Jenn's Review: Charmfall

Summary:  High school can be a battlefield, but for Lily Parker, surviving at St. Sophia’s School for Girls is a matter of life and death…

Protecting Chicago from the dark side can be an exhausting job, especially when you’re a junior. So when the girls of St. Sophia’s start gearing up for Sneak, their fall formal, Lily decides to join in on some good, old-fashioned party prep—even if it means not giving demons, vampires and the twisted magic users known as Reapers her undivided attention.

But when a Reaper infiltrates the school, Lily doesn’t forget what she’s sworn to protect. She reaches deep into herself to draw out her magic—and finds that it’s gone. And it turns out she’s not alone. A magical blackout has slammed through paranormal Chicago, and no one knows what—or who—caused it. But Lily knows getting back her magic is worth the risk of going behind enemy lines…

Review:  Lily is frantic upon getting into a battle with a Reaper and discovering her magic is gone. But it's not just her, magic is disappearing all over, and she may be the only one willing to cooperate with the Reapers in order to find the answers to save it. Lily is bringing change to the battle between the Adepts and the Reapers. Perhaps because she grew up outside of it all, she doesn't see things as black and white... And she's teaching everyone to see some shades of grey.

The Adepts get their first taste of what life will be like without magic, and they aren't handling it all that well. I was kind of surprised by this. It is, after all, what they're fighting for, to let go of the magic gracefully when it is time. So the reaction of each of the characters is interesting.

I like Sebastian more and more, the more we learn about him as the series progresses, the more of a mystery he becomes. He's definitely not all bad, which lends credibility to Lily's shades of grey... There are fanatics on both sides of the battle... Maybe they are both wrong?!? Or is it just Sebastian's interest in Lily that makes him seem like he's not such a bad guy?

As, usual, I got to the end and found myself craving more. Honestly, if Chloe Neill had combined all three of these books into one, it would have suited me fine. Instead they are nice quick read-in-a-sitting books ...and they always have me looking forward to the next installment.

Final Take:  4/5

 

Jenn's Review: Taken at Dusk

Summary:  Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she's meant to be with-and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she's about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever ~and not always for the better.

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it's not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different-and more astonishing-than she ever could have imagined.

Review:  The Shadow Falls books from C.C. Hunter make up one of my favorite YA series.  I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves either. C.C. Hunter has created a fascinating world where all paranormals coexist, but not always peacefully.

Shadow Falls is a camp for supernaturals where they can learn to harness their abilities and break down prejudices towards each other. It's about to enter its fledgling year as a year-round school, if they can just keep things from falling apart. The story is fast paced and full of constant developments but not to the point where it's overly intense. It's not so fast that the reader feels rushed either; it's taken us three books to cover one summer's worth of time but it's worth every page. I find Ms. Hunter's Shadow Falls books hard to put down once I've started them.  Given the opportunity I could devour them in a sitting.  I reach then end and I'm craving more.

Taken at Dusk is the no exception.  Awake at Dawn left Kylie in a rather precarious place and Taken at Dusk picks up right where we left off.  Someone is out to get Kylie and she is having a hard time figuring out who to trust, not to mention her new ghost visitor isnt much of a talker.  I love the way the characters are developing and growing. Kylie's roommates are still bickering, but they are also friends who have each others back no matter what.  They are still mystified by boys (who isn't?), but they have learned how to recognize a friend in need. There are love triangles that aren't whiney and heroines that are strong.   The only thing that I find slightly aggravating is the lengths Hunter's characters go to to avoid swearing.  And really, how minor is that?

If you're looking for an engaging, fast-paced paranormal YA series, this is for you.  Every time I start one of her books, I wish it would just keep going.  Personally, I can hardly wait until October for Whispers at Moonrise.

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Review: Shiver

Summary:    For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review:  Shiver is yet another book that has been on the To Be Read pile since it came out a year and a half ago.  Thanks to Roof Beam Reader's TBR Challenge, it got pulled closer to the top of the pile.  I heard wonderful things about this series ...and they're all true.  I started off enjoying this story, but by the end, I was in love with it.

Maggie Stiefvater has a wonderful, unencumbered style that keeps her narrative flowing.  Though her secondary characters feel slightly underdeveloped, Grace and Sam more than make up for it.  Without feeling angsty or forlorn, these star-crossed soul mates do their best to enjoy their time together.  Grace is a strong but unimaginative girl and she's well balanced by romantic and defiantly aspirant Sam.  They are flawed, yet incredibly likable.  You can't help but root for them, though the odds seem stacked.

This was a nice, light romantic read.  There was intrigue but it wasn't packed with action to the point of breaking.  It was a beautiful, story that unwound at the perfect pace, until you arrive at the end.  The ending completely took me by surprise.  The main plot of the book was focused elsewhere, so when things start snowballing in a completely different direction, the story leaves off somewhere you never thought you were headed.  And it's fabulous.

Now I can't wait to jump in to Linger.  Maggie Stiefvater has a fantastic website that should be explored too.  There are even playlists for each book, and I'm a sucker for novels with playlists.  I am re-shuffling the the To Be Read pile as soon as I finish writing this post, adding her other two series' and stand alone novel as well (to be found here).  Yes, I'm that taken with Ms, Stiefvater.  Oh, I have so much to read!  But that's a good problem to have.

Final Take:   4.5/5

Compliments of Scholastic, you my read the first two chapters here, if you have yet to check out this series.

Jenn's Review: Hexbound

Summary:  Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia's School for Girls, but she's already learned that magic can be your best friend-or your worst enemy. That's why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities while fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago's nastiest nightlife-including the tainted magic users known as Reapers...

Review:  This is the second book in the Dark Elite series from Chloe Neill.  I started reading this series because the publisher sent me two ARCs (yes, there is a chance one will be yours in the very near future) of book three, Charmfall and it looked good enough that I wanted to dive in at the beginning.  While Firespell seemed to be over just as it began, Hexbound picks up right where things left off, and the action continues to roll.

In Firespell  Lily is discovering her world; in Hexbound Lily is living in it and beginning to question it.  I love Chloe Neill's writing style.  I love the wit and the banter between Lily and Scout. The mysteries and little sub-plots are fascinating.  I love that Neill can mention just a part of St. Sophia's school day, but with a few snide or flippant comments from the girls, it feels fully inclusive.  My only complaint with these books is that they're too short.  There is such a wealth of story in the plot and the characters, I wish she'd expand upon everything and double the length of each book, because believe me, everyone would still be captivated.  That being said, at no time do I feel the story is lacking, I just really want to know more!

I think this would be a great series for a reluctant reader.  It's short, to the point, and never lagging.  I look forward to starting the recently released Charmfall in the next few weeks... and I promise there will be a giveaway to go with it!

Final Take:  3.75/5

Jenn's Review: Firespell

Summary:  Lily's parents have sent her to a fancy boarding school in Chicago filled with the ultra-rich. If that wasn't bad enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophie's creepy campus. Her roommate, Scout, keeps her sane, but keeps disappearing at night. When one day Lily finds Scout running from real-life monsters, she learns the hard way that Scout is involved in a splinter group of rebel teens.

They protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and dark magic users. It's too bad Lily doesn't have powers of her own to help. At least, none that she's discovered yet...

Review: There seems to be an abundance of books about magical kids at boarding schools right now with no one story being the same, each finding a way to distinguish itself.   This story is no exception.  This is not a boarding school for the magically inclined... it's a school for girls from wealthy families.  Here it's the popular girls versus the nerdy misfits... a few of whom just happen to have magical powers.  As a nerd who wishes she were a witch, I certainly can appreciate that.

While I found the concept rather intriguing, it seemed largely underdeveloped which resulted in my liking the characters but not loving them, though I grew more attached to them as the novel progressed. I found myself craving more descriptive detail and depth.  Chloe Neill has several pop-culture references which can dangerously date a book, but I enjoyed them.  Actually, I thought some of the pop-culture references in the book were already a little dated -dated being my era or prior, but any book that references ALIAS can't be all bad, right?

I felt like just as things started to get rolling, the book came to and end.  However it's one of those stories that sticks with you and I have been thinking about it ever since I finished it.  It is a fun, quick read and I will be interested to see how things progress.  The third novel, Charmfall, is coming out in January and I have a shiny ARC of it sitting on my desk, so you can be sure I will be reading book two, Hexbound, soon.

Final Take:  3.75/5

Jenn's Review: Awake at Dawn

Summary:  From the moment Kylie Galen arrived at Shadow Falls Camp, she’s had one burning question:  What am I?  Surrounded by vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, fairies and witches, Kylie longs to figure out her own supernatural identity…and what her burgeoning powers mean.  And now she’ll need them more than ever, because she’s being haunted by a new spirit who insists that someone Kylie knows—and loves—will die before the end of the summer. If only she only knew who she was supposed to save.  And how…


But giving Kylie the most trouble is her aching heart.   Gorgeous werewolf Lucas left camp with another girl, but he’s still visiting Kylie in her dreams.  And Derek, a sexy half Fae who’s always been there for her when she needed him, is pushing to get more serious—and growing impatient, especially when Lucas returns.  Kylie knows she needs to decide between the boys, and it’s tearing her up inside. 


Yet romance will have to wait, because something from the dark side of the supernatural world is hiding in Shadow Falls.  It’s about to threaten everything she holds dear…and bring her closer to her destiny. ~product description

Review:  I absolutely adore this series!  I am very grateful to our friends at St. Martin's Press for turning me on to it by sending me the first book of the Shadow Falls series to review as an ARC last year, because it's one I may not have come across on my own ...and, oh, do I love these books!

I was glad to see the story picked up shortly after things left off in Born at Midnight.  I was afraid that C.C. Hunter might jump ahead to the fall,  when the camp was promised to turn into a boarding school.   It would have been easy to gloss over the rest of the summer, and I'm glad the author did not choose this route.   There we're many loose ends in Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn spends some time wrapping those up, while unraveling some others.

I'm not a huge fan of angst-y love triangles and this one isn't.  It's one of the many things Hunter does so beautifully.  Yes, Kylie is interested in two boys, but she knows she needs to sort herself out first before she makes any big decisions, not to mention the boys need to figure some some things out for themselves as well.  

Hunter's characters are all flawed but likable.  Kylie is hard on herself, but not as down on herself as she used to be. She's making great strides at being comfortable with who she is, even though what she truly is seems to be more elusive than ever before.  Kylie's vampire friend and roommate Della's story is becoming more interesting too, and I hope we will be spending more time with her in the future.  I love Derek and I love who he and Kylie become when they are around with each other, but I'm worried that his ever growing powers will be more than he can handle. I still don't quite trust Lucas, but I look forward to him proving himself. ...And here I am talking about the characters as if they're real people, again.  A sure sign that the author has hooked me.

There are a plethora of supernaturals at camp and that makes for a story that is deep with layers.  It's wonderful to watch all the side stories develop, and see which ones the author brings into center stage now, and which ones will simmer on the back burner for a later book in the series.  At the same time, Hunter keeps introducing new facets to keep things interesting.

The many dimensions pulls the reader in and makes it hard to put down.  I wanted to savor this one since  book three, Taken at Dusk, won't be released until April, but every time I tried to put it down, I found myself returning to it.   Luckily, there is a preview of Taken at Dusk at the end of Awake at Dawn, so I'll have something to tide me over until April...

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Review: Bargains and Betrayals

Summary:  Locked away at Pecan Place, Jessie finds her situation to be even more dangerous than she feared. While she struggles to maintain her sanity and discover answers about the group that seems less and less like any legitimate government agency, Pietr fights to keep their relationship alive. But very aware that his mother’s time is running out, Pietr makes a deal he doesn’t dare tell Jessie about. Because the deal Pietr’s made could mean the death of far more than his tenuous relationship with the girl he loves.

Review:  Upon picking up my ARC I didn’t immediately recall that we had left Jessie in such a tenuous place and I wasn’t quite ready to be thrown into the fray. However, Shannon Delany backtracks a little bit in the timeline to give us a chance to get up to speed. Of course, once you’re caught up, it’s impossible to put down.

Ms. Delany has done something different with this book by switching viewpoints between Alexi and Jessie.  It's as if she were giving you pages out of their journals, each one labeled so there is no confusion. It was an interesting approach and I think it worked well for this installment of the 13 to Life series.  Not once did I groan that she was changing view points because each change furthered the story.

Because Jessie is so mature in some ways, it is hard to remember she’s still a teen and therefore some naïveté is to be expected; Jessie is doing her Nancy Drew style investigating while being locked up but is not cynical after all she’s been through. I admit to being frustrated with Alexi in this book for letting Pietr shoulder the burden. As their guardian it should have been his responsibility to find a solution, instead, Alexi is relieved to step aside and let Pietr handle things.

Things have heated up for the characters -on all fronts.  Some fairly serious topics are broached in this book.  The teens have moral dilemmas that would make a grown-ups head spin, but they don't drown in them; they learn and grow along the way.  Nothing is glossed over so the seriousness of situations is not lost. I think Ms. Delany does a fantastic job giving the reader details without giving too much details.  

I hoped I knew where the story was heading but I certainly wasn't sure.  Nothing is a sure thing in this series, and I love that about Ms. Delany's writing. Even though Jessie and Pietr seem destined to be, maybe they won't make it.  How much is too much for a relationship to endure?  I'm glad, after three books, Shannon Delany can keep me on the edge of my seat.

Though the ending is far from neat and tidy, it was not the cliff hanger that Secrets and Shadows was, and for that I'm grateful.  I was weeping and cheering at the end, but I won't spoil it for you by mentioning more than that.  I have grown to love all of the Jessie's friends and family, and I can't wait to see where Ms. Delany takes us next.  I think Bargains and Betrayals is her best book yet.

Final Take :  4.75/5.0

PS.  If you're a fan of YA paranormal and you've yet to read 13 to Life (my review) and  Secrets and Shadows (my review), what are you waiting for?!?  If you're all caught up and can't wait for Bargains and Betrayals to hit the shelves on August 16th, I have a surprise for you later this afternoon...

Jenn's Review: Born at Midnight

Summary:  One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…  ~product description

Review: You know a book is good when it ingrains itself in your thoughts for days afterwards, making you want to go back and re-read the good bits to savor them a little longer. Born at Midnight is one of those books -an amazing read- and probably one I wouldn't have picked up on my own, so a huge thank you to Brittney at St. Martin's Press for forwarding this one to me!

Often times when the teen protagonist is dealing with divorced parents in a book, the teen is so consumed by it that s/he loose sight of  her/his own life, but such is not the case here.  Kylie is concerned about her parent's divorce, but before she has time to dwell on it she is swept off to a camp for troubled teens where they keep telling her she's not human.  Now she's on a quest to discover who she really is and what she wants out of life.

Kylie is an incredibly likable heroine.  She accepts her situation and tries to deal with it as best as she can, though she is not sure she believes any of it.  Actually, she thinks she'd rather have a brain tumor than be only part human.  And while it becomes more and more obvious that she's in denial, you do want to shake her just a little, but you can at least understand her fear of the unknown.  She starts to realize that maybe she's made assumptions about her family, friends, and even herself and, above all, Shadow Falls Camp will challenge them.

Kylie's love life is a mess, and in true teen fashion she is attracted to more than one guy, but she knows herself well enough to know that she's confused and not ready for a relationship, let alone a serious one.  I love that she's not full of angst and completely self-absorbed about it, it's just another dimension of complication in the story.

C.C. Hunter's writing is approachable and unassuming -and her take on the supernatural is Medium with a whole lot of Buffy humor and sarcasm thrown in. I love reading YA's that are original and not full of obsessive angst, and The Shadow Falls series is the perfect example of that.  I love all of the characters and I am anxious to find out more about each of them as they grow into themselves as supernaturals, and as adults.  There are many stories still to be told about these teens, and I anticipate this being a fabulous series.

C.C. Hunter has created a refreshing and fascinating series. The second book in the series, Awake at Dawn, will hit stores October 11, 2011 and I'm headed to pre-order it right now.  If you love YA paranormal in the vein of Amanda Hocking, you're going to love this series.

Edited to add:  The criticism I've seen for this book is that the story is "all over the place", the protagonist is whiney, or that the mystery is resolved rather quickly at the end, and I feel like I should address these things.  The story is about Kylie finding herself and her way, so yes, it meanders around, but since when is discovering yourself a straight path?!?  I really didn't find Kylie to be whiney.  I'm always straightforward if I find a protagonist unlikeable, but she wasn't. She wasn't self-absorbed, but she did have a lot on her plate ...and she dealt with it. As for the mystery at the camp, it was a sub-plot and not the focus of the story.  

Want more to persuade you?  Check out the Shadow Falls free prequel short story, Turned at Dark.

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Review: Secrets and Shadows

Summary:  Nothing’s simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she’s seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she’s suspected. With Jess’s realization that the Rusakovas’ mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group’s choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite long enough to free their mother and people who Jess always just took to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more.

Review:  I have been looking forward to the release of Secrets and Shadows, the second book in the 13 to Life series by Shannon Delany since I closed the cover on book one in September.  Ms. Delany does not disappoint, in fact I'd say she exceeds expectations!

I know some readers were frustrated that Secrets and Shadows does not pick up right where 13 to Life left off, but really, I never expected it to.  We come back a few months later.  Jessie is having trouble dealing with not only her mother's death, but her recent run in with the Russian mob, constant intrusion by the CIA, and a werewolf boyfriend who is dating her best friend and who seems to be pulling away from her.  It'd be a lot for any teenager to handle.  And even then it wouldn't be so bad except that strange things have started to happen all over town.  Perhaps there are scarier things out there than a family of werewolves...

I love that we learn more about Jessie's friends and acquaintances, although there is not necessarily a lot to love about what we learn about them.  Jessie is a little slow on the uptake that Pietr is pushing her away to protect her (which is funny, because she mentions that she's read Twilight) to the point of me wanting to shake her a couple of times.  Unlike Twilight, however, she doesn't sit around mooning over it, but tries to move on.  She's even trying to keep the peace by becoming the mediator between the Ruskova's and the CIA.  However, there are so many forces working against them, many of which she knows nothing about, it seems a bit of a Sisyphean task.

This was hard to put down.  The action just keeps rolling as Jessie's life keeps unravelling.  I found Delany's writing to be much smoother in this book, with far fewer instances of plot-line jumps.  There were still a couple of times I backtracked to see if I missed something, but those times were few and far between.  As a reader though, I would surmise that if you haven't read 13 to Life recently, there are things that back-reference which a casual reader might miss.  Not that I found it an issue, but if you're one of those skimmers, I'm giving you fair warning.


If 13 to Life was the snowball that started the avalanche, Secrets and Shadows is the express train that barely slows for passenger embarkation or disembarkation.  As it raced to the finish line, things foreshadowed come to fruition and things unimagined unfold.  Needless to say, I'm thrilled that I will only have to wait until mid-August (8/16 to be precise) to continue my journey with Jessie and the Ruskova's in Bargains and Betrayals.  If you love YA paranormal romance, you must check out this series!

Final Take:  4.5/5.0

Jenn's Review: 13 to Life

Summary:  Everything about Jessie Gillmansen’s life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she’s about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent—he’s a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie’s small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can’t avoid…

Review:  13 to Life is my first werewolf book... and I like it. Shannon Delany, unfurls her plot exposition a little bit at a time, dropping nuggets of information, but they are golden nuggets...

Though slow to start,  the story is engaging.  The characters are interesting, and it's the need to know more about them, that pulls the reader into the book.  Jessica is no meek heroine, but she still has teenage girl vulnerabilities, making her quite accessible.  In particular Jessie's friendship with Sarah is fascinating.  Without spoiling the plot, I must say that I'm just as drawn to the tabula rasa...

Delany's writing style took a little getting used to for me.  She sometimes jumps ahead a little bit in the story, and makes reference to things that occur prior to the jump not included in her story (such a note in someone's pocket without a mention of the note ever being passed, etc.) and for a while I would backtrack while reading, to see if I'd missed something but I got used to it after a while. The only detail that bothered me slightly is Pietr's last name.  Russian names change within a family for males and females... so while his sister's last name would be 'Rusakova', Pietr and his brother's should be 'Rusakov'.  Delany's also not a writer who uses many sensual descriptions, so it forced me a little further into my own imagination to create my own. The plot is solid, however, with plenty of twists and turns, some I saw coming, and some that caught me completely unawares.

All in all, a good introduction to werewolves for me... It is certainly a "pebble that starts an avalanche" type of read.  Once it gets going things start to snowball out of control so that by the end you are desperate for the sequel, Secrets and Shadows, due out in February.  I know I can't wait!

Final Take: 4.0/5

By the way, be sure to check out Shannon Delany's website, especially the 'Fun with Werewolves' section...