Caine can do no wrong when it comes to her writing and me!

So while I haven't read all of the series she has released, what I have read is absolutely fantastic, I'm a huge fan of her Morganville Vampires series and in no way thought that this series could ever be as good, but I was so wrong, and I'm certainly glad for that.

I love how easily Caine can go from Paranormal to Urban Fantasy and excel at both, a sign of a great writer.

It was a perfect day for a funeral.

Months have passed since the end of the last book and Bryn and Joe are still working at what is now known as Davis Funeral Home, she has started a support group for fellow Returne addicts and has moved in with Patrick.

After avoiding an attack by two men outside the funeral home one night Bryn is called in by the FBI to help on a case, but it's a trap and a bomb has been set to go off but not before she finds seven dead bodies and an encrypted thumb drive which contains videos of three Returne addicts being shot and burned alive, after investigating she also finds that there are a few missing as well and seeks out the answers to why this is all happening.

He'd love to recruit the two of you to his army of the walking dead, with all your ninja combat skills." "I'm not a ninja," Pat said. "Speak for yourself man." That earned Joe a poisonously angry glance from Pat.

Bryn is also still trying to find her sister Annie who was taken by Mercer in the previous book, and still trying to stay on the good side of Riley who is under pressure trying to keep the Returne addicts and the Pharmadene situation under wraps from the public.

"You're not going to forget it, are you, Joe?" "Which part? The two of you naked in bed? Bryn going hand-to hand naked? Because it's fairly memorable, my friend.

I love Joe he is so funny and the comments he comes out with always have me chuckling to myself, plus he's a great friend to both Patrick and Bryn.

"The good news is, probably no big deal for me to run a wire up your bra anymore, now that I've seen you naked."

"They said you'd been ambushed by two guys. Opinion was they were your garden-variety abducting serial killer types with a thing for hot blond funeral directors." "Excuse me?" "Which part of that did you object to? I hope not the 'hot blond.'"

I love that Bryn and Patrick are officially a couple but I never would have guessed at the twist with these two and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped out of sheer "WHAT THE????"

And that ending, WHY????, I don't have the patience for the next book, you can't leave us with a revelation like that, which will definitely change the storyline, and can I say now EWWW!

A great book, great series now if only this series could be released as fast as the Morganville Vampires books seems to be and I'd be one extremely happy girl.

I give this 5/5.

A Big Thanks To Penguin Australia.