Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock
(Hemlock #1)

Author: Kathleen Peacock

Publication Date: May 8th, 2012

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:
A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I wasn't sure what to expect going in because I haven't really read any werewolf books before but, I heard a lot of great things about this one and decided to give it a try. Thankfully, it lived up to the hype for me! I started reading and just got so invested in the characters and the mystery that I couldn't put it down. That and the cover is pretty! I'm not really sure what it has to do with the book, but I like it,

Hemlock follows Mackenzie (Mac) as she tries to move on after her best fried is murdered, by a werewolf. Try as she might, she can't give up on it. It doesn't help that Amy is haunting her dreams. Once she looks into the murder, secrets are revealed and there are more questions that are glaring Mac in the face. She needs to figure it out for closure. I will say though, I had the hardest time figuring out who the "bad" guy was. I just kept jumping around,trying to figure it out. I didn't even suspect who it was until it became obvious.

I liked Mac as a character and became emotionally attached to her. I feel so bad for her, after losing her friend and then finding out all these secrets that everyone has been keeping from her. She has no idea how she was so oblivious to them all. Then finding out that her two close guy friends have feelings for her? I'm totally rooting for Kyle by the way. She is a character that I just want to help.

Overall this is a great werewolf story. It's definitely a good one to ease me into the genre. I can't wait for the next installment to be released so I can see what happens next. I'm a new fan of Kathleen Peacocks writing. I love her style and it makes me happy that she's a Canadian! I love finding awesome Canadian authors! If you aren't sure about the werewolf genre, or if you are a fan of it, you should read this because it really is great. I'm not regretting it!

T.G.I.F. (17)

Thank Great Illustrators Fridays is a book meme created and hosted by Owl Read It.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but a lot of the time the cover is what draws you to the book in the first place. This meme is to show appreciation to the artists who put their time and effort into creating the great book covers of our beloved series.

To Participate:

• Pick a book cover you love (any book will do - released or not)
• Post the picture of the book along with the author & publisher 
• Post a brief summary of why you like the cover. 
• Take the pic above and link back to us :)

This week's TGIF cover:

The Dark Divine

(The Dark Divine #1)

Author: Bree Despain

Publication Date: December 22, 2009

Publisher: Egmont USA

Genre: Fantasy/Werewolves

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Synopsis:

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.


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I just love black colours with that pop of colour. Since having my daughter one of my favourite colours has been purple (lighter shades). So, it is safe to say I adore this cover. Can't wait to jump into this book either!

What are your favourite book covers?  Leave us a link to your own T.G.I.F. :)

Review: Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Shreiber

Once in a Full Moon
(Full Moon #1)

Author: Ellen Schreiber

Publication Date: December 28, 2010

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves--Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

My Thoughts: I really hoped that this would be an amazing werewolf story. I was really sad when it fell short of any expectations I had for it, especially since the beginning was good.

Celeste Parker is part of a sixome popular clique. Three best girlfriends dating three best guyfriends. What could possibly be more perfect? They did everything together. Until Brandon Maddox, a sexy new student at school catches Celeste’s attention. Celeste begins to reconsider everything in her life when Brandon heroically rescues her from a pack of wolves and unwittingly incites an ancient curse.

I really liked Celeste at the beginning of the book. She was refreshingly normal. However, as the book continued and Celeste failed to really adapt and grow she starting becoming really boring to me. The fact that she refuses to tell anyone she hangs out with Brandon, basically to save her and her friends’ popularity, really irked me too. She was lack-luster, self-absorbed and really cowardly in my opinion.

Celeste’s friends (and their boyfriends) were also self-absorbed and really self-entitled. They wanted Celeste to be with Nash (her former boyfriend and all-American athlete) just because it made sense and was the easiest for them all. The only person that seemed to stop and think about anyone else in this entire book was probably Brandon.

I also felt that once some of the side-characters told their story they disappeared off of the face of the universe - never to be mentioned, seen or heard from again.

There were a lot of things that really could have been done better in this book and I feel that it is a shame that the author didn’t go there. The overall feel was rushed, thrown together and a tad unfinished. If you are a fan of werewolf books, please stay away.

Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful

Author: Claudia Gray

Publication Date: March 29, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.
The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.
When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.
Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…
New York Times best-selling author Claudia Gray delivers adventure, dark paranormal suspense, alluring romance, and a truly surprise ending, set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic's first — and last — voyage.

My Thoughts: When I first picked up this book, it intrigued me and I was half-tempted to open to the last pages and make sure that the main characters survived. After all, this is about the Titanic and I knew that people on the ship were doomed to the Atlantic from the get-go.

This book is about werewolves on the Titanic. A strange combination to say the least and I was unsure of how it would work at first - but it did! I found that the paranormal side of things was weaved into the history that we know very well. It didn't seem too far a stretch of the imagination that werewolves could have possibly been on the Titanic. After all, there were people from all over the world aboard that ship.

This is the classic love-story. A Romeo and Juliet type story. Tess and Alec shouldn't fall in love. There are a thousand and one reasons why they shouldn't. Most people on the Titanic would even shun them for being seen together. Alec the heir to a wealthy steel fortune in the States and Tess is ladies maid for a daughter of a Viscount from England. Worlds apart, their secrets bring them together and force them to look out for one another. 

I must say, this novel had me hooked from the beginning right through to the end. It was hard to remember the fate of the luxury liner and not fall in love with all of the character (and hate the not-so-good characters). Some of the people who I was expecting to make it didn't, some of the people who I was expecting not to make it did. All in all, the sinking was just as tragic reading about it in this novel as the documentaries, movies and history reports. 

If you loved the movie Titanic (and who didn't?) and a little paranormal on the side you will love this book.

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: July 12th, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Genre: YA/Romance/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

then. When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives. now. That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be kill in one final, spectacular hunt. forever. Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

My Thoughts: So here is the third and final installment in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. You can read my review on Shiver here, and Linger here.

If you've read my other reviews, it's no secret that I'm intensely in love with this story. With each installment this love has only grown. This series will rank high in my top favorites for a long time, I can't even put into words the connection I feel with the characters in these books. Maggie Stiefvater has written this, in my opinion, masterpiece that if you are a fan of YA or paranormal  at all, you have to read! No question, you just got to read these books. The relationship she has created between Sam and Grace is unrivaled. I can't even think of a love story I love more than this one. I can't even think of a love that seems more like true, real, passionate, and unbridled. I felt my heart break over and over, but it also kept getting put back together with the amazingly detailed affection, that was so gentle yet so intense that takes place between Sam and Grace.

Their relationship has just been one big war, the world just seems to not want them to have their complete happiness that they so deserve. I'm sitting here, reading this book, and I just want to enter it and beat some of the characters up side the head for being so unbelievably dense!  I wanted to just enter this world and do everything I could to help them. Sam is  trying to adjust to being human again, which is no easy task, and he can barely even decide if he's happy or if he misses galloping through the woods in his wolf form surrounded by his pack.  And now Grace and Sam's situation has totally switched! Grace is thrown into this world, which she always felt like she was supposed to be a part of anyway, but what she really wants is for Sam to be there with  her, like he was when she imagined it.

The theme of constantly saying goodbye shows up in this book a lot, but Steifvater really hit the nail on the head with that one. It does feel like we're just always saying good bye, it's gut wrenching and heart breaking. My insides were just aching and twisting with all the raw emotion that was spilling off these pages. I tried to read this book a little slower, cause I was just not ready for it to be over. I wasn't ready to say good bye. Just like Sam and Grace always feel the goodbye is impending, I felt the same way about this book as they felt about each other. I wasn't ready for it to end, and now that it's over, I am still not ready. I read the last page over and over, because it was all that was left and I didn't want to close the book and admit that there would be no more Mercy Falls. I read the Author's note at the end, and in the last sentence when she said "So this is good-bye to Mercy Falls" my heart just broke. I probably sound so corny right now. But I'm serious. I just fell completely in love with this world and all the people in it. Maggie Stiefvater just did such an amazing job, I can't even come close to giving it the credit it deserves.

The random poetry and song lyrics placed strategically in this book, really drives that emotional hammer even  deeper. Sometimes, an event would be taking place, and Sam would associate it with this line of poetry and it would just hit you, like woah. The poetry would open this doorway and let everything that just transpired stroll right into your heart.  There was this one moment, where I was stunned by how beautiful and meaningful and how perfectly the poem  fit with what was happening that I had to stop and just consider it and appreciate how wonderful it was. I want to share it with you without going to much  into detail of what was happening. The thought that was hanging in the air was of the wolves who lose their human self to wolf form after so long, with no memory of who they were before, and then this poem was added.

"Empty houses don't need windows

'cause  no one is looking in.

Why would a house need windows, anyway

If no one's looking out again."

I thought this was just beautiful, so perfectly placed and perfectly suiting. I know I haven't even said anything about what happens in this book yet. But I just don't want to give anything away. The main idea though is that, the end is coming for the pack, and they have to try to save everyone, but that would be pretty much impossible. My stomach was in knots almost throughout the entire book, even now, I finished it about 10 minutes ago, it's still in knots. The ending is, difficult, I was a disappointed. Mostly because, after everything that happened, I just wanted to know that Grace and Sam would get the happiness and life they fought so incredibly hard for. But we don't get to know that, which makes saying good-bye even harder. I guess we get to decide for ourselves, I know what my decision is.

Anyway, I've been blabbering forever about these books. But seriously, go read them, do it for me and for yourself :). I, in even sense of the word, love these books and I am positive this won't be the last time I read them. I'm sure I'll find myself wandering around in Mercy Falls a few more times yet. I look forward to reading more work by Maggie Stiefvater and I wish I had of found her, and these amazing books sooner. I could go on forever about these books, but for now I will stop.  If you read this far, thank you! Good-bye for now, Sam & Grace.

Review: Mystic Wolves #1.1 & 1.2 by Belinda Boring

Without Mercy
(Mystic Wolves #1.1)

Author: Belinda Boring

Publication Date: July 7th, 2011

Publisher: Moonstruck Media

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

What would you do if a simple errand takes a deadly twist, turning you from cautious prey to dangerous predator? When Darcy's outing takes a turn for the worst and tests her to the point of breaking, she struggles to maintain her humanity. Where loyalty and pack mean everything, she surrenders to the inevitable and only an act of complete trust can touch her. When all is said and done, with memories flooding her mind, Darcy holds tightly to the only thing that makes sense - it was all a dream. Or was it?

Cherished
(Mystic Wolves #1.2)

Author: Belinda Boring

Publication Date: August 26th, 2011

Publisher: Moonstruck Media

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Can Darcy let go of the shame of failure consuming her or will Mason convince her that after all is said and done, she truly is cherished? For a moment, Darcy almost convinced herself the last twelve hours didn't happen. As image after image hits her, the sinking realization of all she's lost overwhelms her and all she can think of is to run. Run far away where her shame can't find her, and most of all, where she'll never have to see the look of blame in Mason's eyes. Feeling like a complete failure, she scrambles to make plans. But the voice of her mate-to-be penetrates her frantic thoughts, asking for the chance to show her just how much she is loved. It hurts Mason deeply to hear Darcy's thoughts, knowing the events of the previous night have completely rattled her. Grieving over the death of his beloved sister Jasmine, Mason knows he has to act fast. Darcy is all he's ever wanted and the idea of life without her is unacceptable. Armed with his unswerving love and wolfish charm, he sets out to remind Darcy just how valuable she is and why there is no one else for him but her.

My Thoughts: I stumbled across these novellas last night and decided to give them a read to take a break from Ulysses. Wow! I started reading and it was so hard to put them down! Without Mercy isn't very long, but in that short amount of time you are hooked! You jump right into the action, and it never slows down. Belinda Boring brings so much into these short stories, and leaves you waiting for more. There is one more Mystic Wolves novella out right now called Blood Oath, which I will also review once I've read it. A fourth story is to be released in January. I hope we see a lot more from  Belinda in the future, she is an amazing writer and I think we can expect more great stories from her. 

If you are looking  for a nice short story to relax a bit, maybe just for a change of pace from all of the long novels out there, and if you love a good werewolf story, definitely give these novellas a try!