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Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Review: Drink, Slay, Love by Sara Beth Durst

[ 8 ] October 13, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

After being stabbed through the heart by a unicorn’s horn after snacking on her favorite human entrée, 16-year-old vampire Pearl begins experiencing some rather strange symptoms. The most shocking occurs after two teenage “vampire hunters” capture and cage her, and she doesn’t burn at dawn’s early light. Because Pearl can withstand the daylight, her vampire Family comes up with a clever idea: they will enroll her in high school, and she will lure humans to the Fealty Ceremony as a treat for the King of New England.

Pearl agrees to the plan, but as she interacts with the humans, she discovers that she has a conscience and no longer wants to drink their blood. Evan, who once looked like a tasty morsel to her, now makes her experience true human feelings. Pearl decides she must find the unicorn who destroyed her nature, and get it reversed before her Family finds out.

Drink, Slay, Love by Sara Beth Durst is not your typical vampire novel; if you’re looking for another Twilight copycat, you won’t find it here. But if you love iconic movies like Lost Boys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and anything starring Molly Ringwald, this is the perfect book for you. Light on the romance, Drink, Slay, Love is about a young vampire who does some soul-searching (well, if she had a soul!) and learns that where she thought she belonged might not necessarily be her ideal way of living any more. Caught in between two worlds, Pearl will have to choose: her family or the humans.

I absolutely loved the interactions between Evan and Pearl, and I hope that there will be a sequel to Drink, Slay, Love. This book is definitely one that I “sank my fangs into”, but my thirst isn’t quite satiated–I simply have to know what happens to these characters, and what the consequences for Pearl’s actions will be. If you love vampires, YA, witty dialogue, and are intrigued by the idea of were-unicorns, then you have to stalk your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Drink, Slay, Love.

Rating: 3.5/5

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Margaret K. McElderry Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

[ 4 ] October 4, 2011

Reviewed by Jessa Larsen

To the warrior-monks known as the Redeemers, the last four things represent the culmination of a faithful life: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. The last four things represent eternal bliss or endless destruction, permanent chaos, and infinite pain. These things are embodied in the dark soul of Thomas Cale. He’s been betrayed by those closest to him yet has managed to maintain just a sliver of his childish innocence and naivety. He has a remarkable skill for death and destruction and has taken the role of the Angel of Death who will lead the Redeemers into a battle meant for the destruction of the human race.

In this sequel to Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God, the Redeemer General, Bosco, learns of Cale’s Angel of Death identity. He informs the young man that his intention is to use him as a means to install himself as Pope and thus allow him to fulfill his life-long crusade to purge the world of the wickedness of mankind. With the fervor of a fanatic and demonstrating a lethal range of ruthlessness, Bosco uses religious propaganda set Cale up as more than a mere human child. Bosco means to use Cale as the embodiment of God’s Wrath and thus destroy all of mankind. But Cale is not entirely convinced of Bosco’s inconceivable intentions and is patiently biding his time until the decision must be made. Will Cale fight for God’s will or save himself and in turn, all of mankind?

Paul Hoffman’s writing style is definitely one that takes a little bit of getting used to. It took me a while to decide if this was going be an overly religious tale with some preaching in between the lines. I still can’t quite decide if Hoffman is serious or not, but it’s definitely a style that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Hoffman mixes in a variety of religious views ranging anywhere from the Bible itself to Star Trek. His style is amusing and straight to the point, making The Last Four Things worth the read.

Rating: 3.5/5

Jessa lives in Utah with her husband, 2 sons, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. She goes to school full time as an English major with a focus in creative writing. She likes anime and reads books and plays video games in her moments of spare time.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by WunderkindPR. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
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Review: Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

[ 6 ] September 21, 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Talbott

Megan Rosenberg has always moved around a lot. After her mother’s death, her father just can’t stay in one place for too long. This time, they are moving to Ireland because of her father’s new job at a marina. When she goes to her new school for the first time, she immediately notices Adam DeRis and feels a magnetic connection to him. Unfortunately, he seems to avoid her at all costs. Other than this anomaly, Megan makes many friends like Caitlin, who tell her about the rumors that Adam and his family are druids and cast black magic. This doesn’t deter Megan from her crush. As she spends more time with him, she notices strange things happening around him and his family. Is Adam some sort of druid? Is he dangerous? Why does she feel such a strong connection with him?

When I first heard about Carrier of the Mark, I was really excited to read it. I enjoy Ireland and paranormal books, plus the cover is gorgeous. I was also impressed that it was picked up by HarperCollins after being put up on InkPop, a creative writing community.

However, Carrier of the Mark fell short of my expectations. I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the dialog between Megan and her friends. In fact, the writing was really what kept me interested. It flowed really well and had energy behind it that kept me reading even when parts of the plot didn’t interest me. The dialogue between the characters felt authentic; I wanted to know more about them and wish the book was more focused on character development.

The problems I had with Carrier of the Mark had to do with the romance between the main characters as well as some of the plot points. The romance was love at first sight and Adam and Megan became quickly obsessed with each other. I get that young love is intense, but they seemed too in love too quickly. I felt that their declarations of love and how they would die without each other got old really fast. There were a lot of similarities to Twilight including the forbidden love, girl moving to a new school and falling in love with the hot outcast, Adam’s family, and even some structural problems. The main conflict was introduced very late and then resolved very quickly as well because their meeting and subsequent relationship took up about the first two thirds of the book. The beautiful Irish landscape and culture was also underplayed for the most part.

Overall, I liked Carrier of the Mark for the original paranormal storyline and skilled writing. The romance was overplayed, tiresome, and seemed to similar to others in its genre. I would read the next book in the series to see if the mythology is explored in greater detail.

Rating: 3/5

Elizabeth is a student at Cal State Long Beach. She laughs a lot, loves cats, and lives for music and books. You can read her blog here: http://titania86-fishmuffins.blogspot.com/.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by HarperTeen. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

[ 6 ] September 20, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

Three sisters, separated at birth and unaware of the others’ existence, are about to be reunited for the first time in 16 years. Gretchen has always known it is her destiny to hunt down the mythological monsters that come through the hellmouth in San Francisco. Under the tutelage of Ursula, Gretchen has become a fiercely independent young warrior. When fate throws Grace into her path, she is hesitant at first to share her legacy with someone else. Slowly, the idea grows on her that she has a sister–a twin.

Grace has always known she was adopted, and has often been curious about her birth parents. Finding Gretchen makes her feel like she really belongs, even though she has a terrific adoptive family. What neither Gretchen nor Grace expected was to find a third sister, Greer. Spoiled and one of the elite, Greer has always had a plan for her life–one that did not involve seeing and hunting monsters. Fighting monsters is the easy part; getting along with sisters that couldn’t be more different than her will be a struggle.

Sweet Venom is the first in a new series from Tera Lynn Childs. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have read by her so far, and had eagerly been anticipating Tera’s take on Greek mythology. Forget everything you think you know about Medusa, the snake-haired gorgon beheaded by Perseus–Tera takes a well-known Greek myth and puts a totally unique spin on it. I am so in love with her wildly imaginative retelling that I’m disappointed that it isn’t the reality.

Though Sweet Venom is most definitely YA, it will appeal to adult readers, too. I saw quite a few similarities to my beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show and Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Fans of one or both will welcome Sweet Venom and its planned sequels with open arms.

Though I have quite a few questions about where everything is going, I trust Tera’s writing and development and know that she will answer everything all in due time.

Rating: 4.5/5

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Katherine Tegan Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Misfit by Jon Skovron

[ 4 ] August 24, 2011

Reviewed by Amanda Allalunis

High school is sometimes rough on Jael. Going to a private Catholic school can be hard on anyone, but add to that a totally distant and overly strict father and a life of near-poverty and the challenges get doubly tough – not to mention the 15-year-old is part-demon.

Just when Jael thinks her situation couldn’t get much worse, her 16th birthday comes around, and some big changes come along with it. In a matter of days Jael’s demon half is awakened, she is reacquainted with her full demon uncle (a fish-like creature with a mouth full of teeth), and she learns that an extremely powerful upper-level demon has wanted her dead since birth for being a half breed. But as Jael struggles to accept her new reality, she realizes that the way she views her life is up to her. Could her newly-awakened demon half change her relationship with her father, with her friends, and the entire world?

I have to admit that when I initially heard the premise of Misfit, I was a little bit skeptical. There are so many books written in the demon/vampire/night world theme these days that it’s hard to get excited about yet another story about creatures that aren’t supposed to exist, but do. I’ve done a lot of reviews of urban fantasy novels over the past year, and I’ve grown accustomed to making statements like, “For an urban fantasy novel this one is pretty well written.” Or, “For an urban fantasy novel the characters are well developed.” When it comes to Misfit, I don’t need to qualify any part of my review. It is an exceptional book in all instances. It is well paced, appropriately ironic, and it grabbed and held my attention from the first page on.

I will say that I wish the story was longer…. not just because I wanted to keep reading, but also because I felt that the overall plot would have benefited from a deeper exploration of its supporting characters. For instance, Jael’s love interest is described as a skater-boy/genius who believes in magic. One glimpse into his soul changes Jael’s life forever, but the reader is never really given the chance to connect with the character. I’m not sure if the book was abbreviated to fit into a specific category (young adult for instance), or if an editor somewhere got too enthusiastic with a red pen, or if the author just ran out of steam. It felt like Misfit was expertly crafted to create a maximum amount of suspense and interest in the first three quarters of the novel, and then just kind of rushed through the final climatic chapters. That being said, I really enjoyed this book and sincerely hope that there’s a sequel in the works. Misfit will hold a place of honor on my bookshelf for a long time.

Rating: 4.5/5

Amanda is mommy, freelance writer, and blogger in her spare time. If you like this review, be sure to check out the blog at Giveaway Blogdom or take a minute to read her most recent article on Childhood Vaccinations.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Amulet Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey

[ 4 ] August 21, 2011

Reviewed by Erin McKibbin

Within the space between two worlds exists the last of the 13 faire roads – the Dark Street. Situated on the North end of the street are the Iron Gates. These gates connect Dark Street to New York City at precisely 12am every night. At the South end of the street are the odious Glass Gates. These gates lead to the world of the fairies and were sealed 500 years ago by the great magicians at the end of the Faire Wars. Dead center of Dark Street is the Pendulum House which is home to the Wizard. Between the gates and surrounding the wizard, an entire community arose, complete with museums, theaters, dress shops, and casinos.

It was into this world that the Wizard’s apprentice and niece was born and it was in this world that she wished to resign her apprenticeship and, instead, become a criminal investigator like her departed father. Oona Crate, a natural magician, despised her magical abilities and wished to peruse a life of logic and science. Orphaned at a young age, 12-year-old Oona formally sets her apprenticeship aside only to be caught up in an intrigue involving her uncle’s apparent murder and a crime wave that threatens the very stability of Dark Street.

The Wizard of Dark Street is a brilliant mix of fantasy, adventure, and mystery for the young reader (and the adult one as well!). Shawn Thomas Odyssey does a fantastic job of creating a captivating mystical world where magic lives right alongside the mundane. Odyssey combines the best of Rowling and Christie to create a new genre: Fantastical Mystery.

Rating: 5/5

Erin fell in love with the written word as a small child and subsequently spent most of her life happily devouring literature. She works as a freelance news, marketing, and technical writer as well as a full-time researcher/investigator in the sign industry. Erin lives just outside of Cleveland, Ohio enjoying the beauty of life with her children and grandchildren.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by EgmontUSA. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Bloodspell by Amalie Howard

[ 12 ] August 7, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

On Tori’s 17th birthday, she is given a mysterious family journal that once belonged to her ancestor, Brigid. Upon reading the entries, Tori discovers that Brigid was a powerful witch, and that Tori has the same powers. Through Brigid’s story was one full of pain and heartache, Tori vows that she will not have the same demise.

After Tori switches schools, she meets the mysterious Christian Devereux. Like Tori, Christian has a secret of his own–one that should keep them apart forever. Against everyone else’s wishes, Christian and Tori begin to fall in love. The blood that runs through both of their veins may be their own undoing as they fight against friends and foes for what their hearts want.

The description of Bloodspell by Amalie Howard and the intriguing cover hooked me right at the beginning. Eager to start what I was hoping would be a fresh, new perspective on two of my favorite paranormal character types (vampires and witches), I soon found myself tired of Howard’s characters and writing style.

Christian is a nearly 200-year-old vampire, but he is unconvincing. In the beginning few chapters, he nearly slips and reveals that he is otherworldly. Considering that vampires must remain hidden from humanity, I find it difficult to believe that he could have a slip of the tongue so carelessly. Tori is more plausible of a character than Christian, but she puzzled me in some ways. At her first school, Tori is a bullied outsider. When she arrives at Christian’s school, she easily makes friends and gains the affections of Gabriel, the sort-of boyfriend of her new friend, Charla. Everything that happens in Tori’s social life at her new school seems just too convenient to me.

Howard’s writing style is what ruined all enjoyment of Bloodspell for me. She spends too much time spelling out every thought and action of the characters; the book is made up of “telling” rather than “showing”. Additionally, the book seems to lack editing in regards to punctuation, which will frustrate any reader who knows grammar and punctuation rules like the back of his or her hand. As interesting as I found Tori’s birthright to be, I don’t see myself picking up the next installment in this series.

Rating: 1.5/5

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Langdon Street Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

[ 6 ] July 31, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

In Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene learned that she had always had a Talent. For nearly 18 years, her grandmother had led her to believe that she was Talentless. In the follow-up Always a Witch, Tamsin explores the boundaries of her newly discovered powers and navigates through a romantic relationship with fellow witch Gabriel, a childhood friend she blew off because she believed herself to be ordinary.

The rivalry between the Greenes and the Knights dates back to the 19th century. Since the last time that Tamsin and Gabriel traveled to the past, the Greene family can no longer see their future reflected in the Book of Shadows. Alistair Knight has not given up the quest to go back in time and warn his ancestors on how to stop the Greenes from prospering in their powers so that in modern time Alistair himself will not be Talentless.

Tamsin must travel back in time to the 19th century and find her own ancestors to help them defeat the Knights once and for all so her family will still exist in her time. When she arrives, she masquerades as a lady’s maid in the home of the Knights, coming face to face with Liam Knight, the man who had traveled to her time and had given her clues as to what the end result of their encounter would be. Fearful of what he said regarding Gabriel, Tamsin doesn’t include him on her adventure and blocks him from being able to discover where she is. When Alistair arrives at the Knight residence, everything Tamsin is working to accomplish could be ruined. More than ever, Tamsin needs Gabriel by her side. Will he find her in time to stop Liam and his disturbing experiments?

Always a Witch is a terrific and satisfying sequel to Carolyn MacCullough’s Once a Witch. It is well paced and witty, if maybe a little confusing with all of the time traveling. I love Tamsin’s no-nonsense attitude, and found it especially funny that she had to hold her tongue while in the employ of the Knight family. We also see a more sensitive side of Tamsin when she begins to relate to Jessica, the daughter of the mistress of the house.

As I started to get further into the book, I could see the wheels turning in Carolyn MacCullough’s mind. She definitely worked from an outline and planned out how everything was going to happen. Normally time travel novels frustrate me, but I tried not to think about it too much while reading this and as I result I think I enjoyed the book a lot more. A few things that I was left questioning at the end of Once a Witch are explained in this sequel. I was a bit unsatisfied by how Always a Witch ended, and hope that there’s a third book in the works.

Rating: 3.5/5

Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Clarion Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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