After enjoying the first book in the series, The Demon Lover I was happy to pick up The Water Witch, secretly hoping for more hot sex ... yep3.5 stars
After enjoying the first book in the series, The Demon Lover I was happy to pick up The Water Witch, secretly hoping for more hot sex ... yep, not disappointed! Hey, in all fairness Callie McFay seems to be attracted to every hot male in the book, ok three of them ;)
Following her calling as a doorkeeper Callie McFay protects the last doorway between Faerie and the human world. In The Water Witch she comes to some understanding of her formidable powers and the connection I didn't feel with her in The Demon Lover surprisingly surfaces. She's not all the way there yet but a bit more kick-ass-ness helped with likeability.
The town of Fairwick oozes magic and myth and in this installment we're introduced to new otherworldly characters. It's an eclectic mix of fey and witches, the exploration vivid and indepth, but it rambles into drawn out. There's an abundance of story lines and sub plots but not much progression if that makes sense.
Despite flaws, I'm invested (and not just in the sex) and I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. Yep I'm almost hoping Callie and her succubus get their HEA, I'm drawn to his tortured character ... he has a certain appeal despite his kind-of-creepy life-sucking qualities.
"You have only to call my name to bring me back," he whispered, his breath hot in my ear. "You have only to love me to make me human."...more
Besides being a sucker for the gorgeous cover, I loved the gothic tone, the sexual tension, the sinister undercurrent and the fairytale-esque quality.Besides being a sucker for the gorgeous cover, I loved the gothic tone, the sexual tension, the sinister undercurrent and the fairytale-esque quality.
Callie's new home, Honeysuckle House is described with such vivid detail it's almost a living, breathing entity. Shrouded in mystery, oozing folklore and magic, the town of Fairwick and the woods are particularly atmospheric and I loved how the author conveyed this.
Callie McFay I just didn't connect with, I didn't like her or dislike her, she was just 'meh'. However I was completely taken with Callie's familiar, the adorable mouse, Ralph (he was one of my favourite characters and I don't even like mice LOL.)
I was actually more emotionally invested in the incubus' character. He's both fascinating and frightening and his backstory intriguing but I can't say anymore without getting spoilerish.
Feeling very little for the main character, some pacing issues and plot confusion had me leaning towards the 3 rating but being the shallow girl I am ... the sit under a fan sex scenes bumped up the rating a little. Juliet Dark writes HOT sex dreams ... if you can forget the sex just happens to be with a kind-of-creepy life-sucking incubus.
The Demon Lover is the first of a three book series; the second installment, The Water Witch will apparently be released some time in 2012. I want to know the fate of the incubus so despite some reservations I'll be reading the Water Witch.
Note: Juliet Dark is the pseudonym for Carol Goodman & The Demon Lover is published in the UK under the title Incubus ... confused much?? 3.5 stars...more
Die For Me is so much more than a stunning cover; I was completely immersed in the unique world of revenants; a captivating plot, refreshing 4.5 stars
Die For Me is so much more than a stunning cover; I was completely immersed in the unique world of revenants; a captivating plot, refreshing originality, and complex mythology nicely wrapped in the mystery and magic of Paris. What can I say, I'm now a 'zombie convert', a fan of the good ones at least. Plum's revenants are a whole lot better looking and sweeter smelling than the zombies of my imagination :)
I quickly warmed to Kate and identified with her need to escape sadness in books, unlike Georgia, Kate's narcisstic older sister, although I will give Georgia the benefit of the doubt since she's also grieving the loss of her parents. I adored Kate's French grandparents and what's not to love about Vincent Delacroix and his undead family. Jules in particular is a wonderful supporting character; adorable, funny, playful and a complete and utter flirt. Hope we see more of Jules in future books.
I loved the Parisian setting, the essence of Paris is conveyed in Plum's writing, all the charm, mystery, flavours and history. And what would Paris be without love. The romance is sweet, if a little predictable but entwined in an age-old battle of good versus evil which is anything but predictable.
A mesmerising debut novel;"magnifique" Ms Plum I'll be waiting for Until I Die with bated breath. ...more
Abithica is an unusual combination of love story and dark, sinister mystery and I'm thrilled to say it's a totally mesmerising and unique ta4.5 stars
Abithica is an unusual combination of love story and dark, sinister mystery and I'm thrilled to say it's a totally mesmerising and unique tale.
The reader is at first as disoriented as the main character, floundering in her mackerel and mashed potato; from the first tentative, awkward moments with no clue as to what's going on, to slowly revealed enlightenment ... I loved that sense of disjointed confusion.
I don't want to give too much away about Abithica herself as that discovery is half the delicious anticipation in the read but Abithica describes herself as a parasite, possibly a demon, but she's really not sure. I loved Abithica and her internal struggles, her strength and selflessness, her vulnerability & despair. I was swept away by the hopeful essence in the love story and Lane is a thoroughly likeable and dependable hero. The 'shoe philosophy' was an intriguing sideline and Lane's sister, Shae is just adorable.
The dark subplot revolves around the Legnas cult, the glimpses into their dark practices are scary indeed but there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding these 'horrors'. Goldsmith's descriptions are chilling and graphic and the entities had me quivering in my shoes. The author ties complex plot threads together to create a spell-binding blend of paranormal, mystery, romance, horror and suspense.
This is one debut novel I wholeheartedly recommend.
Susan is working on a sequel to Abithica which will answer questions about the Legnas & Abithica's connection to them ... ooh can't wait! ...more
I'm gutted, I seriously thought this was the last book in the series. Imagine my dismay when I came to the end of Night Star and realised that the serI'm gutted, I seriously thought this was the last book in the series. Imagine my dismay when I came to the end of Night Star and realised that the series couldn't possibly end there. I guess I was aware of the existence of the 6th book somewhere in the recesses of my brain but maybe I blocked it or maybe it was wishful thinking on my part that the series was over and my OCD could finally be layed to rest.
This installment was actually ok, albeit, a little dull. I can't even whinge about how dumb and annoying Ever is; maybe I just enjoy moaning about Ever but in Night Star she finally makes use of her brain. I can't say the same of Haven ... obnoxious cow and if I ever hear the word "fugging" again I'll have to puke for sure!
So here we are again ... I'm still criticising but I am still reading so there's obviously something addictive about this series and I'll be hanging out for book 6 in 2011. I've come this far, surely Ever and Damen deserve their happy ending ... I know I do!
My thoughts on Evernight are quite conflicted, and before I get booed off the stage or egged, let me try to explain. I loved the concept, sta3.5 stars
My thoughts on Evernight are quite conflicted, and before I get booed off the stage or egged, let me try to explain. I loved the concept, star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet style feud, dark, gothic setting casting a menacing, edgy aura, interesting characters and some pretty suspenseful writing. So what you ask was my problem?? The first 100 pages or so are a little slow, lots of teen angst and striving to fit in, then a surprise development. Now there's nothing wrong with surprise developments, I actually love them, but I was shocked by the author's execution. When reading a first person narrative I expect a degree of transparency to that character's thoughts and feelings, and for me to suddenly believe something that the narrator knew all along was just not ... believable. I have a feeling that the author has done this with intention rather than poor writing as there are hints along the way but I just wasn't convinced by the 1st person rendition.
I don't think the above mentioned issue will be a problem in Stargazer or subsequent novels, simply because it's already done. After the 'reveal' I enjoyed the rest of the book, the new twists were entertaining and there is plenty of plot potential. The vampire mythology is a mix of traditional and new ideas which I thought worked well and and despite the growing number of vampire books centred around academies, Evernight is actually quite orginal as the boarding school was established to help teen vampires become savvy with modern technology.
Bianca is likeable enough, she's a little awkward and while she constantly makes mention of her painful shyness, there wasn't really much evidence of it. Lucas is a complex character, he's secretive, protective, hot-tempered, abrasive and not at all conventional which I really liked but he's not without a certain vulnerability. There's an immediate connection between Bianca & Lucas, their friendship develops into love but the road to true love is not without some major speed bumps. The secondary characters are all quite interesting but the character I wanted more of was Balthazar. I have my fingers crossed that Balthazar will be a character in the forefront of Stargazer.
The ending, while not a cliffhanger leaves many unanswered questions obviously setting the scene for Stargazer and I for one am keen to find out where this series is going.
Sherrilyn Kenyon has a wonderful ability to weave ancient history and mythology in a modern storyline and the story of Dark Hunter Talon of the MorrigSherrilyn Kenyon has a wonderful ability to weave ancient history and mythology in a modern storyline and the story of Dark Hunter Talon of the Morrigantes and Sunshine, a quirky, absentminded artist is now a favourite.
Talan is an ancient Celtic warrior, cursed by the God Camulus, his history is tragic, much like Julian's story in Fantasy Lover and Kyrian's story in Night Pleasures but it's the journey into Talon's past that captures your heart and has you yearning for a happy ending.
In Night Embrace the dark hunter family expands when Acheron calls in reinforcements to protect humans during Mardi Gras & we are also introduced to were-hunters. Of the new Dark Hunters, Zarek grabbed my attention; dark, conflicted, sarcastic & bitter, definitely want to know more about this bad boy. I loved seeing familiar characters in Night Embrace, Eros, Psyche, Artemis, squire Nick Gautier and of course the scrumptious Acheron, leader of the Dark Hunters. I kind of like the dark, twisted family reunion stuff and hope there's more in the next books!
The interactions between the dark hunters was a highlight in this book, akin to OD'ing on testosterone, I loved it and I laughed ... A LOT!
"You know Talon, killing a soul sucking daemon without a good fight is like sex without foreplay. A total waste of time and completely ... unsatisfying"
And the interactions between Talon and Sunshine were many, varied, ('the backgammon table, the couch, the kitchen counter, the floor, the coffee table') & sizzling but I'll let Sunshine's conversation with Salena fill you in on that ...
"Tell me you're joking about this?"
"Nope, not a bit. I'm telling you Salena, forget the energizer bunny, this guy had it all."
... "it's so not like me but I couldn't help myself, it was just like that weird magnetic force that grabs me when I'm walking past the Frostbite Cafe and makes me swerve in to get a triple sccop of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey."
That was her one major vice, Sunshine had never been able to pass up Chunky Monkey.
"The power of temptation was just too much Salena, I couldn't resist it. He was a Chunky Monkey container and all I could think was ... someone give me a spoon!"
This one was a winner for me, a lot of laughs, a tug at the heart strings, some steamy horizontal action, celtic mythology & just enough good vs evil, yep I'm hooked! Bring on bad boy Zarek's story in Dance With The Devil. ...more
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