Review: Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, #6) by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Penguin Australia
publication date: December 10th, 2009
number of pages: 356 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace—until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He’s kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths.

He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants—the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

This book opens up with everything gone to smack. Like basically everything.
Claire well has been working for the enemy, and she basically has to choice. None of them do at this point.
Amelie has gone missing. And everyone seems to blame Claire because she is the one good person who is meant to be on the good side, not the bad one.

Shane is locked up with his father, again. I know, this seems to be becoming a habit, doesn't it?
Everything seems to have changed for just about everyone in Morganville, and until they can find a way to get rid of Bishop that seems to be the way it will stay.

When Amelie does turn up, Claire gets a surprise of her life to learn something startling that things just might be more interesting than she originally thought. Just maybe... there is a way to get Bishop out of the way.

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of action and suspense. I like that Claire had interactions with many people. From Amelie, to Oliver to her friends and new people included.

There was finally a conclusion to the Bishop situation, finally and I was so glad. He is one character I really hated, but I guess that was the purpose. I do live villians, and just just people pretending to be a villian. 

Rating: 5/5

Review: Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, #5) by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Publication date: June 10th, 2009
Number of pages: 352 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Morganville. Texas. Just south of normal.

In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. 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.

After the horrible outcome the feat brought in, Feast of Fools, Claire and her friends, and everyone else NOT on Bishop's side tries to find some way out of this mess. But that seems unlikely when Bishop seems to gain more followers than originally thought.
But things turn from bad to worse, and Claire might find herself that she doesn't have choice but do something drastic.

I felt this was an awesome book. Action packed to the max, and there was always something going on. The villians were still the villians, but in this book you just want them, especially Bishop and his followers to die a timely death like STAT.
Claire finds herself having to step up to the plate, and after a mass deception, she starts to wonder who in this town, apart from her friends can she really trust. She probably should have known even the vampires on the good sides shouldn't be trusted, but sometimes you do have to choose a lesser evil.

The ending was a dozy, and I couldn't believe myself what was happening. There will always be consequences for such actions, even if you do make such decisions for the right reasons. Sometimes, there is no good way to something like this.

Just when you thought you knew how things were going --- think again.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, #4) by Rachel Caine

Publisher: Penguin Australia
Publication date: February 23rd, 2009
Number of pages: 367 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

The wait is over. dig into the feast...

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

Just when Claire thought things were getting back to normal in comes in Mr. Bishop, Amelie's father. Who makes oliver and Amelie put together like kittens. It seems he might want revenge of some kind from something Amelie had done to him in the past, and now he wants to take over the town.
Everyone seem to be scared of him, and for good reason. Bishop is gaining followers more and more, and Claire and her friends hope that the good side will win, but things aren't looking well.

There is a big ball for Bishop's homecoming and everyone, well mostly everyone is invited. It will be the event of the year, but things don't go as planned.
Bishop seems to always be one step ahead, and what happens will surprise you.

I loved this book. Things keep getting better and better as the series goes on, and the story is fresh. I loved the developing relationship between Shane and Claire, and then the friendship between Claire and Eve and Shane and Michael. We don't always get to see a lot of Michael and Eve, it's probably because since these books are in Claire's POV, so if they aren't in scenes with her, we won't see it. Ah, the downside to having 1st POV. But what we do get to see is that they do love each other, and would do anything to protect one another.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires, #3) by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Publication date: September 5th, 2008
Number of pages: 384 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Morganville's such a nice place to live ... And die. If you don't mind that sort of thing.
When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but the garlic may come in handy.
Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire's past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

In the third installment of Rachel Caine's best selling series, comes a new adventure for Claire and her friends that they are not likely to forget.
They will have to deal with more than they think they can handle, romance, vampires and murders.
 
With the deal that Claire made with Amelie, she might soon regret that when she finds herself at Amelie's beck and call.
What Amelie asks of Claire, she'll start to wonder if she can come through, because if she doesn't.. then it might mean the end of not just her life, but of the lives of her friends also.

When girls start to go missing, and then turn up dead -- the first thing they think is a vampire attack, but when that gets ruled out, a mystery person from Eve's past turns up and the answer seems pretty obvious.

Shane is still having a hard time dealing with the fact that his best friend is now a vampire, but by each passing day it's something he slowly comes to accept.

Claire gets stronger after every book. She may be young, but she learns from her experiences and mistakes. Her romance with Shane also keeps her grounded, and soon she'll be a force nobody can go against.
The group of these friends are unlike anyone else. if the residents of Morganville start to underestimate them, they'll soon be sorry.

This was another great installment in this thrilling series.  Props to Rachel.

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Review: The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires, #2) by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Publication date:  April 7th, 2008
Number of pages: 380 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Good news, girls: your dates are here!

Claire Danvers has had her share of challenges - like being a genius in a school that favours beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm and, above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with blood-sucking fiends. On the plus side, so far Claire and her friends have managed to survive getting on the wrong side of some Morganville VIPs . . . Vampire Important Persons. But their temporary peace is in danger of collapsing, thanks to the arrival of her new boyfriend's scary father and his vampire-fighting supporters.

Bad news, girls: they're dead.

The story to Rachel Caine's second installment to the Morganville Vampires series picks right up where Glass Houses left off.
Shane father has arrived back in town determined to get rid of all the vampires that he can for revenge of the death of his wife and daughter. But things don't go according to plan.
When a death of a vampire occurs, Shane's father's friends get accused and then Shane gets involved in the mess forcing Amelie to make a harsh decision concerning his fate.
The question is, is he innocent or guilty. Claire believes he has done nothing wrong so she goes to extreme lengths to protect him and her friends and to set him free of the charges he has been accused of.

Claire also receives an offer of protection, not just for herself, but also for her friends.
Michael also finds himself in a situation when he makes a drastic choice that will change his whole life, and one that will have consequences on his relationships with his friends, especially Shane.

The relationships between Shane and Claire, also Michael and Eve begin to evolve and progress. You even start to understand Eve a little more as you get information on her family.

This was a great book and looking forward to see how things progress for the rest of the series. 

Rating: 5/5

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, #1) by Rachel Caine
Publisher: Penguin Austtalia
Publication date: May 26th, 2008
Number of pages: 348 pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series comes the debut of an exciting new series set in Morganville, Texas, where you would be well advised to avoid being out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?

In the first novel of Rachel Caine's YA series comes, Glass Houses it begin sixteen year old, college freshman, Claire Davers. After having graduated early from high school and because her parents wouldn't let her move too far away from home at such a young age, Claire starts at the university in Morganville, Texas.
But this town, and this college is much different than everywhere else in the country. This town is populated and run by vampires.
Yes. Believe or not. It's true.
Claire hasn't had the best experience in Morganville.She gets beat up by the Queen B. The bitchy girl of the school and fears for her life if she comes back.
Everything starts to change when she moves into an off campus house with two guys and a girl who begin to help her see the town differently than she ever felt possible.

This was a really great start to the series. There was lots of action, a potential romance, or two and a mystery which you want to know more of.

The characters: Claire. While she might just think she was some small, innocent and naive young teenager who is over her head, and while in the beginning you might be right. But as the book gears toward the end, Claire becomes such a strong young woman who will go deep into trouble if it means doing what is right.
She adores her friends and will do anything to them, and won't back down to her enemies even if it means it could end up costing her life.

Shane, Michael and Eve: Who doesn't love these three? I loved Shane right away, and his growing friendship/relationship with Claire. I love the progress these two had. While we might have thought his concern over her was just to do with his sister and being protective of her like that, but the more they got to know each other.. things changed, into something else.
Michael and Eve. Such great characters, and while we don't see them as much as we might have liked, it's enough to come to adore them. Michael has a secret that he is keeping from them all, and Eve.. for a goth chic who is an outsider in the town, she is not afraid of anything.. or almost anything.

The villians.. end up not being who you might think. I love the mystery and intrigue in the book and really looking forward to book 2, especially on the cliffhanger at the end.

Rating: 5/5

 

Review: Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

Witch Finder  (Witch Finder, #1) by Ruth Warburton
Publisher: Hoddler
Publication date: January 2nd, 2014
Number of pages: 374 pgs
Format: Kindle E-Galley via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

London. 1880. In the slums of Spitalfields apprentice blacksmith Luke is facing initiation into the Malleus Maleficorum, the fearsome brotherhood dedicated to hunting and killing witches.

Luke’s final test is to pick a name at random from the Book of Witches, a name he must track down and kill within a month, or face death himself. Luke knows that tonight will change his life forever. But when he picks out sixteen-year-old Rosa Greenwood, Luke has no idea that his task will be harder than he could ever imagine.

I've always loved stories that involved witches and magic. I had been looking forward to Ruth's new series for a while as I adored her previous witch series.
The setting of this story was set in the past, the 1800's to be exact, which I think I must have forgotten at first, but it was easily remembered while reading.

The fact it was also set in London in such a historical time was too good to pass up. I was curious to see how witches and magic would be dealt with during this time period, as if it were in the US it wouldn't have been treated well --  lets remember the Salem Witch trials, shall we?

While this book didn't blow me away, I did enjoy the story for what it was. The two characters were interesting, different but in other ways, the same.
Luke's journey was interesting. He was tasked to finding and killing one witch as part of his trials to be accepted into the brotherhood.  Rosa is a young witch who has no idea what she is about to get herself into.
They may have different POVS and journeys, but soon those gaps begin to close when their paths cross and their lives become entertwined.
I really liked these two. They don't have things easy.. as they both go through things that are difficult, but the closer they find themselves, the less they find to hate each other.

There was some interesting mythology involved in this story. If there was one thing I wish.. it would be that the ending would have packed more of a punch.  But while I have some complaints, it was still a fun and enjoyable story that I feel is only just the beginning.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hoddler for the chance to review this in an exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5

Review: Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: NYLA
Number of Pages: 175
Format: Ebook
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
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On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

First I would like to thank Ilona Andrews in providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Everything I pick up from them I instantly fall in love with, and with this is no exception. The world building is just amazing. I love that with all of their books the world isn't explained up front. It makes the book more mysterious, and the reader sitting there coming up with different theories. 

Dina is pretty kickass herself. And you have to feel bad for her, struggling to get by. Not to mention her parents just disappeared one day and no one has any clue what happened. What's a good book without a love interest or two? Although myself I preferred Sean. I wished there were a little more romance in it and that it was a little bit longer. But you take what you can get.

The book was exactly what I come to expect from a Ilona Andrews book. I think one of my favorite things about the book was the humor. There were parts that had me laughing so hard I was crying. If you haven't read this yet, you should. And the illustrations included was pure amazing.

Looks like this will be made into a series. That news made me beyond excited and already want more of this series. I'll be looking forward for the next installment impatiently.

Rating: 4/5

 

 

Review: Empower by Jessica Shirvington

Empower (Violet Eden Chapters #5) by Jessica Shirvington
Publication Date: November 12, 2013
Publisher: Hachette
Number of Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
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It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and - most importantly - her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.

Living in the perpetual coldness of a broken soul she survives day to day as a Rogue Grigori in London.

But when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, the news he bears about someone she swore to protect leaves Violet with no choice.

Even worse, she fears that this might all lead back to the night she tries hardest to forget. And what was taken without her permission.

Violet is going back to New York ... and she knows exactly who is going to be there.

With Phoenix in her dreams and Lincoln in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before the final choice must be made.

The final book in this amazing series picks up two years after the end of Endless. Violet realizing that the ones she loves will always be in danger, she takes off on her own. For the last year she has joined a gang of rogues and living in London. We see a recurring character that we briefly met in Emblaze, Gray. I do have to admit I didn't remember him, but I grew to love him. But when an old friend disappears, Violet knows she has to go back to New York and help find him. For backup Gray is coming a long for the ride.

Violet's initial plan to get in there and out without Lincoln realizing she's there fails the moment she walked in the first meeting. We see a new Lincoln, a colder harsher Lincoln, and honestly I don't blame him at all. Going in the book I knew I wanted some angst, but this...it was heartbreaking. It tore my heart into two pieces. All I wanted to do was locked them in a room together. In all the heartbreaking scenes, there were a few swoonworthy scenes, that gives you hope.

All love issues aside, Violet has a bigger problem. There's someone out to get her angel maker, and they are going to use Violet to do it. And this time she's not sure if she can make it out a live.

This book was perfect. We finally see Violet accepts who she really is. Not to mention we finally learn who her angel maker is. I knew a second before it was revealed who it was, and thinking back it didn't really surprise me.

The best part of this book was Violet and Lincoln. After they get through their angst, they were beautiful. It really showed they were really soul mates, and made for each other. Usually in books we see how much the girl loves the guy, but in this we see exactly what Lincoln feels for Violet without it being cheesy.

I couldn't stop thinking about this book for days after reading it. I kept re reading certain scenes over and over again. It was a perfect ending for the series. And I can't think Jen enough for sending me the books when they are first released in Australia. I like to think I'm the only one in the US who has finished the series (which it could possibly be true since the last book isn't released here until next spring).

Rating: 5/5

Review: Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin

Becoming Alpha (Alpha Girl, #1) by Aileen Erin
Publisher: Ink Monster,
Publication date: December 17th, 2013
Number of pages: 267 pgs
Format: E-Galley
Purchase: Amazon Kindle

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves.

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for allowing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's not often you can find originality in a YA paranormal series. I knew by the synopsis that this book sounded interesting, and I couldn't wait to see how it separated itself from everything else out there.
I was pleasantly surprised. While it could be a little predictable, but I liked that it had it's own original story. I really liked the characters, Tessa in particular and the things they went through.

After Tessa was 'attacked' after meeting a sexy new guy, she doesn't think very much about the scratches she pertained, not until later when her body starts to go through some changes. Ones that are very painful. She has no idea what is happening to her, but her parents do, and there is only one answer.
After her dad's boss/friend recognizes the signs and knows he did this, he takes Tessa in to his school to be able to amongst her own kind. It's the only thing possible to do before she can be around others without hurting them. Yes --- Tessa is being changed into a werewolf. It's not something she wanted, but it is done and she can only accept it and make the best out of the situation.

I didn't like Dastien at first, but the more we saw of him, and the consequences of one moment, I think you can understand him a bit.  I ended up adoring his relationship with Tessa. It's not an easy one, but the wait for them to get to the right space was glorious to read about. They really were perfect for one another. Sure, things didn't start as well, and they didn't start off on the right foot, but I felt he made up for his past descretions. Sometimes you just can't fight fate. Things happen for a reason, and there is a reason his heart chose her.

The other characters were fun and interesting. I look forward to see where the author goes with this series. I will be looking forward to the next book, and see how Tessa is handling her wolf, friends and her relationship.

A real fun, interesting take on the were genre. If you are a fan, then this book is definitely for you. It's not to be missed.

4.5 Stars