Review: Halfway Bitten by Terry Maggert

Halfway Bitten
((Halfway Witchy Series #2)

Author: Terry Maggert

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Synopsis:

Take a bite out of evil.

The circus came to Halfway, and they brought the weird.

When clowns, vampires, and corpses start piling up in town, Carlie has to break away from her boyfriend, Wulfric, to bring her witchy skills to the table- or grill, as the case may be.

When the body of a young woman washes up in the lake, it unleashes a spiral of mystery that will bring Carlie, Gran, and Wulfric into a storm of magical warfare.

Spells will fly. Curses will rain. Amidst it all, Carlie will make waffles, protect her town, and find out if a man from the distant past can join her in happy ever after.

With love and honor at stake, Carlie has no peer.

My Thoughts: This series of books, Halfway Witchy, was definitely an interesting find that I may not have necessarily picked up myself if I hadn't had a request for a review.  The series, to me, is very reminiscent of the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris with the exception that there is less gore and this series seems targeted for a more PG audience.

In this book, the circus is in town and it is up to Carlie, her grandmother and her half-vamp/half-human boyfriend Wulfric (a Viking of old) to figure out why people are ending up dead. Since it is Carlie's family who protects the area in which they live, it is up to her to solve the supernatural murders and bring peace back to her town.

Carlie is a pretty kick-butt waffle chef who also happens to be a witch.  I really like her and I like that she wasn't some girl in need of saving - Carlie does the saving.  She is short, powerful and in charge.
I also LOVED Carlie's Gram.  She oozes power, intelligence and just all around badass witchery.  It seems the women in this family line are just amazing.

I have to admit, I had a hard time reading this story.  It wasn't because I didn't love the characters or the plot, but the writing style kept throwing me off.  I'm not saying that the writing is terrible, because it isn't.  Just all writing styles aren't for everyone and this one definitely is one of the kind that I have difficulty with.  There were a lot of paragraphs and a lot of the dialogue was within the paragraphs instead of on it's own separate line, which is something that throws me off when reading.

All in all though, I really enjoyed the story and the characters within.  It did take me a little longer than usual to read because I had to adjust myself to the writing style, but it was worth it to take the extra time.  I would definitely recommend this book series to anyone who enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse series or to anyone who likes seeing short witches kick some major behind.

Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure

Author: AJulie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Genre: Paranormal / Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally. Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

My Thoughts: Once again Julie has done it. I loved The Eternity Cure. I honestly don't think it's possible fore her to write something I'll dislike. I have enjoyed everything that I've read by her so far, which is everything she has out, I think. If I've missed something, I'm pretty sure I'll have to read it soon! All I can say is I did see what happens at the end coming, well not all of it but one thing! I'm pretty sure I need the next book like yesterday.

I liked Allie's character again. She is pretty kick butt and has a lot of self control. She is still trying to avoid being a monster and wants to make Kanin proud of her. She has a lot of loyalty for her maker. She is still in love with Zeke, even after she's left him behind at Eden. She is a decent vampire, only goes for "bad" guys. She doesn't like to hurt people if she can help it, but occasionally the monster will poke it's head out (which totally just made me think of A Game of Thrones and Dany's physcotic brother telling her not to wake the dragon). Regardless, I think she is an awesome character.

We get to see Jackal again. And he's not a complete jerk all the time! Only most of the time. Stick is back too, he's a complete jerk and I didn't like him at all. Even someone you won't expect shows up. Oh and let's not forget Sarren. He is still a creepy and crazy vampire.

The Eternity Cure is a great read overall. I absolutely loved everything about it. The story line flows pretty quickly for the most part. There are some slow bits but they didn't really bother me at all. Julie Kagawa just has this writing style that I can't seem to get enough of. I love this series and can't wait to see what happens next!

Review: Chosen by P.C & Kristin Cast

Chosen

Author: P.C & Kristin Cast

Publication Date: March 4th, 2008

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: YA/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

My Thoughts: Blahhh, that's pretty much how I feel after reading this book. I feel like  I could just make that one word summarize completely how I feel about this book.

I had been pleased with Betrayed because it seemed like Zoey was maturing and turning into a much better person. But book #3 here completely dashed all hopes of that for me. I don't think I have ever been so frustrated with a main character before. I mean, I don't know if we're supposed to dislike her, but I don't see how anyone could not. But even when I tend to dislike a character in a book, or think they are just overall a bad person. I still usually respect the depth and work put into the character to make me feel that way. But in this case, I feel Zoey has the emotional range of a carrot, considerably low intelligence, and not to mention extremely selfish.

I am sure I am making a lot of people upset by saying these things because as far as I've seen this series is pretty popular. But keep in mind, this is simply how I feel, and I can provide reasons for feeling this way.

So here is why I don't like Zoey. Let's start with her friends. She has this group of friends who are incredibly nice to her, extremely generous, they go out of their way to help and please her continuously though out the book. And she does jack all for them in return. She is constantly brushing them off, running away from them, being rude to them, and lying to them. This is not how friendships should work and she has done nothing to deserve the kindness shown to her. Then there's the boyfriend(s) issue. I know love triangles are common, and I'm not against them. I'm as much a sucker for them as the next person. But there is a difference between a love triangle, being torn between who you love more, and flat out  cheating, being selfish, and easy. This frustrated me to no end. Not only did I find it to be incredibly poor character, but it got so old and annoying really fast. Every chapter she thinks "oh I really have to break up with one of these guys". Then the next time she sees one of them. She's all over them like flies on stink and completely forgetting about anything except what Zoey wants and what pleases Zoey. Then she will laugh to herself and think " Oh I'm such a ho". Seriously?! And she is always making these little comments to herself, that to me just prove how insensitive and self centered, and ditsy she is. In every chapter she has to remind us she is such a freaking nerd or geek, because she likes harry potter, or because she watched Star Wars. So anyway, that's just some of the reasons I don't like Zoey. I think I've justified myself.

But I still can't say the book is bad. The story line is still OK, although I found this one to be less interesting as the ones before it. I feel like these book have the potential to be so much better than they are. And I am sad that I don't enjoy as much as everyone else seems to. A lot comes to a head at the end of this book, and things aren't really looking the best for Zoey. All I could think though, was that she completely deserved everything, and all her heart ache was pretty much her own fault.  I'm not giving up on this series yet. I still own two more books in the series and I am going to read them and just hope that Zoey's character will develop a decent personality or some maturity. Because as I said, I do like the actual story. But it's really hard to enjoy the book when the main character gets on your  nerves so much.

Review: Betrayed by P.C & Kristin Cast

Betrayed

Author: P.C & Kristin Cast

Publication Date: October 2nd, 2007

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Romance

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Synopsis:

Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She's come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

My Thoughts: So if you read my review of Marked (here), then you know I'm not really a huge fan of the characters in this book. Zoey might have grown on me a little more, maybe. She did seem to mature slightly in this book. She made some good, solid decisions, and took strong positive action. But I'm still not won over. Hopefully I will like her a little more each book if it continues this way.

I enjoyed the plot line in this second book even more than the first, so in another way I like this series a little more. It was definitely darker and more twisted. What can I say, I'm kind of a fan of dark and twisted. Stephen King is after all my favorite author of all time :).  And I even began to like Aphrodite even more. I think this installment provided even more reason to like her, even though she's the "bad guy", but just maybe she isn't so bad after all.

So normally I like love triangles, don't we all? Even though they can be so heart breaking. But I for some reason, find the triangle in this story to be frustrating. I guess in love most love triangles, the guys are aware of each other, and the girl usually doesn't full on date both of them. But in this case whenever Zoey is with one of the, now three, guys she is crushing on. She tends to act like the other people who care about her don't even exist and does what Zoey wants.  I can understands her reasons for liking the different guys. But you seriously need to pick one, or at least stop stringing them along until you can decide.

Overall though, it is a good read. I love this new take on Vampires. It's fun and unique and the idea is brand new. It's got mystery, vampires, love and some lust, and tons of drama. They are also pretty easy quick reads, takes me about a day to read one of these, maybe a little more. I would recommend them because they are pretty unique and the story line is pretty great. Here's hoping book #3 will have me liking everyone even more :).

Review: Marked by P.C & Kristin Cast

Marked

Author: P.C & Kristin Cast

Publication Date: May 1st, 2007

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Romance/

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Synopsis:

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

My Thoughts: I have to be honest and say that for the first few chapters of this book, I was seriously questioning my choice to read it. I don't really know why, except to say that it just felt so...lame. And maybe that's not a good excuse. But it felt cheesy, and un-serious to me, when I could tell that it was trying to be serious. But I continued on because I did actually buy the books so I gotta give them a decent chance. I can say that things did get better, but I'm still not completely sold on their awesomeness. I've heard lots of good things about this series, and I feel a little sad that I don't enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to.

If I were to describe this book quickly and easily I would say; think Harry Potter and wizard, but change it to vampires. Now don't get all excited on me. I'm in no way comparing their greatness. I am of the full opinion that very very few books surpass the masterpiece that is Harry Potter. But I can definitely see similarities in the story line. Zoey has a poor home life, she unexpectedly becomes marked to be a vampire and she's thrown into a private school for just such people. But Zoey is unique, her mark is special and different and she has been blessed by the goddess Nyx, so all these great and wonderful things are expected of her. For the most part she delivers. She manages to make a small, but good group of friends, of who I will talk more of later. And she develops an enemy almost right away. A , rich, self entitled, controlling snob and her little sidekicks. And she eventually is set on a quest to rid the school of evil and bad influences.  See what I mean? Maybe I'm crazy but it felt familiar to me.

So on Zoey specifically, my feelings about her are complicated. I feel like the fact that the story is written by two people shows through while reading it. At times I felt Zoey to be immature, childish, and sometimes even a little moronic. But other times she seemed strong, willful, and determined. Most of the time I like her, but not a lot. And then other times I'm just thing to myself; seriously?! did you really just think/say/do that? As for her group of friends, I didn't particularly like any of them either. There's Stevie Rae, who seems really nice and super friendly but I just get these weird feelings from her and I feel like she might not stay such a good friend forever. And there's the two girls they call twins, and it's supposed to be hilarious cause one is Jamaican and the other is a Caucasian blond. Most of their parts consist of just finishing each other sentences and making sarcastic comments and they kinda get on my nerves. Then there's Damien, I actually kinda like him. He's smart, and independent and doesn't seem as clueless as the rest of them can seem. The only thing that bugs me, and it's not really about him. It's that he is gay, which is fine!! But the book feels the need to constantly remind you with lewd jokes and references, and I'm just like, yeah I get it, you already reminded me a million times. It just seems overplayed.  The one character I actually really like is the Antagonist, go figure. But to me, she seemed like the strongest, smartest,   most well developed character, even if she's a giant B-word.

Despite not loving the majority of the characters, I did find myself enjoying the plot line. It is definitely unique in it's ideas and creation. That is one thing I always love about Vampire books. You rarely find two that are the same. I praise them for their unique twists on Vampires, and their great, drama filled story line that did keep me turning the pages. If it weren't for the fact that I really liked the ideas, and events involved I can't see me caring much for this series at all. But I don't want it to seem like I am just bashing this book. And I'm sorry if I come off that way. I did enjoy it, it's thrilling, captivating read, with good plot twists and great story  line. If I could just switch out some of the characters I could easily see myself giving this book a 5 star.  I would still recommend this book, because obviously not everyone is going to feel about the characters the way I do. And if you like Vampires then you should probably try this series for an awesome new take on their lore and lives and creation.

Review: ReAwakened by Ada Adams

ReAwakened

Author: Ada Adams

Publication Date: November 27th, 2012

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Becoming a vampire guardian was Dawn Fairchild’s ticket out of the Scarlet House. Fresh off a successful mission, life in Angel Creek should have been great. But when her sort-of-maybe-boyfriend, Sebastian, disappears on a quest to help a beautiful vampire from his past, Dawn finds herself amidst a web of danger, lies, and deceit.

Joining forces with Razor, an enigmatic rebel lacking both a verbal and a physical filter, and her band of Misfits—Brooke, Sophie, Hunter, and Seth—Dawn is thrust into a race against the clock to solve the mystery surrounding brutal Born kidnappings and come to terms with the sudden discovery of her own unique powers. With time ticking away and Born vampires’ lives in jeopardy, it quickly becomes evident that someone—or something—desperately wants Dawn and is willing to shed any amount of blood to get her.

Dawn has only one chance to face her demons and overcome all obstacles standing in her way as she embarks on the biggest mission of her life—one that threatens a deadly outcome for all involved.

My Thoughts: First of all, I just have to say that I LOVE the cover of ReAwakened! It's so gorgeous! <3 Sebastion! Secondly, I was really, really, really excited for this book. I absolutely LOVED ReVamped! And while I still really enjoyed ReVamped, I didn't like it quite as much, which made me a little sad, but it's okay. It's probably my fault for getting so excited. There was just one thing that bothered me in this one. Unfortunately it was Dawn and how whiny she seemed to come off at some points. That and how she would go on about not being able to be with Sebastion and letting Aurora run her love life with him. I guess it would suck to be mentally attacked over and over, but it just really bothered me for some reason.

That being said, I still really enjoyed ReAwakened despite her love life issues. The story line was great and the ending.. darn you Ada! You don't have to make everyone cry! Needless to say, with a crazy cliffhanger ending, I need to read the next book! There were quite a few surprises in this book, good surprises. As usual, I can't predict Ada's story line at all. When you think one thing is coming, she suddenly throws you a curve ball and leaves you gaping.

I love the Misfit's, and can't wait to read more about them. They are just so different from the traditional vampires. I honestly have no idea what to expect next in the series, all because of the darn ending! So while I didn't enjoy it as much as ReVamped (which is pretty high in my favourites for the year) it had a lot to like up to with the first book for me, but it was still a really good read that I really enjoyed. I think everyone should check out the series for sure! I love it's unique take on the vampire genre. I definitely recommend this one!

Review: The Kiss of the Butterfly by James Lyon

The Kiss of the Butterfly

Author: James Lyon

Publication Date: July 22nd, 2012

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: YA/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

"The smell of blood is in the air, I sense it even now. People thirst for it; the entire country is mad with desire for it. And now we are going to war with our brothers because they look like us, and because we can smell our blood coursing through their veins...” A mysterious letter starts a university student on a journey into the war-torn lands of rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia. Naively trusting his enigmatic professor, the student unwittingly descends into a dystopian crucible of decay, destruction, passion, death, romance, lust, immorality, genocide, and forbidden knowledge promising immortality. As the journey grows ever more perilous, he realizes he must confront an ancient evil that has been once again loosed upon the earth: from medieval Bosnia to enlightenment-era Vienna, from the bright beaches of modern-day Southern California to the exotically dark cityscapes of Budapest and Belgrade, and horrors of Bosnia. Vampires have formed an integral part of Balkan folklore for over a thousand years. "Kiss" represents a radical departure from popular vampire legend, based as it is on genuine Balkan folklore from as far back as the 14th century, not on pop culture or fantasy. "Kiss of the Butterfly" offers up the real, horrible creatures that existed long before Dracula and places them within a modern spectrum.

My Thoughts: I know there are A LOT of vampire books out there, and most of them claim to be unique and not like the rest. But in this case, I absolutely mean it when I say this is vampire book you most likely have not read the likes of yet. If you don't believe in vampires, this book might just convince you of their existence.

While the story itself is a fictional creation, it carries with it a plethora of facts and information that definitely left me curious to know more,  as well as questioning myth and reality. The idea behind the story is that a Student gets sent to many foreign areas on a quest to write his thesis on Vampire folklore. What he finds is an abundance of stories and events that almost tempt him to believe they could be true.  When he digs deeper though, is when things get really scary. Some one is not happy about certain facts being brought to light, and this certain someone is quite powerful. So as he unknowingly plows forward on his quest for more knowledge, he is opening doors that are best left shut; and perhaps locked, bolted and boarded in my own opinion.

Not only was this a daring, scary, thrilling adventure, it is packed with so much information. Tons of lore is available to you in this story, with dates, places, events and definite details. If vampires are your thing, you absolutely have to add this book to your list. It's an awesome two for one, because you will learn so much, and you get to have a great adventure while doing so. I'll be honest and say that starting off I felt it was a little slow, and some of the information to be a little too much right away. However, the further I got in the more I wanted to know. Hence, the story seemed to be going by a lost faster because I had this urge to follow his dig into ever darker territory. Not too long after feeling it might be a tad slow, I had a complete change of heart.

Of course no YA or Vampire story is complete without a little bit of romance. There are romantic aspects, but they are not the forefront of the story. Even still, they did play an important role and it was very nicely laid out. The entire story in itself was very well written. It carried a certain elegance with it, almost an old fashioned feeling. You can feel that a lot of work was put into this story, and there is so much knowledge behind and among all the words.

After reading this, I have quite a different view of vampires. Much of what is commonly accepted as a vampire attribute is not  according to this story. It's full of new and unexpected details. Some quite eerie and most just really interesting. So yes, I think you should read this book. It is definitely a unique one in an ocean of vampire stories. So add it to your TBR!

Also I want to mention, I will be posting an interview Mr. James Lyon, and we will host a giveaway as well! The post will be made this Saturday so make sure to come back. Some very lucky reader will get a free e-copy to call their own.

Teaser Tuesday (36)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should be Reading 

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from:

Kiss of the Butterfly

Author: James Lyon

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Teaser:

" In fact there are days I wonder if Vampires might actually have once existed. Sounds silly, doesn't it, but after a while the sheer weight of historical evidence makes one begin to wonder. How can there be so many consistent reports of a supposedly mythological phenomenon that keep occurring up to the present day?"

My Thoughts: This is definitely a new way of reading about vampires for me. This book is packed with knowledge  and written in a very sophisticated way. An interesting read for sure! I'm curious to see how it all plays out!

Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Insatiable

(Insatiable #1)

Author: Meg Cabot

Publication Date: June 8, 2010

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .
If she even has one.

My Thoughts: Meena Harper was just a regular dialogue writer on a soap opera - except for the small fact that she could see how everyone around her would die. Although, no one usually believes her. Then, she meets the handsome prince Lucien Antonescu and her life changes forever.

I love Meena (short for Wilhelmeena) Harper. Yeah, sure, she writes and loves soap operas and eventually fell in love overnight - but hey, gotta believe in love at first sight once in a while. This girl is definitely not a push-over though. She takes everything with a grain of salt and stands up for her beliefs, even when other people are telling her otherwise. She also has an iron-clad conscious that forces her to help everyone and anyone she believes she can.

There is a small love-triangle between Meena, Lucien (her vampire boyfriend) and Alaric Wulf (vampire-hunter). I hope that in the next book in this series that it will be explored more fully and certainly could be an interesting and even more complicated set of relationships.

Oh, and Meena’s unemployed brother Jonathan (Jon) is hilarious in a sad sort of way. He gave me chuckles a few times in this novel.

There were a few unrealistic aspects to this novel. Falling in love in a couple of hours seems strange, but I can give love at first sight the benefit of the doubt there. However, when everyone the character seems to know starts turning out to be vampires - I find that a little over the top.

But overall, I enjoyed this novel for what it was - a vampire novel with some pretty gorgeous guys that have a lot of money. Throw in some blood, battles and a five-hundred year old sibling rivalry combined with a giant fire-breathing dragon and you have Insatiable. This series is definitely on my radar for a good guilty pleasure.

Review: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

The Hallowed Ones

Author: Laura Bickle

Publication Date: September 25th, 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

My Thoughts:  Amish + Vampires, what's not to love?? The Hallowed Ones is a scary, page turner that is unique in it's genre. This was Laura Bickle's debut into YA and I just have to say, keep it up! I'm actually saddened that this is a stand alone because I want more! Laura's writing style kept me hooked and it was one of those books that when I did have to set it down (unfortunately), I was constantly thinking about it. Yes, I needed to know what happened next, had to. I still wonder what happened after the ending. I also have to say that I love the cover for this one, it's so dark and actually suits the story quite well, always a plus. I learned so much about the Amish and their ways while reading, which was also nice.

The protagonist is Katie, a teen aged Amish girl who is anxiously awaiting her Rumspringa. She has been waiting for years, excited to get a taste of  the Outside world. Then, mere weeks before she is supposed to journey out, the Elders call for a lock down due to the strange activity that's going on in the Outside. Katie ventures into town and runs into monsters and sees the destruction that they've caused. How they brutally murder their victims. But, she can't say anything, she'd have to admit to breaking the rules and leaving. She could be exiled for it. Also, if they found out about the young man she's hiding who was outside of their fence, the man the Elders wanted to kill, that she dragged back in the dead of night to hide. The one she left to get antibiotics for. Katie seems to be breaking all of the rules, but she doesn't care as much as she feels she should.

I really enjoyed Katie's character, she grows as the story goes on. She is supposed to be obedient and follow the rules with no questions asked, but she is brave enough to go against the rules when she knows they are wrong. She helps when no one else will, braving the monsters in the dark even. She is a survivor no matter what and it makes me respect her. And who else is happy that she saved Alex from death, eh? I love me some awesome Canadian men!

The vampires are monsters in this book. They are cold blooded murderers who rip their victims apart. I'm not going to lie, there is some pretty brutal scenes to read, so if you're squeemish, you should probably hold off on this one. These aren't like your Twilight vampires. Heck. they aren't even as tame as the True Blood vampires. These vampires are downright scary. I would recommend this to older teens as it is pretty gruesome. But, that being said, it's one of the things that makes this book so awesome. Makes it so you can't place the book down for very long. It's just an amazing read with some scary, scary vampires! So if you're looking for something awesome, scary and unique, give The Hallowed Ones a read, it's a new favourite for me!

*Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for the review copy!*

Teaser Tuesday (24)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should be Reading.

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

-Share the Title and Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR if the like your  teaser :)

This week's teaser come's from:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

"Brave words wouldn't help him. Nothing would now. It was fine and good to be defiant to the end, but it was better not to get caught in the first place. That was his first mistake and, ultimately, his last."

I literally just started this book so this passage is from the first chapter :). But I am so looking forward to it. I have been wanting to read it for quite a while now and I have heard tons of good things about it!

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What are you teasing this week?

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Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules
(Blood of Eden #1)

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: April 24th, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Paranormal / Dystopia

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Synopsis:

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity."

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.

My Thoughts: Dystopia + Vampires = win! This book was so good I don't even know where to start. I absolutely loved it and had the hardest time putting it down. Julie Kagawa has once again created an amazing world and a cast of characters that you just have to love. I was a little worried going into this one because I was  worried that there was too much hype for it, but it definitely deserves the hype.  

Ok, so first of all, look at that cover! When I first saw it all I can wonder about is why she is crying. What could possibly make a vampire cry? Well, it just made me want to read it. Although something I don't understand is why her eyes are red. Yes, I know vampires in some books have red eyes, but in this  world vampires can easily pass for human, so you would think their eyes would be normal. I mean, if they're red the humans can just look at their eyes and know. I know, it's just a cover, but it just doesn't make sense to me. 

So basically, the story revolves around Allie and her struggles with being a vampire. Allie HATED vampires with a passion, but when faced with a choice of either becoming a vampire or dying at age 17, Allie opts to become one of the walking dead. Honestly, I probably would have made the same choice. Allie is forced to leave the vampire city she grew up in and finds a group of humans travelling in the wild, so she pretends to be one of them and joins them. How is she going to be able to resist drinking their blood? She doesn't want to drink from them and possibly hurt them, but if she doesn't feed,she could lose control and someone could die from her blood lust. All the while, they are searching for Eden, a vampire free city. They are being per sued by Jackal's gangs, Allie has no idea why. Will they find Eden? Or will their group die one by one from the hardships of the wild? This is definitely a plot that keeps you glued to your book. 

Allie, the protagonist is an extremely kick ass, katana wielding vampire. She doesn't want to be a monster and hurt people by drinking their blood, but she needs to feed and she needs human blood. I found her to be a somewhat emotional vampire, she grew to care for some of the humans in the group she travelled with. Most vampires wouldn't care in the slightest, except for keeping the humans alive for an easy meal. Allie is a character that I came to care for and look forward to seeing what happens next to her. It's interesting to see how someone who despises vampires copes with being one. 

We do have a love interest for Allie, but it's not a love triangle! His name is Zeke and he has been raised to despise vampires. We can't help but wonder what will happen  when he finds out Allie is a vampire, because it can't be good. You can't help but love Zeke because he always sees the good  in everyone. Everyone gets a chance to prove  themselves and he is just so nice to everyone. He was orphaned at age 3, thanks to a nasty vampire, and was raided by Jeb. Jeb is a preacher and trained Zeke to hate vampires and how to fight. I just can't believe how well Zeke turned out after being raised by crabby Jeb. 

Overall, The Immortal Rules is an amazing story that everyone who loves vampires or dystopians must read. Julie Kagawa is a wonderful author who seems to know exactly how to make a world we can imagine and crave more of. She's created monsters that freaked me out to even read about, the  mindless rabids. The Immortal Rules had me glued to the pages, too enthralled to put it down. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next for Allie. Would I recommend it? Definitely. I'll be buying myself a copy to enjoy. It really is a great book, a must read in YA literature.

Thank you to HarlequinTEEN and NetGalley for the review copy!

 

Review: Intangible by J. Meyers

Intangible

Author: J.M Meyers

Publication Date: January 31st, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift. Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

My Thoughts: This book was really great! I was asked to review this by the Author and I didn't hesitate for a second. I was drawn in by the cover, which I think is really beautiful. Then the summary really grabbed my attention, so I am very thankful to the Author, J. Meyers,  for allowing me to read and review this great book :).

The story is about twins named Sera and Luke who, for as long as they can remember, have had these special abilities. Sera's ability is that she can heal people just by touching them. Not just physical injuries, but emotional strain and stress as well. The downside to her ability is that she can't heal herself. Luke's ability is that he can see the future, he gets spontaneous visions. Sometimes they are complete, other times they come in slowly and in fragments. The downside to his ability is that he can't stop what he sees happening from actually coming true. Sera definitely sees her ability as a great gift, and she uses it for the greater good, but secretly of course. Luke however, I think he a lot of the times regrets having his ability. It seems he sees a lot of things he wish he hadn't seen, since there is nothing he can do about it.

Luke and Sera have done their absolute best at keeping their abilities a secret. After one time that Sera decided to share her abilities with someone she thought would be happy, despite Luke's warnings that that person would not be happy, they never shared their secret with a single soul ever again. They have a couple close friends, and one friend in particular that they literally spend all of their time with, her name is Fey. They allow themselves these chosen friends, but don't let anyone else in because they don't want to lie to any more people. They are so good and pure! These two are the sweetest, most caring, honest, friendly, loving, nicest people ever! And they share this bond that I am honestly quite jealous of. I wish I had a sibling that I was even slightly as close to as they are to each other. The sibling relationship Meyers created for them is just perfect. They have such amazing camaraderie, and the way they tease each other had me giggling a couple times :).

So Sera and Luke have spent their entire lives guarding their secret. But as the story unfolds we find out that almost everyone around them is keeping a pretty big secret themselves. Their own mother is holding something back from them, their best friend has a great big secret of her own, and when Sera finally lets someone else in he brings a big one with him as well! Sera and Luke end up being overwhelmed with new information that blows their world wide open! All these things that were supposed to be myth, are actually real, and they are smack in the middle of it all. Even though they think no one knows what they are capable of, in actuality, a lot of people know. They are the children of prophecy, and the entire paranormal world, or 'The Realm' as it's referred to in this book, has been waiting for them. The prophecy says they will either be the saviors or the destruction of the realm. Some beings are not willing to risk the second option. They just want them found and extinguished whether they are good or evil.

I really enjoyed the good Vs. evil in this book. There's Sera and Luke, who are obviously the good side. Then there's a couple shady characters who seem to waver between good and bad, and aren't even sure themselves which side they are going to end up on. It was so exciting to see which decisions they would make, and who's side they would ultimately pick. Though even in the end, they are still not completely sworn to one allegiance. Then their is Lillith,  she is 300% evil. I could feel her dominating, eerie, loathsome presence. She is the mother of all vampires, and she wants Luke and Sera destroyed as soon as possible, because of the chance that they could be the ruin of all vampires. Even after so much attempted persuasion that they would not fulfill the dark side of the prophecy she still demands their death.

At the beginning of the book, Luke sees a vision of his sister Sera dying. So the story essentially revolves around him trying to find a way to stop this from coming true, even though he knows he can't actually change the future. Meanwhile legions of evil creatures are attempting to snuff both of them out. Will their allies be able to protect them from those who wish them dead? Will Luke find a way to alter the future and save his sister's life? How will Sera and Luke react to learning that everything they thought they knew, is not even close to what it seems? You gotta read this book to find out! I definitely recommend that you do. It was a perfect mixture of light and dark hearted-ness. A wonderful good Vs. evil story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm positive that you will to! It was nice to read a YA paranormal that revolved around love for your friends and family instead of that super hot guy next door haha :). Add this one to your TBR!