Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight was one of my amazon recommendations for awhile and I just finally decided to give it a try. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon

“Descended from dragons, the draki's ability to appear human protects them from hunters. Jacinda lives with her pride in the Cascades, but she chafes under her special status as the only fire-breather in hundreds of years. Recklessly breaking the “no-fly” rule, she attracts hunters; mercifully, one hunter, a beautiful boy who looks upon her with wonder, lets her escape. After this, the pride intends to hobble her rebelliousness, and Jacinda is forced to flee. But while twin sister Tamra, who never manifested and was shunned, is happy with the move, Jacinda feels only anguish within Nevada's desert climate. Then she meets Will and, despite recognizing him as the same draki hunter, feels herself come alive. Jordan's compelling addition to the supernatural star-crossed lovers theme is equal parts taut suspense and sensuous romance, with visceral writing and believable relationships among characters, particularly among Jacinda's family. A foreshadowed twist and a thrilling confrontation in the end pages leave Jacinda heartbroken and in trouble, and readers will howl for more.”

It took a little while for me to get invested in Firelight. For YA readers the action sequence didn’t do a great job of drawing me in the beginning. However, as I got further in the book I became intrigued at the family dynamics of Jacinda and her family.

I didn’t really care much for her mother in the book. As a mother myself you can’t make choices for your children. I did respect the way that Jacinda tried to keep her identity despite the fact that her family wanted her to be different. I think most readers can identify with having done something that your family didn’t agree with at one time or another.

The magnetism between Will and Jacinda is getting a little old in this genre. I wish there would have been a little more to their relationship. They really don’t spend time getting to know one another before deciding they are practically in love with each other. This over romanticized view of love is the main negative for me in this book. In the most publicized magnetic relationship at least Edward knows Bella’s full name and details about her. After the initial magnetism I would have liked to see them make an effort to get to know one another.

I did find the idea of draki interesting. I have not read a shifter book about dragons. I wish there was a bit more description of what they look like because I didn’t really feel like I could quite visualize them. I am a very visual person when it comes to reading and I like to be able to  imagine what is going on.

Overall, Firelight was a light quick read. It does have a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the story that will lead the reader what happens next. I did try to find a sequel release date because I was quite curious about the ending but was unable to find one. I give the book a 3.5/5. While there were some negative detractors I think the base story was interesting and has a lot of potential for development.

Blog Hop and Follow Friday

Its time for the Blog Hop and Follow My Blog Friday...



This weeks question is:

"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"

I guess I would love a library with built in bookshelves. I have so many books and having bookshelves everywhere is a pain. Every time I read about a character with a "library" in their house I am jealous!

And its Follow Friday at Parajunkees

 And this weeks question is:

If you have, or would have a daughter, what book would you want your daughter to read?

Well since my daughter is named after a character in the Looking Glass Wars serious I would say that particular series is important. Her middle name is Alyssin after Alyss in the series.



Have a great Weekend!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating!

This Wednesday I am eagerly awaiting the release of Hexbound by Chloe Neill. Hexbound releases on January 4, 2011. Hexbound is the second book in Neill's Dark Elite series. Here's the synopsis:

"Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia's School for Girls, but she's already learned that magic can be your best friend-or your worst enemy. That's why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities while fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago's nastiest nightlife-including the tainted magic users known as Reapers..."

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

There has been a lot of buzz in the book blog world about Nightshade so I decided to check it out for myself. Here is the summary from Amazon.com

“Werewolves Ren and Calla—the young alpha male and female of two carefully controlled packs—are constantly sparring yet clearly attracted to each other. The plans for their impending union, designed to create a new pack, are upset by the arrival of Shay, a human man, and Calla risks her own safety and the future of her new pack by falling both in love and lust with him.”

I’m afraid that Nightshade didn’t live up to a lot of the hype for me. I did find it to be a great read in the beginning. However, I became frustrated with the virginal stereotypes and the place of women in this world. I realize that it is all about Calla finding her way and breaking free but it became difficult for me personally to swallow in the mean time. I had to walk away from the book at times because I would get so mad at something she had allowed or had decided to accept.

With that said I still enjoyed about ¾ of the book. When I got to the end it did leave me wondering where the rest of the story was….. I felt like things ended all of the sudden with little to no resolution. I would have liked a bit more of a resolution than what happened. I understand the need for a cliffhanger I just would have liked to see at least one or two of the loose ends tied up.

With that said, I do admire the strength that Calla is given in the writing and I did enjoy the style the writing was done with. I feel that the details really allowed me to see and hear what was going on in the story. The attention given to the way in which words were spoken in the story really brought the reader into the world of Nightshade.

I also really admired Shay’s character. He questions the way things are but not in an overtly rebellious way. Shay wants to make educated decisions and is able to quote philosophers and support his beliefs. He doesn’t take things at face value and I found that to be admirable in him.

Overall I give Nightshade a 3/5. It was well written and had a really good story. However, there were several things that I personally struggled with getting past while reading this story.

Savy Bloggers needed

I want to create an archive page where I archive my books I have reviewed by title. For some reason I am also a bit behind on the blogging stuff and don't know how to link the page with the review to the title. In other words how do I make it so that when the mouse hovers over the book title it will bring the reader to the book review??

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Unearthly is a beautiful story about self-discovery and destiny. The big question is do we make our own destiny or is our destiny already set for us?

Clara is an angel-blood. She is ¼ angel and has a purpose she must fulfill. She is told her purpose is the sole reason that she is on this earth. She begins to have visions about what her purpose is and her family uproots itself to move to Wyoming in order to fulfill her purpose. She knows her purpose involves Christian Prescott. However, things are a little vague in her visions. She isn’t sure if she is supposed to just save him or if they are destined to be together. To add to her burdens Tucker Avery comes into her life and complicates her feelings.

Unearthly is the first part angel story that I have read and I found that I really liked it. I felt like there was a lot of background that was put to what an angel-blood is and what they can do. This is part of what initially drew me into the story.

I loved the message that I got out of this story: to question whether your destiny is yours to make or whether you are a puppet in something already determined. I admire Clara for her strength and her decisions in the book. She has to endure a lot to get close to fulfilling her purpose and yet she never backs down. She is made fun of at school and leaves a place where she is popular to be a nobody. This brings her down to the reader’s level so they can relate to her. She is a divine being but at the same time we see how human she is.

The relationship between Tucker and Clara evolves beautifully. It is extremely realistic and the things that make them fall in love are the small moments that touch us all. I really liked the fact that there wasn’t a strange sort of magnetism between them that drew them together. It was just a natural evolution and progression. I think this also make the reader relate to the book.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. I got to the last page and thought “…..” I think Cynthia Hand did an incredible job on the first book in what I believe will be a series. I have been googling a bit on the internet to confirm this suspicion and haven’t found much to corroborate the idea. I will edit this post when I find out myself because I am very excited to see what else Cynthia publishes in the future.

I give Unearthly a perfect 5/5. It was the perfect length and the story is so beautifully written. Unearthly comes out January 4, 2011 according to Amazon. Follow the link below to pre-order it today.

Angelfire by Courtney Moulton

Angelfire gets the award for my favorite read of October. Here is the description from Amazon

“First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.


Then come the memories.


When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.


Now she must hunt.


Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.”

There are several things that made this my favorite read. The strong character development is first. Ellie has a strong sense of identity that is transferred to the reader. You know exactly who she is and how she will react. This doesn’t make her predictable it makes you feel like you know her.

The premise of this story was refreshing. At times it seems like ideas are being recycled in literature. However, I have never read an angel book with this premise. Thus, I admire the author for bringing something new to the genre.

Once again I am always a fan of a strong female lead character. In this book the female is the strong independent character although Will is by no means weak, he takes the on a less stereotypical role in their relationship. Ellie is the one in charge and Will puts her there.
The book has a HUGE twist to it that I never even had an inkling of. I always give big points for surprising me in a book or movie. I was the annoying person that figured out everyone was dead in the Sixth Sense. For some reason I can usually pick up on small details the author puts in the books.

Lastly, I loved this book because it is addicting and it is fairly long. I felt like I had to finish it but the book was more than 2 or 3 hours of straight reading. I really appreciated a little extra length because I feel like I am more invested in the story. I can’t wait until the next book comes out.

I give Angelfire a 5/5. Please follow the link below and Pre-order your copy. You will not regret it! Angelfire is scheduled to be released February 15, 2011.

Follow Friday

This is follow Friday hosted by ParaJunkie at http://www.parajunkee.com/.

I am currently reading Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.

Book Blogger Hop

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!



This week's question comes from Becky who blogs at Becky's Barmy Book Blog:

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

A: My favorite place to read is anywhere by myself :) Life with kids makes you adapt!

Afterlife by Claudia Gray **Spoilers**

Afterlife continues Bianca and Lucas’ story. Lucas has become a Vampire and Bianca is a wraith. During the story Lucas struggles with the fact that he has become a vampire and Bianca is learning to deal with what being a wraith means. In order to help Lucas get control of his bloodlust they go back to Evernight and claim sanctuary for Lucas. Mrs. Bethany accepts him and gives him sanctuary. Although, Evernight has now set traps for the wraiths, or Mrs. Bethany has set traps to be more specific. Throughout the story Bianca and Lucas try to discover why the traps have been set and why.

I almost didn’t read this book because I didn’t really care for Hourglass. However, I am really glad that I did. I think this is the best book in the series and it had a lot more going on than in the previous books. There are more characters that are explored and relationships that show different qualities in the main characters.

I loved the way this book showed Lucas. He no longer is the knight in shinning armor for Bianca. He is vulnerable and lost as a vampire. He is forced to look into himself and redefine who he is. It was not the stereotypical male role. If anything, Bianca is Lucas’ knight in shinning armor as she loves him through his transition and unconditionally. She is the one that is there for him through everything and she is the one that keeps his emotions in check. It was a very refreshing role reversal. Bianca also becomes more assertive with herself and finds a purpose for her existence.

The ending really wrapped up all of the loose ends in the story but another book could easily be created. Thus, I'm really not sure if this is intended to be the last book in the series or if there will be more. The ending is something no one saw coming and was amazing. I give Afterlife a 5/5. Afterlife comes out in March 2011.

Wondering...

I'm wondering if anyone has read A Clockwork Angel and has an opinion to share? I love the Mortal Instruments books but I wasn't really drawn in by the synopsis of the book or the excerpt on the web.. Has anyone read it and can let me know if it is worth it to buy it or should I just wait until my library gets it or is it worth picking up? I am always apprehensive about getting invested in a series with only one book out.. Especially since right now I have a backlog of books to review for NetGalley...

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

I have been busy reading several galleys on Netgalley and haven't had much of a chance to update my blog. My son also got into a performing arts academy so we are trying to juggle that with all of his swimming responsibilities! Being a mom can be crazy at times. Anyway I finished this galley a few days ago and just got around to writing up my thoughts on the book.


Once in a Full Moon is an interesting story about love and accidents. Celeste is dating Nash, the school star athlete and one of the most popular guys. However, Celeste never really feels that she belongs with him. Their relationship is strained because Celeste holds back and does not share the same prejudiced feelings as the rest of the town about which side they live on. Then one day a new kid comes to school and she is captivated by him. Not only does he catch her attention in school but he saves her from a pack of wolves during a snowstorm. This leads to a Romeo and Juliet story with a paranormal twist.

I found this book was an interesting light read. It is easy to read and does a fairly good job of holding your interest. Celeste has a lot of compassion for those in her community and that makes the reader take an interest in her. However, her friends strike me as vapid and shallow which naturally pits the reader against them. It’s not that they are bad people it is just they are the typical popular girls in school.

I found the relationship between Celeste and Brandon to be a little rushed. I just personally don’t agree with the magnetic relationships in this genre. I like there to be a period of the characters getting to know one another.
The conflict in the story is mostly between Nash trying to get Celeste back and the prejudices of the community. I think there are some good lessons about prejudice in this book and in recent light of the bullying situation in schools most students will identify with being disliked and judged because of something like where they are from.

Overall I give the book a 3.5/5. It is not one of my favorites that I have read in this genre but it is by far not one that I dislike. I just feel that the plot is a little simplistic for me.

Once in a full moon comes out 12/28/2010 and can be pre-ordered through the link below on amazon.com

Alpha by Rachel Vincent

*Sigh* I just finished the last book in the werecat shifter series by Rachel Vincent. I have laughed, cried and yelled at the final book. It is by far the best book in the series although it is the hardest to read. I love the person that Faythe has become by the last book and will really miss the characters in this series. If you haven't picked up this series yet get it from Amazon. It is NOT a YA series but it is one of the best adult paranormal series that I have read. Excellent job Rachel! I look forward to seeing what new ideas you come up with!