Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan

It seems the market continues to be saturated with paranormal fiction. I know that the demand is still very high but at times I feel like I am reading exact rewrites of already done stories. There are simply only so many ways to write stories or to alter myths. I applaud Trinity Faegan for her incredible originality with the book the Mephisto Covenant. It was truly an amazing read and extremely refreshing with the bad luck streak I have had lately in fiction. Here is the summary from Amazon:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over.  But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

I read this 400+ page book in the space of a few hours. It was a definite page turner and had a new mythology. Sasha is a great leading character. There is a certain peace about her. I wouldn’t say she is a stong leading character in the sense that she is take charge, however, she has strong beliefs and practices them. She is not constantly influenced by teenage politics and doesn’t instantly fall in love with the leading male.

Another plus in this book is the lack of a love triangle. I am over love triangles. So many books have had them lately and I just want to see a really great love story with some paranormal thrown in. I LOVED that this book fit that bill. The story between Sasha and Jax grows over time and isn’t split with anyone else in the book.

Lastly, the dialogue was extremely well done for a YA book. I have found myself very annoyed with the past few books that I have read (I haven’t reviewed them on here) because the dialogue is choppy or not how a teenager would speak. I thought this book was beautifully done.

Overall, I give this book a 5/5 and can’t wait to see what happens next! On a side note look at how beautiful this cover is!

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

The latest addition to the Soul Screamers world came out a few weeks ago and I had the pleasure of reading it on release day. It has however taken me awhile to figure out what to say about it since so much went on and ALL of it was spoilery. Here’s the description from Amazon:

The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

Anything.

My first reaction after reading this book was “huh?” followed by “what!?” then followed by “wow!?” This is in my opinion the best book in the series. So much happened in the book with all the characters it was as if your head was spinning. Furthermore, you never knew what was going to happen next.

I don’t want to give much away about the book but since this is in the summary on Amazon I will talk about it a little: the fact that Kaylee might be dying soon is cause for insanity as a reader. I could not stop reading because you have no idea what is going to happen with that plot. I think that some readers may have to “settle down” after realizing the plot of the book but it is by far one of the best that Rachel Vincent has written. I am anticipating mixed feelings about this book from reviewers because there is change. Any time there is change in a series some people shut down and stop liking the series. I am not one of those people.

If you are looking to read a really good book then this is the one for you. The writing and plot are amazing in this one and we really get to see some things from different perspectives. I give this one a 5/5 and if it was possible I would give it more since I was obsessive about finishing the book!

Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

This book was definitely worth the wait. I stayed up until midnight last night so that I could finish the book because I couldn’t put it down for a minute. So fair warning if you pick this book up it is liable to be one you can’t put down. Here’s the description from Amazon:

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket - a gifted inventor - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

I didn’t think it was possible to read a book better than Anna and the French Kiss but somehow Stephanie managed. It was extremely refreshing to see a “sophomore” book that exceeds the first book. The relationship between Lola and Cricket is even sweeter than the one that developed between Anna and Etienne in the first book. They have a lot more history that comes into the book together and you can’t help but push for them to be together.

I also loved that see a lot of glimpses of Anna and Etienne in this book. While I would love to read a whole series about them I recognize that it would not be a good thing. It’s like when chocolate cake sounds good despite being full. You eat it and then regret it. Thus, I think another book with solely Anna and Etienne would be much the same. I must say though it was nice to see them again in this book because I always wonder what characters would be doing later on after the bulk of their story is over.

This is such a great book that I don’t want to give anything in the storyline away. So I am going to leave out my own summary of the book. I give Lola and The Boy Next Door a 5/5. It is definitely one of my favorite books of 2011 and probably my absolute favorite YA romance of 2011. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this genre

Reminder!!

One of the best books I read last year was Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. It was one of the best books that I have read in a very long time. I even rank it above my closet Sarah Dessen obsession. I wanted to remind everyone out there that tomorrow her companion novel Lola and the Boy Next Door comes out!!!

This is the beautiful cover to the novel. While I tried really hard to get my hands on an arc of this book I was unable to. However, I did get a sneak peak of the first chapter on her Austrailian publisher's site and it looks to be just as promising as the first book. So take a chance tomorrow and check out Stephanie Perkins latest book. If you want to see my review of the first book click here. I will be staying up most of the night to finish If I Die so I can start this one tomm. Review of If I Die is coming up soon so stay tuned to the blog for Rachel Vincent's latest YA.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight is I believe the last installment in the series for Meghan, Puck and Ash. I have really enjoyed this series and had mixed feelings about it ending. Here’s the description from Goodreads:

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I want to first say how much I loved the other books in this series and that I had a lot of expectations for this book based on that. However, I found myself disappointed with this book. I struggled to make it through the text. I always loved the interaction between Meghan, Ash and Puck. However, for most of the book it is simply Ash and Puck on a quest to make Ash mortal. I think this is why I had so much trouble staying interested in the book. It wasn’t until about halfway through the book I was able to stay interested in the story line. While I found Ash’s quest to be very romantic and interesting for the first 30 or so pages it became a bit long.

With that said, I did like how the relationship between Puck and Ash evolves and seems to come to some sort of an understanding. I guess if Meghan was involved the story couldn’t have wound up where it needed to. 

I also liked seeing a fair amount of Grimalkin. He has really become quite an amusing character. However, I am still left wondering why he helped them so much over the course of the stories. Maybe I need to read the story again to puzzle through his true motives.

All in all I am a bit sad to see everything wrapped up in this story. I give this book a 3/5 because at the end there are many redeeming qualities that I can’t share without giving out spoilers. All I can say is stick through it and you won’t regret it if you have read the rest of the series. 

Indie Read of the Week: Gossamer by SL Naeole

I want to start by saying I loved the Grace series by SL Naeole. It is reason that I originally picked this book up. Its a good find for 2.99 on kindle. Here's the description from Amazon:

Sophia Blithe’s seemingly perfect life masks the scars of a past that’s left her cold and immune to emotion. She hides it well, and is content to live behind that mask for the rest of her life. A zoning change a few weeks before the start of her senior year changes all that when Sophia is forced to attend Gossamer High. It’s there she meets Dex Sterling, the boy whose eyes haunt her dreams. He’s carefree, handsome, cryptic, infuriating, and he knows more about her than he should. He makes Sophia question the feelings she has whenever she’s around him and worse, whenever she’s not. Then one fateful night, Sophia makes a decision that changes everything and, in the darkness that hides nothing, learns the dangerous truth about Gossamer, about Dex, and how he knows so much about her. Now she’s left to figure out what it is she wants and whatever her decision, it could end up costing her life.


To be completely honest I put reading this book off for a while because it didn't fully interest me in the synopsis. However, I know I love the author's writing style so I picked it up this weekend. I was glad that I did in the end. The plot and story is a bit unique. At first I wondered if there was a paranormal reason that Sophia didn't feel emotion. I had a hard time understanding that emotional wounds could cause the complete shut down that they did in her. However, as the synopsis describes it was the trauma she suffered. Not having been through anything like her it took a while for me to connect with that level of hurt and her lack of emotions. 


While I loved the story there were several times I wanted to kick or smack the main character. If you are easily annoyed with characters making continuous poor choices this is not the book for you. I came close to putting down the book at one point because of a sensitive issue that it tackled and Sophia's reaction. Thus, at times it was a hard read for me because I was so interested in the storyline but at time revolted by the behavior of Sophia. 


Dex is a great leading male. He definitely falls in the Edward category with the protective instincts, however, it is refreshing that he somewhat tamps down on his instincts and allows Sophia to make her own choices and gives her space. He is also "beautiful" and perfect in Sophia's eyes which also elevates him to the reader. 


The author has definitely set this up as a series and is currently working on the sequel. I must say that I enjoyed the storyline and premise of this book and will pick up the second one. However, I really hope that the lead character gets her act fully together because I don't know if I will pick up the third if she continues to be stubborn about poor choices. Overall I give this story a 3.5/5. 


**Parents be warned that I really don't think some of the issues in this book should be read by a younger YA audience. Additionally, I think dialogue with even older high school students on these issues is a good idea. It can serve as a great gateway to talk about issues that girls face**

9/11 and Meg Cabot

I know that I am a day late with this. However, I wasn't going to post anything about 9/11 as I feel like everyone has reflected on their experiences and mine aren't all that prolific. I was in a math class at LSU when the never used intercoms came on and it was announced that a plane hit the twin towers. The class was called early that day and all my other classes were cancelled as students gathered in front of the clock tower to hold vigil for those in New York and Washington. My dad called and his plant went on lockdown because they are the largest oil refinery in the US and a prime target for terrorism. I remember watching as the towers came down from the bank that I worked at and feeling very overwhelmed by the emotions I was feeling. I had friends from high school going to college and working in New York and I couldn't reach any of them. It will definitely be a day that I will never forget and I continue to keep those that lost loved ones in my prayers. I am also honored for the police, firemen, EMTs, etc that gave their lives trying to save others. The experience of 9/11 showed me what the verse "One nation under God, indivisible.." meant. Our nation came together to love and support all those that had lost loved ones and I was and still am humbled to have witnessed such an outpouring of love and compassion.

 I sometimes wonder how I am going to explain this to my son when he is older. He is only 6 and doesn't really understand yet. I came across a beautifully eloquent and emotional blog by Meg Cabot. I strongly encourage people to read this blog here. I don't think anyone could read it without crying but it was a great way to relate the events of 9/11. I think that maybe in a few more years it might would be a starting point for telling my son what happened on 9/11.