Review: Shadow Moon by Marilee Brothers

Shadow Moon
(Unbidden Magic #4)

Author: Marilee Brothers

Publication Date: November 2011

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Allie Emerson is hoping for a few quiet months to catch her breath after a summer that included the discovery she is not only a twin and of faery blood, but also destined to play a pivotal role in faery world. School has barely begun when Allie must kiss her hope of a normal year goodbye. She can't escape her unfinished business with the fae, the Trimarks, or Junior Alvarez, who is making it clear he plans to win her back. Signs, portents and whispers are pushing Allie to "find the girl" before it's too late. Hoping her twin can help her solve the riddle of their destiny, Allie uncovers old secrets and begins a cross-country journey that puts her in more danger than ever before. If she succeeds, she may just find the answers that can save everyone she loves.

My Thoughts: Well, now I have to go cry in the corner because this was my last Unbidden Magic book that is published. This book was just too awesome! I had so much fun reading it. There is just so much that happens in Shadow Moon that I couldn't stop reading it. When I had to stop for a bit, I was thinking about it. My husband thinks I'm crazy because I can't stop talking about how much I love this series. It's really going to be hard waiting for the next book. I need to know what happens!!!

At the end of Moon Spun we are left with a cliffhanger, right from the beginning of Shadow Moon we learn that Allie does indeed have a twin, her name is Anna Starr Emerson. Allie also finds out that the Trimarks and Dark Fae are planning something awful and two girls are needed to stop them, Allie and someone else. She can only assume it's her long lost twin, so she really needs to find her. Will she be able to find her? So far her connection with the FBI has brought up nothing. If she finds her, will Anna Starr even want to help her? It's possible she might not be able to accept what she is. So off Allie goes, searching for her twin. There is lots of action and drama that happens along the way.

For our love intrests, we are basically back down to Junior and Ryker (kind of). Mostly Junior though. Beck is in the "friend zone". Ryker isn't really around much, he does make an apperance and help Allie out a bit, but hey, he just has to bide his time since she has to go back to Boundless in 8 years anyways. So she will kiss the hunky Junior for now. 

I just cannot get over how much I love this series, it's going to be a long wait for the next book. I just can't wait to find out what happens next! I loved the ending of this book, it made me so happy! So I want to find out what happens next. If you still haven't checked out this series, you really should. It really is a great, exciting read! Thank you Marilee for writing such and amazing and awesome series! Seriously, go read this now!

 Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

Review: Moon Spun by Marilee Brothers

Moon Spun
(Unbidden Magic #3)

Author: Marilee Brothers

Publication Date: July 1st, 2010

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Junior's back from Mexico with his movie-star entourage. Beck's using his half-demon charms to "heal" a new girl. Mom's still wacky and now she's dating Principal Hostetler. High school is still an obstacle course of drama queens, bullies and nutjobs. The Trimarks are still a menace, and the moonstone pendant has revealed even more mind-boggling powers. In other words, Allie Emerson's life as the Girl Voted Least Likely To Save The World From Evil has gone from Weird to Super-Charged Super-Weird, and it's about to get even weirder. You're a faery princess. So says the mysterious Ryker, whose handsome talents include turning himself into a hawk. By the way, he and Allie are destined to marry. In faery land--Boundless. If they can save it from forces even more deadly than Trimarks and high school. The third book in the Unbidden Magic series plunges readers into a rich other-world of danger, humor, romance, fable, fairytale and magical destiny.

My Thoughts: I had thought I had an idea of what was going to happen in this book, Brothers completely blew my mind! I could not stop reading! I started it and then you find out a few things about Allie and I was just sitting there with my mouth open. I'm fairly sure there were a few "OMG!"s out loud  while I was reading. I thought at first that it would be similar to Sookie Stackhouse type of fae. NOPE! I just read  this book in less than a day, I only have one more in the series to read, I worried about how the next one will end because this one left off with an insane cliffhanger. I almost started reading it right after finishing this, but I like to get my reviews written before starting a new book. This was an extremely fun and quick read, even though I believe it was longer than the previous two books in the series.

I was expecting there to be a huge love triangle between Allie, Junior and Beck. Well, throw in Ryker and Allie doesn't know what to do. Junior left her for over a year, without trying to contact her, but now he's coming back. Beck is off in college and hasn't been calling her. Ryker, well he seems to think they are destined to be married because Allie's grandmother said so. So what is a girl to do? All of them are hot, but she'll have to make a decision eventually.

Allie has a lot of self discovery going on in this book, can she really accept everything? She is looking after Chad, the Principal's adopted son, and Chad is a little strange. Also, she now has not only her own world to save, but Boundless as well, can she do it all? It seems a bit much putting all this pressure on one teenage girl, but that is Allie's life.

There are quite a few new characters as well. My favorite being Maddie and Ari, the two of them are hilarious and I laughed out loud a few times at their antics. I'm not going to say much about them because they should be a surprise, but they are really great!

Moon Spun is by far the best book in the series so far. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Brothers has imagined up for Shadow Moon. I can only think about how it might compare to this action packed, page turning adventure. I'm definitely going to have to recommend this series to any fantasy lovers. Now I'm off to start the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!!

Review: Moon Rise by Marilee Brothers

Moon Rise
(Unbidden Magic #2)

Author: Marilee Brothers

Publication Date: July 22nd, 2009

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Her mom's still dating losers. Her boyfriend's gone back to Mexico. Dad still hasn't told his wife and kids that she exists. At school, the drama queens and bullies still rule. But worst of all for Allie Emerson--aka the Star Seeker of an old Gypsy prophecy--is that her powers have taken a hike. She can't read minds anymore. She can't move stuff just by looking at it. The other Star Seekers are counting on her psychic gifts more than ever, and the evil Tri-marks are closing in, eager to snatch her magic moonstone necklace while she's helpless. The hot new guy at school is ready and willing to fight her battles, but he comes with some wicked baggage. Dear Diary: I'm a little worried. My new BF is a demon. Welcome again to Allie Emerson's funny, scary, amazing, and always unpredictable life, as the girl voted least likely to save the world from evil.

 My Thoughts: Poor, poor Allie. Life hasn't gotten any better for her, not really. She seems to be a magnet for trouble, this book being no exception to that. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was just as good as the first book,  if not a little better.  You jump right back into Allie's life and get to see if things have gotten "normal" for her. Well, when you have telepathic powers, life can't be normal. 

Once again, we have Trimarks trying to steal the moonstone from Allie. Trimarks are really bad and they don't care who they have to kill to get the job done. If they get the moonstone, really bad things will happen. So of course, Allie can't let them take it. But, the Trimarks will do anything to get their hands on it, so how  can one girl stand against them?

There is a new love interest in this book, since Junior has gone to Mexico and opted not to come back. so we have Beck, the new guy in school, who has a lot of secrets of his own. 

This book was full of action once again. I didn't  really find that there were any dull moment and I had a hard time putting it down. The end was just so stressful and amazing, both at the same time. It is definitely a series that Urban Fanasty lovers should check out! It is really an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the oppertunity to read this book!

Review: Moonstone by Marilee Brothers

Moonstone
(Unbidden Magic #1)

Author: Marilee Brothers

Publication Date: August 1st, 2008

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

A sickly mom. A tiny house trailer. High school bullies and snarky drama queens. Bad-guy dudes with charming smiles. Allie has problems. And then there's that whole thing about fulfilling a magical prophecy and saving the world from evil. Geez. Welcome to the sad, funny, sometimes-scary world of fifteen-year-old Allie Emerson, who's struggling to keep her and her mom's act together in the small-town world of Peacock Flats, Washington. An electrical zap from a TV antenna sets off Allie's weird psychic powers. The next thing she knows she's being visited by a hippy-dippy guardian angel, and then her mysterious neighbor, the town "witch," gives her an incredible moonstone pendant that has powers only a good-hearted "Star Seeker" is meant to command. "Who, me?" is Allie's first reaction. But as sinister events begin to unfold, Allie realizes she's got a destiny to live up to. If she can just survive everyday life, in the meantime.

My Thoughts: I'm quite happy to be reviewing this series. When I saw on NetGalley that it was being compared to the Sookie Stackhouse series (minus the vampires, weres and other supes) I knew I had to read it. It didn't disappoint me. Yes, it started off a bit slow, but most series do, so I can live with that. The story itself was great, I started reading it yesterday and could barely put it down.

I feel really bad for Allie, not only is she trying to get through high school, which can be pretty tough, she now has this prophecy that she has to fulfil, and it is not a fun one. Allie lives with her mom in a small trailer, they're on welfare and her mom is trying to get disability checks. So her life kind of sucks. But she makes the best of it and doesn't let it get her down, too badly. She is a great character and I felt as though I had a connection with her while reading. She isn't afraid to stand up to bullies, has a bit of a "smart" mouth and tends to put the welfare of others before herself. Definitely like able and realistic.

While the beginning was slow, once the action started, it didn't really slow that much. I found myself scared for Allie at some points in the story, then at others I would be so proud of her. I laughed quite a bit while reading, and then was sad at other points. Brothers really did a good job creating this world and her characters. I'm looking forward to getting started on the next book, Moon Rise. I can only expect it to get better.

If you're a fan of Urban Fantasy, you should definitely check this book out.