Book Review: Charade, by Cambria Hebert (Fifteenth review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Charade 
(Heven and Hell #2)
Cambria Hebert
Trade Paperback, 332 pages
Cambria Hebert
August 1, 2012
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

This second installment of Hebert's exciting young adult series is just as fascinating to read as the first one!

Having been brought back to life by the angel Airis, and given a paranormal power, Heven is now also the guardian of a secret scroll that must be returned to the catacombs of Rome.  She and Sam must do this at all costs, or many people will die.  On the way to accomplishing this task, they must deal with constant demon attacks, as well as the mysterious behavior of Sam's younger brother, Logan, whom Heven can't bring herself to trust.  She refrains from making this clear to Sam, though, since she doesn't want to come between him and his brother.  So she endures the discomfort, even as her suspicions about Logan continue to grow.

This novel brings in a very interesting new character -- Gemma, a fallen angel, who offers to help train Sam and Cole (who has been told what's really going on) to fight demons successfully.  Although Sam is a hellhound, he must be able to deal with these creatures in his human form, as well, since he won't always have the time or opportunity to shift forms.  It was quite fascinating to read how Gemma, whose feminine appearance belies great strength and fighting skills, went about training the two boys.

Book Review: Tempest Rising, by Tracy Deebs (14th review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

 

 

 

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Title: Tempest Rising
Author: Tracy Deebs
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Published: May 10, 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA



I have always been fascinated by mermaid stories, although I haven't read that many of them.  However, I did read Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" as a child. 

This has been a wonderfully exhilarating experience!  The main character, Tempest Maguire, is a very likable heroine -- gutsy, yet vulnerable -- whose inner life is as interesting as her outer one.  Deebs has crafted a modern plot,  one in which Tempest is torn between her ocean heritage, which she has received from her mother, a mermaid herself, and her land heritage, which she gets from her father, who is human.  This makes for a psychologically riveting tale, as Tempest struggles to find a balance between her two worlds throughout the novel.  

Book Review: Underworld, by Meg Cabot (13th review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

 

 

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Goodreads Synopsis

 

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn't dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.
Her captor, John Hayden, claims it's for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they've come back as Furies, intent on vengeance... on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves...

 

 

Book Review: Winter's Light, by M.J. Hearle (12th review for the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: Winter's Light (Winter Saga #2)
Author: M.J. Hearle
Format: Paperback, 432 pages
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: May 1, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Gothic Fiction, Urban Fantasy


Goodreads Synopsis

Blake is gone.

He sacrificed himself to save Winter, leaving her alone, unprotected... hunted.

An ancient enemy is rising, but Winter is no longer the innocent girl who was fated to die at Pilgrim's Lament. She will not wait to be saved. She will do what she must to survive, even accept an unsavoury alliance with those who destroyed her love.

In the gathering darkness, the enemy of an enemy is not always a friend, and Winter must find the strength to stand alone and fight for the one she loves. For she is the key to unlocking the secrets beyond the veil of shadows.

And she is Blake's only hope.

Book Review: Midnight Reckoning, by Kendra Leigh Castle (11th review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: Midnight Reckoning (Dark Dynasties #2)
Author: Kendra Leigh Castle
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 334 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: January 1, 2012
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy


Goodreads Synopsis

Wild and passionate by nature, Lyra Black is not just any werewolf. She's the future leader of the powerful pack of the Thorn - if she can stay alive long enough to inherit the title.

One of the Cait Sith bloodline of vampire cat-shifters, Jaden Harrison has no interest in the wars plaguing the world of night. But when he rescues Lyra from a violent attack, they're both captured by an insatiable desire that threatens to overwhelm them and bind them together for eternity... just as ancient enemies prepare to strike. And when they do, the Thorn and the Cait Sith - and Lyra and Jaden's love - may never recover from the deadly blow...

Book Review: Until I Die, by Amy Plum (tenth review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: Until I Die
Author: Amy Plum
Format: Hardcover, 357 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: May 8, 2012
Genres: YA Paranormal Romance,
Urban Fantasy



Goodreads Synopsis

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

Book Review: The Swan Kingdom, by Zoe Marriott (ninth review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challnge)

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Title: The Swan Kingdom
Author: Zoe Marriott
Format: Trade Paperback, 263 pages
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: March 5, 2007
Genre: YA Fantasy
Literary Awards: Cybils Award (2008), YALSA Popular Paperbacks (2010)



Goodreads Synopsis: 

When Alexandra’s mother is slain by an unnatural beast, shadows fall on the once-lush kingdom. Too soon the widowed king is entranced by a cunning stranger — and in one chilling moment Alexandra’s beloved brothers disappear, and she is banished to a barren land. Rich in visual detail, sparked by a formidable evil, and sweetened with familial and romantic love, here is the tale of a girl who discovers powerful healing gifts — and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.

One look at this gorgeous cover was enough to get me interested in this book!  That interest increased when I read the above synopsis on Goodreads.  When I received the book in the mail and looked it over, I realized that this novel is a retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, titled "The Wild Swans".  The retellings I'm most familiar with are those of The Phantom of the Opera, which is not a fairy tale, but a 19th-century novel written by the French author, Gaston Leroux.  In the case of that particular book, I found the retellings to be much more engaging than the original novel.  In the case of Andersen's fairy tale, the retelling is, I think, just as wonderful as the original, although it departs markedly from the story as presented by Andersen.  It also contains some deeper elements not included in the original version.

Princess Alexandra has three brothers, instead of the original eleven of the fairy tale.  The evil stepmother is very much present, but in Marriott's hands, the story has become so much more -- it is a tale of female power, earth power, as the fertility of the lands of two neighboring kingdoms is linked to this power.

Alexandra's mother is 'a cunning woman', which is the term used in the novel for a healer and practitioner of folk magic.  This term, according to Wikipedia, was common mostly in southern England, the Midlands, and Wales, in the 15th and 16th centuries.  These people were also called 'wise women'.  According to the same source, there were also 'cunning men', but in The Swan Kingdom, it is the women who hold the greater power.  

Alexandra loves and admires her mother, who is able to heal those who are ill, and perform what are known as 'Great workings'.  Lady Branwen is widely sought for her expertise in healing, especially when nothing else has worked.  She draws her power from the currents of life -- 'the enaid' -- that ebb and flow across the land.  She also teaches her daughter to perform 'small workings', as well as herb and plant lore. 

Early in the novel, Marriott contrasts gentle Lady Branwen with her somewhat distant, harsh husband, a man who is blind to the beauty of his wife's powers, a man who thinks of the land as something he owns.  There are hints that their marriage is not a happy one.

Everything changes shortly after Lady Branwen's death, when Alexandra's father finds an enchanting young woman in the forest, during one of his hunts for the strange beast that had killed his wife.  Alexandra and her brothers watch in horror as this woman twists everyone to her will, making a puppet of their father, whom she soon marries.

Soon thereafter, the whole tale begins to unfold as Alexandra's quest is revealed.  She must somehow destroy this woman who is not only bent on destroying her family, but her beloved kingdom, as well....

Marriott transports us to the lands of her tale with a prose style that is lyrical, mesmerizing.  Here's an enthralling sample:  "The claustrophobic darkness of the forest, the looming shadows and the creature that moved among them disappeared; a screaming, flailing wind seemed to tear them away, and thrust another landscape into their place."  This style harks back to the classics, to the times when the sounds and rhythms of language were as important as the story and the characters.  Marriott weaves a spell of her own with her beautiful, descriptive sentences, and therein lies much of the charm of this novel.

As the tale unfolds, we discover a rich panorama of magic, as Alexandra becomes acquainted with the Circle of Ancestors, on a lonely faraway island.  Her powers grow as she becomes more and more attuned to the land, as she also strives to become her own person.  She will never bow to Zella's will, as her father and most of his subjects have.  Neither will her brothers, whom she must save, while she ironically waits and hopes for their return from a strange exile. 

This is a coming of age story, as well as a tale of rivalry for magical power.  Alexandra, having taken her mother's place, must battle against the evil Zella, against the slow death she has brought upon the land and its people.  Instead of bloody battles fought with sword and lance, this novel details a battle of wills.  One must emerge as victor, totally vanquishing the other. 

I see an elemental conflict here, as well, one dear to any feminist's heart.  It is the conflict between a woman who believes in using her magic and feminine wiles to manipulate men, and another who refuses to do so, preferring instead to use her powers to work along with men towards a common good.  As such, Alexandra and Zella are archetypes, or symbols, of concepts that are an intrinsic part of the human race.  As Carl Jung would say, they are part of humanity's collective unconscious. 

Gabriel, the young prince who falls in love with Alexandra, possesses some magical power, although not at the level of Alexandra.  He does not begrudge her this, however.  His love for her is pure and true, as hers is for him.  Neither one seeks to bend the beloved to his/her will. 

I find it fascinating, as well as very appealing, that Marriott would introduce such modern , although paradoxically ancient, psychological concepts into a fairy tale world.  This, for me, is also a great part of the novel's appeal.  Alexandra is not a typical fairy tale "damsel in distress', but neither is she bent on ensuring that others conform to her will.   Circumstances force her to grow as a person throughout the story, and she never shrinks from the challenges presented to her.  She is an admirable character, and indeed, the novel revolves entirely around her.  

If I had to find fault with anything about this wonderful book, I would have to say it's the ending, which I found to be anti-climactic.  I was expecting something much more dramatic, something more on a grand scale.  

Still, I greatly enjoyed this novel, which kept me turning pages, at times until the wee hours, one particular Saturday.  It's an excellent debut novel, and I will certainly be on the lookout for more of Marriott's work!   I also highly recommend it for adults as well as young adults, not only for the fascinating storytelling, but for its elegantly-written prose. 



MY RATING:



Where To Buy:  Amazon, The Book Depository, Barnes & Noble

Zoe Marriott

Book Review: Forgiven, by Jana Oliver (eighth review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: Forgiven (UK edition)
Author: Jana Oliver
Format: Trade Paperback, 407 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Published: March 1, 2012
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian Fiction, Young Adult





This third installment in The Demon Trappers series (there's a fourth book on the way) is just as riveting and exciting as the previous two!  In spite of plot elements that I found totally objectionable, I couldn't stop reading!  I don't know what kind of magic this author wields, but I had to keep reading to find out how everything ended, in spite of all my reservations...

I firmly believe that a large part of the attraction these books have for readers, including me, is the great characters. 

Riley Blackthorne is, I think, one of the most wonderful heroines I've ever come across!  She's gutsy, compassionate, daring, smart, and, to top things off, very touchingly devoted to her father, the Master Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne.  She's still hurting from her mother's death, and has done everything possible to rescue her father's body from the clutches of the unknown necromancer who reanimated him.  She finds him, only to lose him again shorthly thereafter, and her desperate anguish moved me to tears.

Then there's Denver Beck, who is Master Blackthorne's apprentice.  He comes from a troubled family background, and is also illiterate.  He attempts to hide these things behind a macho front, but Riley discovers that he's really a very sensitive, caring soul.   She initially misinterprets his attitude toward her as a bossy one, only realizing, in this novel, that he actually loves her, and has for a long time...  She herself had a crush on him when she was 15, and never got over his apparent rejection, which Beck felt was necessary at the time, due to her age.  Beck has been fighting his attraction to Riley for a long time -- two books, as a matter of fact.  In this third one, he finally begins to acknowledge it. 

I don't want to give the impression that this is really a romance novel, because it's not.  The romance takes second place to all the action, which is another of the things pulling me to these books.  At the beginning of the novel, Riley's in hiding from the demon hunters, who have somehow discovered that she has an agreement with Hell.  Furthermore, Beck is furious with her because of her brief relationship with Ori, a Fallen Angel,  in the second book.  Riley has found her dad, and he's safe, for the moment.  Then she finds out that Beck will take the blame for the horrible Tabernacle massacre, which occurred in the second book, unless she decides to turn herself in.  She promptly does so, under the protection of the Scottish Grand Master Stewart, another of my favorite characters.  When questioned by Father Rosetti, the leader of the Vatican's demon hunters, she's surprised to discover that she bears the marks of both Heaven and Hell -- the first on her left hand, the second, on her right!

Riley already knew, at the end of the second novel, that she was supposed to somehow stop the coming Armageddon.  She's puzzled as to how she's also supposed to render a favor to Lucifer, the Prince of Hell...

To my dismay, there's a new element introduced in this third novel -- zombie demons!  Due to some really powerful magic, they are now nearly invincible, and can only be killed through decapitation.  Ugh.  As if it weren't bad enough already that there are reanimated humans who are then sold as servants to the rich...  Of course, this new element adds more excitement to the plot, since the stakes have been raised.  Riley and her friends -- the demon hunters and the demon trappers are now working together -- have to do their utmost to defeat these formidable foes.

Ori is still part of the story, trapped inside a statue by Lucifer, only coming alive at the dawning of each new day.  He calls out telepathically to Riley, attempting to convince her to give him her soul.  She remains firm, however, and instead, uses him to get information crucial to her cause.

This third novel is as full of twists and turns as the first two.  There's hardly any respite from the constant action!  There's plenty of character development going on, though, especially in the case of Denver Beck.  We also learn more about Paul Blackthorne, and the terrible thing he did in order to protect Riley, whom he loves just as fiercely as she does him. 

We also find out more about Mort, one of the necromancers.  I didn't expect to actually like such a character, but Mort turns out to be a very decent sort.  Even though I still object to his occupation, I do appreciate the fact that he takes care of Riley and her father, doing everything he can to help them.

Another character I like is Ayden, the witch.  She, too, is a very good friend to Riley, using her magic to help her young friend, and coming across as a very compassionate person.

Peter, who is Riley's best friend, is another wonderful character!  He helps her solve the mystery of the holy water scam, and is always there for her emotionally, listening to her problems, giving her unsolicited, but helpful, advice.  If it weren't for him, Riley would probably have ended up an emotional wreck a long time ago.  

The complex mix of elements in these books not only create a compelling plot, but also raises some questions for this reader.  Since the plot is so laden with religious concepts, I have to mention those things that I find so objectionable. 

 First off, the idea of demons creating physical havoc, and capable of being killed (before the new zombie ones arrive) just doesn't seem believable.  I realize that this is fiction, but still...   Demons are supposed to be spiritual, not physical, entities; as such, I would think they could not be killed.  They could perhaps be portrayed as creating physical havoc, if they manifested in physical form.  But I really don't see how they could possibly be killed.

Secondly, fallen angels are, essentially, demons.  In these novels, they're treated as creatures who are somehow not completely evil, and apart from demons, as if they were between Heaven and Hell.  According to the Biblical tale, when Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven, he took many angels with him, angels who had rebelled against God right along with him.  These angels then became demons, or devils. 

Thirdly, I think it's rather incongrous, not to mention pretty much unbelievable, that the Catholic Church would be working so closely with wielders of magic such as Mort and Ayden.  Although the Church no longer burns witches at the stake, it still frowns on magic.  In this novel, though, Father Rosetti has to acknowledge that magic can help them defeat the demons, even while he warns Riley that using it could place her soul in jeopardy.  But then, some Christian denominations consider certain Catholic practices to be magical, such as the use of holy water, the rosary, and praying to the saints...  This is a topic that certainly opens up a can of worms!

I've already mentioned my fourth objection -- the zombies.  Reanimating human corpses is a sickening concept in itself.  Although Oliver handles the encounters between Riley and her father in a very delicate, even touching manner, I still find the idea offensive.  She really goes outside my comfort zone when she then presents the zombie demons!

There's one more point, and it's actually the most important one of all.  How could one human being, whether male or female, possibly stop Armageddon?  This is simply not plausible, or believable!  According to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, Armageddon is a done deal, something that will inevitably take place at some time in the future.  No mere human can possibly stop it.

In spite of all my objections, I have to say that Oliver is a superb writer!  She kept me interested throughout the novel, in spite of all my inward groaning.  Her pacing is flawless, and her strongest point is her characterization.  Riley, Beck, Paul, Stewart, Mort, Ayden, Peter, the demon hunters...even her villains, all emerge as real people, with all of their conflicting motivations and hidden agendas, their flawed personalities, their strengths and weaknesses.

I will definitely go on to the fourth and last book in the series.  Why, you might ask, since I have found so many objectionable elements in this book?  Well, all I can say is that Oliver has made reading her story a very compelling activity that I find myself wanting to see to the very end...

I would not say that these books are in the young adult category, even though they're presented as being such.   In spite of the age of the main characters, the themes and elements presented are much more suitable for a mature, adult audience, one with a solid spiritual background, to boot.   


MY RATING: <




Where To Buy:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble

 

Book Review: Masquerade, by Cambria Hebert (seventh review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: Masquerade
Author: Cambria Hebert
Format: Trade Paperback, 360 pages
Publisher: Otherworld Publications
Published: December 16, 2011
Genres: YA Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy



This is one of those books that pulled me in the minute I saw the cover.  It's a very unique one, too!  Not every book with a gorgeous cover has a compelling story to match, however, but this one certainly does!   In fact, I found it so compelling that I had to read it obsessively until the very end!  Hebert's writing is tight, expressive, tantalizing.  She keeps the reader on the edge of the seat, while she throws out elusive hints.  The result? Non-stop delight, as well as a truly mesmerizing read! 

Heven, the book's main character and one of its narrators, is someone who not only elicits compassion, but admiration as well.  She has been horribly disfigured by an unknown assailant, and she remembers nothing at all of this attack.  She has no idea why she was attacked, either.  All she has are her nightmares, in which she relives the first few moments of her ordeal...  In spite of all this, she has attempted to live as normal a life as possible, although she does hide her face, either with her hoodies, or her long, blond hair. 

Heven was once a cheerleader, a member of 'the popular crowd', but that was Before.  Her best friend, Kimber, is the only one who has stuck by her.  She and Cole, her boyfriend, have been Heven's only source of support among their peers since the mysterious accident that gave Heven her scars. 

A crucial shift in the story takes place when Kimber catches Cole kissing another girl; at the same time, a handsome new student, Sam, starts school. 

As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Kimber is not as supportive of Heven as she seemed to be, at first.  In fact, she has been jealous of Heven for a long time, and only now, when Heven is scarred, does she feel that she herself can be noticed.  

After Kimber's attempt to get revenge on Cole by dating Sam has the desired effect, resulting in Cole's reconciliation with Kimber, Heven is happy to be able to start a relationship with this mysterious new boy.   As they start to get to know each other, she doesn't believe he'll be interested in her because of her scars, but she's so wrong...

It's interesting to see how this novel starts off as a story of the cruelty and fickleness of high school life, but then becomes something more, as the supernatural elements are gradually introduced.  Sam is not what he appears to be -- at least, not exactly.  Yet, his love and devotion for Heven are all too real.  Heven herself is a remarkable individual, and we see her grow throughout the novel to become someone as awe-inspiring as Sam already is. 

There's an unexpected twist to the story, as well, which intensifies its  supernatural flavor.  While it isn't entirely surprising to me, being the veteran fantasy reader that I am, it does create a heightened sense of "otherworldliness" which I found utterly fascinating. 

The love story of Heven and Sam is one of the most beautiful I've read in a while.  Although Heven starts off as being very insecure because of her disfigurement, Sam makes her realize that inner beauty is much more important than outer beauty.  He tells her, over and over again, how beautiful she is in his eyes.  He is so tender and sweet to her...yet, he is all-male!   To me, he's the quintessential man -- romantic, loving, tender, strong, and always ready to protect and defend the woman he loves.

Hebert's story is highly original and unique.   For one thing, she has four different narrators telling the story: Heven, Sam, The Hate, and The Hope.  The last two are supernatural beings, but their identity is not revealed until much later in the novel.   I especially like the idea of contrasting these two.  It's amazing to see how an evil being twists the events taking place into something utterly depraved, while the same events, seen from the perspective of a good being, take on a shining beauty.  Furthermore, using these two narrators has the effect of drawing the reader along, turning pages to find out, among other things, just who and what these narrators are.

Sam's background story is another original element.  The events themselves are also uniquely Hebert's, as is her deft handling of them.  The world-building is also very original, and very well done. 

I was initially disappointed by one thing -- the depiction of Heven's mother as a Bible-thumping, fanatical Christian.   This sounded too much like a stereotype.  As I read, however, I had to admit that I myself have encountered such people.  Stereotypes, after all, become stereotypes for a reason.  While she did care for her daughter on some level, Heven's mother was too caught up in her rather twisted ideology to see Heven as someone needing help and confidence-boosting, not condemnation.  My initial disappointment then shifted; I was now disturbed that this woman could not see her own daughter's emotional needs.

There's one very special character in this novel, aside from Sam and Heven, of course, and that's Heven's grandmother, whom she calls "Gran".  Gran is Heven's paternal grandmother, so she doesn't really get along with Heven's mother.  She becomes the one relative that Heven can rely on for the emotional support and understanding that her mother seems incapable of giving her.  Needless to say, I love Gran as fiercely as Heven does!  When the tension between Heven and her mother (I don't recall her ever being named in the novel) escalates almost unbearably, Heven turns to her Gran, and is immediately welcomed into her warmly loving arms.

The central villain in the novel is very convincingly evil.  Of course, I hated this character!  A skilled author has to make sure to have properly evil villains, and Hebert certainly doesn't disappoint.  Heven is in very real danger from this villain, and I spent some very tense moments while reading about what this character was eager to do to her!

The initial mystery to the story is who, or what, Sam is.  Hebert keeps the plot relentlessly moving, the mystery deepening as the reader desperately wonders what, exactly is going on.  I found it very addictive reading, indeed!

In short, this is a highly entertaining, enchanting novel, one that also makes some very important points about true beauty, the value of sincere friendship, and the power of love to transcend all obstacles.  Hebert's novel is definitely in the YA genre, yet, I firmly believe that it will also appeal to adults, precisely because of these themes. 

This book now forms part of my favorites shelf!  I love the characters, the plot, and how everything is tied together in the end, yet, everything points to the next book in this series, Charade, which I am eagerly anticipating!



MY RATING:


Where To Buy:  Amazon,  Barnes & Noble

Cambria Hebert

Book Review: The Vampire and the Virgin, by Kerrelyn Sparks (sixth review for The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge)

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Title: The Vampire and the Virgin (Love At Stake #8)
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Format: Hardcover, 345 pages
Publisher: Avon
Published: March 9, 2010
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy


Reviewer's Note:  I decided I wanted to own the hardcover edition of this book.  However, I have included links to the mass-market paperback edition, for those who prefer that format.


The paranormal world created by Sparks contains a great combination of elements that guarantees a very entertaining, addictive read.  I certainly enjoyed this novel!  Her characters are not only believable, but very realistic, and funny, to boot!  I'm so glad, too, because I don't like the more traditional, horror-style vampire.  The vampires in Sparks' Love At Stake series are anything but! 

This is the eighth book in the series.  I've read three so far, and not in order, either, which is not good, although the books are also enjoyable as stand-alone novels. 

Robert McKay (known as 'Robby') is the wonderful hero of this installment.   Of course he's noble and brave.  Of course he carries hidden wounds from his past.  And of course he's devastatingly handsome.... While these might sound like the typical romance novel cliches, I don't mind them at all! 


The heroine, Olivia Sotiris, is just as wonderful, and she's the perfect match for Robby, for she, too, has a painful past.  Furthermore, they find each other on Patmos, a Greek island, on a moonlit night, near the beach...

Robby has traveled to the island on orders from his supervisor at McKay S & I, a security company dedicated to the fight against the Malcontents, who are the evil vampires in Sparks's world.  Robby is one of the good Vamps, but he wants revenge for his torture at the hands of Casimir, the leader of the Malcontents.  He's so obsessed with this that he's even endangering covert operations.   He's sent to Patmos so he can at least calm down, since he flatly refuses to see a therapist. 

Enter Olivia, FBI psychologist, who's been trying to escape the harassment of one Otis Crump, a dangerous serial killer responsible for the rape and deaths of thirteen women.  Although he's serving three life terms, he still manages to terrorize her, and she fears it's because he has an accomplice...

Olivia has also been sent to the island on orders from her FBI supervisor, who is worried for her safety.  She goes to stay at the home of her Greek grandmother, Eleni Sotiris, who is affectionately known as "Yia Yia" to her friends and family.  Olivia and her supervisor hope that Crump will not be able to trace her there.  The problem is, that's exactly what Crump does.  Frightened not only for herself but for her grandmother as well, Olivia packs them both up and hastily catches a flight back to the States.  Robby initially believes that she has abandoned him, but then decides to pursue her.

The love story is very well woven into the novel's action-filled plot.  As Robby and Olivia struggle to have a viable relationship, one filled with danger and a very important secret, events escalate; Casimir, who had been in hiding, makes his move at last...and innocent people start dying.  The good vampire and the FBI psychologist must work together to stop the killing, and Olivia must come to terms with what Robby is, when she does at last find out. 

Have I already mentioned how much I enjoyed this novel?  This is the type of fun read that keeps one glued to the pages, frantically turning them until one gets to the end. 

The secondary characters are just as memorable and fleshed-out as the principal ones.  I especially like J.L. Wang, Olivia's best friend and co-worker at the FBI.   I also like Carlos Panterra, the shape-shifter who's an equally good friend to Robby.  And how could I forget Phineas?  He's one of the Vamps, a self-styled "Love Doctor", who gives Robby the most hilarious love 'advice', while he himself must try to deal with a mortal woman who keeps rejecting his advances.  I also loved Eleni Sotiris.  (Here's another literary grandmother to love, right along with Gran in Cambria Hebert's YA novel, Masquerade!)   She cares deeply for Olivia, and is intent on introducing her to every eligible bachelor on the island of Patmos.  Although very sweet and loving toward her granddaughter, she's also stern at times, especially when Olivia first starts getting to know Robby.

The sinister Crump is also unforgettable as the evil, totally delusional serial killer, who insists that he and Olivia are destined to be together for eternity. 

To sum up, I would highly recommend this book as a very entertaining, totally addictive read!   I'ts definitely going on my favorite romances shelf.  If it were ever made into a movie, I'd be the first one lining up at the movie theater door!! 


MY RATING: 



Where To Buy:   Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Kerrelyn Sparks

Book Review: Bloodrose, by Andrea Cremer (fifth review for the 2012 TBR Reading Challenge)

Here's my fifth review for this

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Title: Bloodrose
Author: Andrea Cremer
Format: Hardcover, 406 pages
Publisher: Philomel Books
Published: January 3, 2012
Genres:  Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy





It's fascinating when an author can make characters so real that we, the readers, actually feel their pain, their losses, as if they were our own.  It's also gut-wrenching, especially for sensitive readers like me...

I have enjoyed this series up to now.  While I've also enjoyed this third and last installment, I do have a bone to pick with the author...

As the novel opens, Calla, with Adne's help, returns to Vail to get Ren, who can be a vital ally in the war against the Keepers.  Adne is a Weaver, which means that she uses tools known as 'skeans' to weave a portal in the space-time continuum, through which the Searchers can travel.  She and Calla do manage to get Ren out, and transport him to the Searchers' current headquarters, located in Italy. 

From there, the plan is to help Shay, who is the Scion (the long-awaited hero who can defeat the Keepers) retrieve the pieces of what is called The Elemental Cross.  This supernatural weapon is basically composed of two swords, the blades and hilts of which bear the force of the elements of earth, fire, air, and water.  Only the Scion can wield this formidable weapon without harm.  Anyone else who attempts to do so will literally suffer very painful burns.  This is totally fascinating, and reminds me of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone.  No one but the true heir to the English throne could move that sword.  And so it is with The Elemental Cross.  Only Shay can touch and handle this terrifying weapon.

The remaining members of the former Nightshade wolf pack, along with Searchers Adne, Connor, and Silas, who is a scribe, join Shay in his quest to find the pieces of The Elemental Cross.  Only Bryn and Ansel, Calla's brother, remain behind at the Searchers' Academy, for reasons that will become apparent to those who read the book. 

Along the way, the wolves and the Searchers meet up with grave perils.  If they're successful in their quest, they will then bring the ever-present enmity between Searchers and Keepers out into the open, leading to full-fledged war.

Throughout the novel, Cremer keeps the tension flowing among her three pivotal characters -- Shay, Calla, and Ren.  All three of them are alphas.  Shay and Ren are rivals for Calla's love, as they have been from the time Calla saved Shay from a grizzly bear, in the first novel.  In this last volume, Calla refuses to choose between her two suitors until the war against the Keepers is won.  This, along with the nearly constant action, keeps the reader in anxious suspense, turning pages.  Who will win in the end?  Will the former Guardians be able to defeat their former masters, the Keepers?  Will it be Ren or Shay who will become Calla's mate?

This novel is as exciting and riveting as the first two, and I dearly love this series.  It's really too bad that I had to encounter this unexpected 'glitch', if I might call it thus.  In fact, at this point, I don't know if I'll be able to finish this book.  While I tore through the first two, I've actually been putting off finishing this one, which is why it's been in my sidebar under 'currently reading' for so long.  The reason is a major plot twist that I actually did see coming.  I even confirmed my suspicions by actually (gasp!) reading ahead... When I finally, reluctantly, came to 'that' point in the story, it impacted me so strongly that I actually had to stop reading. 

I'm not faulting Cremer's writing at all; it's due to the excellence of her writing that I love these books, although I now have some mixed feelings about this one.  Her characterization in all of these novels is nothing short of superb.  Ironically, it's precisely her superb characterization that has caused me to feel as I do.  All of the characters, as I stated at the beginning of this review, really come alive.  I care deeply about them all, but especially the main three -- Calla, Shay, and Ren.  However, I also care about Bryn and Ansel, Connor and Adne, Sabine and Ethan, Nev and Mason, and Stephen Tor, Calla's father, although he's not present throughout most of this novel.  And the villains...ah, those villains!!  Efron and Emile are the most despicable of all!  Their arrogance and cruelty make them so easy to hate!  True, it could be pointed out that they're one-dimensional characters, since they're totally evil.  However, in the real history of the world, there have been such totally evil characters, people who were completely beyond redemption.  I'm thinking of Hitler and Stalin, for example. 

Cremer is a skillful Weaver herself, for she is easily able to create portals that transport us into a totally supernatural, yet, believable, world.  In spite of the fantasy elements -- people who can shift into wolves, witches (the Keepers) who can summon terrible wraiths by making symbols in the air -- we easily suspend our disbelief, and become immersed in this world. 

I would like to be able to go back and finish the book, since I don't like to leave books unfinished.  Perhaps I'll need to give myself some time, and return to it once I've achieved some emotional detachment from it.  Right now, I simply can't continue.

Viewed from another angle, I have to criticize Cremer's objectionable plot twist as too easy, too predictable.  Being the consummate craftswoman that she is, it would not have been beyond her powers to have taken the novel in a different direction, one that would have resulted in a plot resolution, yet wouldn't have caused such distress to this reader, as well as other readers, since I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling as I do.

I can't bring myself to give this novel less than four stars, although I do wish I could give it five, instead.  After all, the writing, plotting, setting, and characterization are as excellent as they were in the first two novels.  However, I am committed to writing honest reviews, which means following my heart. 

Furthermore, I can't go as far as to say that I won't recommend this book, either, because I do indeed.  For those who are fans of this series, all I will say is...be prepared to suffer some mental and emotional anguish as the book nears its final pages... 

If this trilogy ends up being made into movies, I can always see the first two, and perhaps the third, simply walking out before it ends.


MY RATING: 


Where To Buy:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Andrea Cremer