Wow... paranormal romance taken one step further = awesome!

FANGIRL_15 by Aimee Roseland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I (almost literally) devoured this novel. Something about the narrative, the structure, had me hooked - line and sinker - and the only thing that stopped me reading it in one sitting was that would have meant me finishing it at 2am and I had work the next day... As it was, I got up and finished it before going to work (yay for late starts).

It is hard to pinpoint precisely what made me enjoy this story so much, but I think that personal wish-fulfillment played a small role. I mean, what reader doesn't dream of meeting the characters of their favourite book? Hanging out with them, etc. What this story does differently though, and what stops it coming across as Mary-Sue fanfic (over a non-existent - alas - series) is that in reality the Dark Riders Brotherhood are damned scary. My only complaint here is that we are introduced to all 8 of them at the start, via a sort of light info-dump (since Chloe is familiar with their characters) but only a few get to really feature in the story: Draken the almost-7-foot vampire, Raphish the (fake) Scottish werewolf, and of course the haunted, broken and beautiful Lucien who was denied his chance to shine by the untimely death of the original author (Sojourne) and had the series cut-short by a thriller-hack-writer. Anyway, I have digressed, Chloe finds herself dumped into a world she barely understands, with people she knows intimate details about - including their dark secrets - but whom neither know nor trust her, and not only that, but the one that she is most drawn to is destined to find his true mate within the next five days.

So saying, some parts of the plot are somewhat predictable - but others are utterly and completely unexpected. Chloe is a brilliant heroine - with her various insecurities - yet also her outspoken courage that shines through at unexpected moments, she is delightfully well-rounded as a character. Lucien is just... well, I've always had a bit of a thing for heroes that don't understand their own worth.

Anyway, aside from some odd typos - mainly usages of the wrong words, and a couple of weird spellings - this is an absolutely engrossing read and I really, really loved it. Something in it sang to my soul.

eARC received via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



View all my reviews

Strong build, but failed to climax

Available here on Amazon for $0.00. Can't beat that price!

The Golden Bell by Autumn Dawn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really did enjoy this book. Although it is the fourth set in the un-aptly named "Dark Lands", I found myself instantly hooked, and although I did feel rather like there was a little more that I was missing, I was certainly never lost nor confused in the plot.

The characterisation was good. The two main characters - Rain and Fallon, were both well developed. Particularly Rain, with her occasional feral streaks and quick temper. Also, one has got to love a genius engineer. She did seem to fall a bit too easily into Fallon's bed, but that can be forgiven. He was rather sexy, and although you could sense that he wanted to be controlling, he also allowed her freedom and did not pressure her. All good points in a man.

The sex scenes were quite steamy, and well written, and not too prevalent in the plot. Sexual tension was also kept to a relative minimum, allowing more room for the plot to be established.

Now, about the plot... It started strong - Rain being rescued from a Charmer, exiled to the Dark Lands and trying to establish a place for herself amongst the Haunts, as well as uncovering her father's murderer.

That's where it fell down. It almost feels like the author ran out of steam. Like she had a certain word length she wanted to finish it in and didn't wish to exceed this. There was no build - the murderer was unveiled and defeated, without being an apparent threat to Rain or her new way of life. What's more, despite the fact that the evidence was shaky and that Rain took matters into her own hands, there were no serious repurcussions of what she did. No climax, no threat, no tension. Very frustrating - and left me feeling cheated.

On the other hand, I liked the writing style, enjoyed the characters and found the setting intriguing, so I would be interested in reading more by this author - at some point.





View all my reviews

And another Top Pick for 2011

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Enter the lyrical and haunting world of the Night Circus. It will draw you in, entrance you and wisk you away to a different time and place. With its evocative language, and gently flowing plot, it reminded me rather of "Jonathan Strange" and some of Neil Gaiman's work. The descriptions are lush and vivid, the characters entrancing. It haunted me long after the final page. However, there is a blemish to every jewel and in this one it was the constantly shifting time periods - each chapter would jump back or forward some years, which left me feeling a little disorientated. It was to good purpose though, to aid the ebby and flow of the tale.



View all my reviews

One of my Top Picks for 2011

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is beautiful. It is dark and haunting and eloquently written. With an interesting quirk to the traditional demons vs angels. The Angels in this point are terrifying beings with eyes of fire, the "demons", chimerical hybrids. One of the many things I loved about this book is that there is no real good or evil - there are two sides at war - both with reason, and one innocent human girl stuck in the middle. I cannot say much more without giving too much away, but this is a wonderful and engrossing read. I HIGHLY recommend it.



View all my reviews

Romance through a Druid's Eyes

Seer of Sevenwaters
Juliet Marillier
Sevenwaters series, bk 5

Genre: Historic/Fantasy/Romance
Audience: Women
Rating: 4/5

Another beautifully written, engrossing historical dark romance. Marillier weaves a fine historic tale with a strong folklore theme to it. She creates strong characters that you can relate to and an intriguing plot.

This novel continues with the daughters of Sean and Aisling, but this time the heroine is Sibeal - the quiet, sensible, spiritual one. She has been sent to Inis Eala to spend time with her older sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh before committing fully to the Druidhood. For those who have read "Heir...", it is good to find out how Clodagh and Cathal have fared. But at the same time as Sibeal arrives, a ship wrecks itself off the shore. Only two survivors are found - a Nordic warrior and his mute, mysterious wife. That is until Sibeal discovers the third survivor. A young, storm-battered, half-drowned man with no memory of his past. Together they uncover a mysterious that could harm them all.

Angels on Earth

Halo
Alexandra Adornetto

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romance
Audience: Young Adult (12+)
Rating: 3/5

Just another instalment in the current trend of Paranormal Romance novels aimed at teenage girls, you ask yourself? Well, Halo might fit that description quite well, but it does at least contain some originality. For one thing, it's the female narrator that is the otherworldly being - in this case an angel. She has been sent to a small, sleepy town along with her "siblings", the Archangel Gabriel and a seraphim, Ivy. Their mission? To inspire general goodness in the community and do away with the creeping shadows of evil that are growing in the small town. And it gets off to a good start. Our heroine, Bethany, is a young angel, being only 17 years old. She is naive and innocent and has learned about human-kind from television and literature. Being flung into modern society - and school - makes for quite an eye-opening experience. Even eating is something new to her. The first section of this book is charming, and does make you take another look at the world we're so used to. Then she falls in love. Xavier is a lovely young man and the relationship is likewise sweet and innocent with only a slight spattering of angst. It's only when the "evil" character is introduced that the plot begins to lose some of its sparkle. The villain is cliched, and the plot holds no real surprises - although it does build to a nice bit of tension. It would be nice to have some sort of red herring in here, but everything is pretty much straightforward from beginning to end, leaving the reader feeling slightly disatisfied. Also, as it is part of a series, the major plot point - can an angel and a human really have a life together - is left hanging for further instalments.
Overall, this book is sweet and somewhat innocent (although there is some mention of sex) and quite a refreshing addition to this tired but addictive genre. However, it could be so much stronger. But one thing that should be noted - despite the Christian elements to the plot, it is not at all preachy. For this she should be commended.

Adornetto is a young Australian author, who published her first book at age 13. As she is only now 19, and this is her first dabbling at teen fiction, I can see she has is plenty of promise to mature into a very fine novelist. She certainly seems to have good morals, if her book is anything to go by.