Blackbringer (Dreamdark #1) by Laini Taylor Review

Goodreads Synopsis

When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she's devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself- the creator of the world- she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?

At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.


My Thoughts

In a world where most of the faeries have forgotten most of their history and are content to live in ignorance of the world, there is one faerie who is fighting to keep the devils at bay. Magpie Windwitch is a tiny faerie with a big heart. She dreams of being like her idol Bellatrix and help keep the world safe. When she finds an abandoned boat with missing mannies on it, she knows something terrible has been released into the world. She must do all she can to save her friends and family.
I loved Laini Taylor's Daughter Of Smoke and Bone so when I saw this I had to get it to try. I wasn't disappointed. Laini Taylor doesn't just tell a story, she weaves it. She draws you into her world with her rich descriptions and mesmerizing characters. While it took me a little while to get used to the writing style, it didn't detract from the story at all. The faeries in Blackbringer may be small but they are fierce. I loved everything about this book and am eagerly diving into book 2 now.

Raising Dragons (Dragons in Our Midst #1) by Bryan Davis Review.

Guys this review is written by my 10 year old son. Im so proud of him :) He has Dyslexia and doesn't read much but finished this book!!



Goodreads Synopsis

A boy learns of his dragon past; a girl has known of hers for years. They combine their faith, courage, and love to overcome evil, a slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage, forever. The kids at school call Billy “Dragon Breath” for good reason. His breath is bad! It isn’t the normal, morning-mouth bad; it’s the hot-as-fire, “don’t-you-dare-get-near-me” bad. Trouble erupts when his hot breath sets off the fire sprinklers in the boys’ restroom at school, and his parents learn that they’ve kept their secret for too long.Billy finally discovers the secret. His father was once a dragon! Now that’s a piece of news a guy doesn’t deal with every day! Billy feels betrayed, alien, lost. When the dragon slayer traps him on a cold mountaintop in West Virginia, Billy learns to battle with weapons of steel and spirit while relying on a power he doesn’t understand, a power that helps him learn to trust again. Bonnie, an orphan, tries to find a home, someone to love her, even though she feels like a freak because of a body feature that she calls a deformity. But this unusual feature becomes a life-saving attribute as she discovers that her love for others and her faith in a creator hold the answers she’s looking for.

My Thoughts ( Well my sons thoughts today )

Billy and Bonnie are both half dragons. Bonnie has known her entire life but Billy only just found out. Not long after hearing what he is, he finds himself on the run from a crazy Dragon Slayer. He learns what and who his dad is and how and why they are being hunted.

I love Dragon books and my mom gave me this to try. I enjoyed it and found the story good - a boy finding out he is half dragon (how cool would that be???)and that his dad is a full dragon (even cooler) forced to become human to hide from the Dragon Slayers. He meets another half Dragon and both end up on the run with Slayers trying to kill them. 
Bonnie is cool for a girl Dragon. She has wings and is quite strong. Billy though is awesome because he can breath fire. I liked both of them but my most favourite character was Walter, he is a good friend to have. He had their backs. The story was action packed and never dull. I especially liked the Arthur bits and reading about the Dragons. The Slayers weren't very nice but they were very good villains. I also want a teacher like Professor Hamilton because he was pretty cool and had awesome weapons. I also want to know who or what he is because that bit was very mysterious. 
I really liked Raising Dragons and have asked my mom for the next in the series.

Tamed by Douglas R. Brown Review.

 

Goodreads Synopsis.


Werewolves are real.

And they make excellent pets.

Owning one of the legendary creatures is the latest fad. The WereHouse insists their werepets are loyal, docile, and 100% safe, but what happens when these gentle giants turn on their masters?

While on a routine EMS call, paramedic Christine Alt is attacked by a rogue werepet. She escapes with her life, but the encounter leaves her with more than just scars. As her body begins to change, she discovers the WereHouse is hiding a terrible secret, and they will stop at nothing to keep her from exposing them.



My Thoughts

Werewolves have been domesticated and have become pets called Wergs. Everyone who can afford one seems to have one. The Werehouse tells them they are animals only and wont ever harm. But the Werehouse is hiding a lot of secrets.
Christine is a medic for the fire department and has never liked the Wergs. They terrify her. On a routine EMS call she goes to a house with her partner Billy and finds a gruesome sight. The owners of the house were killed by their Werg. Its still there and Christine is mauled by the animal. Some of the animals blood finds its way into her. As her life changes she meets Alex, a rogue werg hunter, and finds out explosive secrets about The Werehouse.

OK so the first few lines of the blurb really pulled me in " Werewolves are real.
And they make excellent pets."
Tamed was not what I expected. It was gory  bloody, action packed and brought something new to the werewolf genre. The Werehouse is brutal in its taming of the werewolves and promises that the wergs wont harm, but like all "animals" there are an odd few rogues. When Christine turns she is the only female werg that's not controlled by Bernard Henderson (the owner and founder of The Werehouse) Any male werg goes crazy around her and the rogue hunters are trying to kill her. Her life is turned upside down but she has to expose The Werehouse for what it is. 

Tamed switches POV between a few people but you don't feel lost because the author makes it flow from person to person. While they seem random POV, they tie up nicely at the end. 
Douglas Brown definitely doesn't shy away from the darker side of things and its not for the faint of heart or the squeamish. I really enjoyed Tamed and loved that it was dark and a kinda disturbing werewolf book!!! If you like dark and thrilling tales then this is for you.

Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain #2) by Amanda Carlson Review

 Synopsis from Goodreads



Jessica McClain has just discovered she's the biggest threat the supernatural world has seen in over eight-hundred years, but there's only one thing on her mind - finding her mate. Rourke's been kidnapped by a wicked goddess and his only chance of survival lies in her hands.

Finding Rourke and defeating the goddess proves to be difficult enough, but when the Underworld comes calling and Jessica discovers she's accused of crimes she hasn't committed, the entire game changes. The price they are demanding for her freedom is too steep. There is no way she can ever pay it back.






My Thoughts

In the second installment of the Jessica McClain books we see Jessica along with Tyler and Danny on a mission to confront a goddess and save Rourke. While defeating a Goddess is anything but easy she also has to contend with things she never even heard of before. 
Hot Blooded was amazing. It was everything the first book was and more!!! Jessica is trying to save Rourke but even before she gets there she has to fight things she has never heard of or seen. How do you defeat something when you don't know their weakness? Throw in Ray and 2 vamps and you have an action packed edge of your seat book. This book is a book that had me going from one emotion to another in a few pages! Theres betrayals, kidnapping, vows made and vows broken. There is never a dull moment. 
Amanda Carlson has created some awesome characters. Jessica is kick ass but in Hot Blooded I think my favourite was Danny. He is a breath of fresh air. Loved him. I hope we see more of Danny and Rourke in coming books. Highly highly recommend. 
Received from Netgalley.

Full Blooded (Jessica McClain #1) by Amanda Carlson Review.

   
Synopsis from Goodreads

Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

My Thoughts

I went into Full Blooded not having heard that much about it. Well it surprised the heck out of me! I loved it. The world Amanda Carlson created was for me unique. The only female shifter ever! There has never been a female shifter born, the male shifters have kids with mortal women but only have boys. When she was born someone sent an email with what is called The Cain Prophecy, to Jessica's father. It says that a female shifter will be born and will bring about the down fall of the shifter race. As you can imagine everyone is gunning for Jessica's death and it only gets worse when she shifts unexpectedly the first time. It also doesn't help that she seems to be a Lycan, a race that hasn't been seen in centuries. 
Jessica is a kickass character. When she leaves her fathers compound she becomes Molly Hannon. She joins the police force but eventually becomes a private investigator. She is a P.I for all things supernatural and can totally handle herself even before she finds out she is a shifter. When she shifts for the first time, her whole world changes. She is trying to learn to be a wolf and control it while fighting for her life. Every possible supernatural creature is trying to capture or kill her. This book is in no way dull!!
For me the secondary characters make the book so much better. Jessica's father, The Alpha, is one of the strongest Alphas ever. He does everything he can to protect her and keep her safe. Tyler, Jessica's brother, is loyal and a brother anyone can hope for. James is The Alphas second and is just swoon worthy. I loved his character, strong, fierce, sexy and loyal!! Then we meet Rourke. He is a shifter cat but nobody knows what kind. He is mysterious, serious and badass and I can't wait to find out more about him.
Full Blooded sure packed a punch. There was never a dull moment and I absolutely devoured it. With every kind of supe in it, magic, shifters, kickass characters, hot guys and plenty of action, you would be remiss not to read it. I'd highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes Review

Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Viral Nation starts with us seeing the devastation that follows a wide spread virus. Millions of people are dying a slow and agonising death. Two men travel forward and get the miracle cure but it's not so much a cure as it is a suppressant. People will have to have a dose everyday for the rest of their lives or the virus will come back.
Each city has walled of their areas and have Time Mariners who travel two years into the future to bring back information on what's happened in that time. This allows them to stop or prevent future crimes so every place is virtually crime free.
Clover is an autistic girl and West, her brother, looks after her. Their mother died of the virus and their father works as an executioner. Clover has a service dog, Mango, who helps her calm down and relaxes her when she gets over whelmed. She has always dreamed of going to the academy but they won't accept her dog. She is drafted to the Time Mariners and during one mission she finds out her brother is in danger and is accused of murder, a crime punishable by death. Clover must do everything in her power to save him.
Viral Nation is an intriguing and different book. I loved the fact that Clover is the main character and even though she has a disability it doesn't stop her from doing what needs to be done. Clover and Wests relationship was another thing I loved. They have such a strong bond and will do anything for each other.
This book dragged me into the story right from the start. It was so easy to connect with all the characters, even the secondary ones. It flowed from page to page and I had such a hard time putting it down. The world the author created was something I'd hope never to experience. People have to be dosed everyday and everything is monitored. Is everything as it seems or are people hiding secrets? Who do you trust?
The only flaw in a truly great book was the time travelling element. The idea that you can only travel 2 years forward was unique but it was done poorly at times. When they started on about the time travelling and the time loops etc I found myself skimming it. It was sometimes confusing. Other wise its a truly great story with unique characters. I look forward to more from this author.
Received from Netgalley.

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The Breeders by Katie French Review

The Breeders by Katie French
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the get go The Breeders is edge of your seat type of book. Rileys world sucks!! The landscape is bleak, women are treated appallingly and boys are traded to the Riders for sacrifice to their God. Riley and her brother Ethan live on a secluded farm with her step dad, mum and aunt. If anyone comes near their farm the women and Ethan have to hide or they will be sold. Any woman of child baring ages are sold to The Breeders to try to help with the population problem.
Arn, Rileys step dad, goes to town miles away to trade but doesn't come back. Riley wraps up to go and find him. She eventually brings him home but trouble finds them! They are raided that night but Riley and Ethan manage to get to safety with a little help from Clay, the stranger who wants to help them. Her mother and Aunt are taken. Riley, Ethan and Clay set out to get them back. During her travels Riley gets shot and her only hope is to get help from The Breeders, what follows is a roller coaster of suspense, action and heartbreak.
From the first few pages I was hooked. The Breeders is definitely a page turner. The world is harsh and The Breeders are worse. Katie French has a way of story telling that is so vivid you are drawn into the book. Its a blood thirsty life where women are few a far between and those that are there are taken and used as incubators basically! Kids as young as 15, 16 have already had kids and will keep having kids till they are no good. Thats not even the worst of it. Plan B is the worst!!! Riley is such a tough little cookie and loyal to her family to a fault. She would do anything for them even if it costs her her life. Then Clay comes. In a world where men take what they want Clay is kind, sweet but also tough and can actually shoot straight!! Watching Riley and Clays friendship blossom was awesome.
The ending didnt wrap up everything so hopefully there will be another book. Highly recommend.

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From Out Of Chaos by Nathan Wrann
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Cor Griffin Bloodsuckers' story continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Matter Heart.

Cor, Taylor and Caitlyn have put an end to The Creeper’s reign of terror, but at what cost? The teens’ lives are thrust deeper into turmoil as Detectives Tolliver and Orlovsky keep Cor under surveillance; Caitlyn copes with her transformation, and Taylor sets off a cataclysmic chain of events that will tragically change their lives forever.

"From Out Of Chaos" is Book 2 in the "Dark Matter Heart" Trilogy

My thoughts

Book 2 picks right up where book 1 finished. After the events of the last book, Cor is trying to pick up his life and move on. He has to deal with his feelings for Caitlyn and deal with the police still watching him.
Caitlyn meanwhile is trying to cope with what she is. She has to pretend to be normal and behave!
Taylor gets featured more in this which I liked. He does something though that changes all their lives and not for the better.
The first half of the book for me dragged! I was reading it and was thinking if it doesn't get better soon I'm putting it aside!! I'm glad I kept at it because the last bit of the book was so good. From a certain point in the book I became hooked again and there was a big plot twist in From Out Of Chaos that just made me say WHAT. The second half of the book is action packed with lots of twists and turns. Cant wait to see where the story goes from here.

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Dark Matter Heart (Cor Griffin Bloodsuckers, #1) by Nathan Wrann Review

Dark Matter Heart by Nathan Wrann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won a copy of this from Elle Casey's blog so thanks to her and the author.
Cor just wants to fit in but since his accident he cant. He is weak and sickly because of the sun and trouble just seems to find him. He moves to a new town and starts school where he just wants to be invisible. He meets Taylor and they become friends. Trouble follows Cor from LA and his life gets real complicated.
I am pleasantly surprised with Dark Matter Heart. Ive been wanting to read it since I first heard of it and saw the cover. It started off a little slow but once it got going I was hooked. It kept me guessing right up to when the killer was revealed. Cors character is such a likeable one and I found myself instantly liking him. His friendship with Taylor was awesome and Im looking forward to following it through the next few books. Id definitely recommend to lovers of paranormal and vampire stories though its not your typical vampire one.

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Land Of No Demons by N.R. Wick

Land of No Demons by N.R. Wick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First of all thanks so much to Elle Casey for holding the contest where I won the complete Dark Ascension books and second thanks the author for writing such a wonderful series. I absolutely loved this book. Land Of No Demons has everything that a great book should.
Rebecca is finding it easier to manage her powers and along with the other high witches has to find and try to heal the dimensional weak points to stop the Demon of all Demons. What follows is a deadly battle for the world.
I was hooked from the very first page. We see Rebecca and Fox struggling with their feelings, lots more fighting and non stop action with a sprinkling of romance :-) I was so sad with the death of someone in this book because I really liked said person. There's not much else I can say without mentioning spoilers so I'll just say that this series is a gem and everyone needs to read it.

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Land of No Mortals by N.R. Wick Review

 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15701158-land-of-no-mortals

From Goodreads.
Seventeen year old Rebecca Ashford and her younger sister Errol have finally found safe refuge at Crown Haven, a witch-led survivor colony. Rebecca should be thrilled by the secure place to live and the human contact after spending a year hiding in their family tornado bunker, but ever since her friend Fox left she’s been plagued by guilt strong enough to mess with her newfound witch powers.

When demons destroy Crown Haven, Rebecca uses her power to locate the only person who may know how to fight back. Instead, she discovers that Fox is in danger. She and Errol must rescue him and enlist his help in their quest to learn what caused the demon apocalypse and find a way to take back their world. As Rebecca struggles with her feelings for Fox and with controlling her power, she fights to stay alive and defy the demonic oppressors to protect the people she loves.

My Thoughts.
I won the complete series from Elle Caseys blog, so thanks so much to her and the author.
In this installment of N. R. Wicks Dark Ascension series it is about 6 months after Land Of No Angels and Fox has left after Rebecca finds it hard to deal with his revelations. Rebecca is tasked with finding the fourth High Witch and also to find Fox because they need his help. What follows is an adventure full of action. 
Land Of No Mortals starts with a bang!! We are thrust back into the world N R Wick created with people fighting for their lives. This book definitely has more action than the first. Errol is different after her near death in the last book, Rebecca has so much to learn and deal with and Fox is literally fighting for his life. We get to find out how The Ascension came about, there is more Demons in Land Of No Mortals and we meet Kit who is a complex character. Hope there's more of her in book 3. I loved LONM and highly recommend it. This series is getting better and better.

5*

Land of No Angels review

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11839276-land-of-no-angels

 
From Goodreads.
The Ascension marked a demon apocalypse that decimated the human race and forced survivors into hiding. Sixteen year old Rebecca Ashford and her younger sister, Errol, have spent the last year sequestered in their family's tornado bunker. When the sound of a screaming baby wakes them in the middle of the night, Errol attempts to save the infant and is poisoned by a demon. 

Now Rebecca must trust a mysterious tracker named Fox to take them to a survivor colony where they will learn how to save Errol's life. During the course of her quest, Rebecca gains the ability to use magic—specifically, the power to find lost or concealed items. Unless she can defeat frightening monsters and learn to use her power to locate the ingredients needed to cure her sister, Errol will die

My Thoughts.
I won a copy of this from Elle Casey's blog, so thanks so much to her and the author. 
In a world Where Demons have wiped out most of the population, 2 sisters struggle to survive. Rebecca and Errol have been scavenging and even eating Demons. Forced to live in a storm shelter and hide for the past year,they don't know if there's anyone else alive. On the night they hear a baby cry everything changes for them. Errol is attacked by a Demon, but saved from being killed by Fox. She is badly hurt and ends up getting poisoned from the claw marks.
Fox tells them the only way to save Errol is to go to the witches. On the way they meet Carter, who is handsome and charming. The witches tell them to save Errol they must locate 2 herbs and the blood of a specific Demon. What follows next is a roller coaster ride of action, adventure, loyalty, betrayal and maybe even the start of a romance.
I really enjoyed The Land Of No Angels. The world that's created in this book is dark and bleak. Rebecca and Errol are such likeable characters. Rebecca isn't totally kick ass but she can hold her own. She's frightened but not afraid to step up when needed. Not once during the book did I wish for it to be over and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. The only down side was I'd like a little more Demon activity other than that its a well written story and I can recommend to anyone who enjoys Post Apocalyptic books or anyone who loves Paranormal books.

4*