Death and the Girl He Loves by Darynda Jones

Series: Darklight Trilogy (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: supernatural, prophecies, prophets, visions, premonitions, angels, demons, nephilim, New Mexico, love

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 255 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: MacMillan: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary/ product description: “The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. Unfortunately for her, that is exactly where the world’s fate has decided to take up residence. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. And those horrors are getting her friends killed. Because of this, she agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. A boarding school. But even here she is being watched. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. And on top of that she’s seeing visions. This is nothing new for Lorelei. But these visions are something more: death, destruction, and the end of the world. Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Lucky for her, her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil.”

My Review: I didn’t realize that this was the last book in the series when I started reading it. I was hoping for more than three books, but this turned out to be an interesting conclusion. This turned out way differently than I expected. The ending was happy, and kind of epic.

I love this series so much. The covers are so unfitting for the book that’s inside. This has been fun and entertaining and full of romance. I love all the characters, both the main and side characters. Their personalities are so flushed out and they are developed so well that I feel like they’re real people. Lorelei and Brooklynn have the best friendship ever (I think it’s called a femship or womance). Jared is hot and the Angel of Death, and an interesting love interest. I like Glitch (aka Casey). He’s also a funny friend who has an odd fear of turtles (which I funny, near the end of the book when we find out why). Cameron is a nephilim and I’m pretty sure that he and Brooklyn like each other. The new character, Kenya, is also pretty funny. She acts so tough.

Anyways, the beginning of the book starts out at a boarding school in Maine. Lorelei’s been there for a few week, hiding out, going by Lorraine. She’s already made friends with a girl named Crystal and is being picked on by Kenya. Some guy threatens and attacks Lorelei and she decides to go back home to New Mexico. Thing are getting crazy there as the end of the world approaches. Lorelei, her friends and family come up with ideas on how to stop the word from ending. Lorelei’s ability to see into photos develops more. She’s basically seeing into the past, but it more like astral time-travel.

There’s a huge twist in the story in the last 80 pages or so. This may be a spoiler, but it’s funny when Lorelei thinks she’s in heaven and it’s crazy what actually happened. I think the ending did drag on a bit. I liked it, but I thought it was going in a different direction. I was expecting an epic battle, but what happened was even crazier than that. I was hoping things would go back to the way they were because I didn’t like this change, but everything worked out.

I’m kind of sad that it’s over now. So many other book series are four or five books, and thing trilogy was made up of pretty short book. The stories are so fast paced that you could probably read all three books in under a week. I read this book in less than 2 days and I feel like it went way to quick. I loved every second of it. I recommend this series to fans of Hush, Hush, Fallen, The Winter Haven series, and any other YA paranormal romance series. It’s truly a must read and is very under the radar.

Cover Art Review: Why are the covers so boring! School photos suck. I want to see New Mexico, angels and supernatural stuff. This looks too contemporary.

Never by K.D. McEntire

Series: Lightbringer (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Subjects: reapers, ghosts, supernatural, California, San Francisco

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 310 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Prometheus: PYR

Summary/ product description: “The Lightbringer trilogy's dramatic conclusion!

The Never is on the brink of destruction by the Lady Walker. Wendy, shorn of her Light by the Reapers, must be the one to save it from the beasts between the worlds. Now no more powerful than an average spirit, Wendy reluctantly strikes a balance between Elise, the new Reaper matriarch, and Jane, a Reaper gone rogue. Torn between her duty to her friends, the Riders, and her duty as the Lightbringer, Wendy must rush to learn the secrets left behind.

She must make the ultimate sacrifice to bring the worlds into balance once more... even if it costs her very soul.”

My Review: I was a bit disappointed with how this series ended. I ended up skimming parts of this book, mainly due to the typography. The text was pretty small. But also the book’s written in 3^rd person, and we don’t really get much inner dialog. I think it’s 3^rd person limited, but it’s not really clear. I’m not sure what to say about this book now that it’s over, but I don’t want to put it down completely. I gave it three stars for a reason. There a few things I really enjoyed.

The things that I did enjoy about this book were the humorous dialogue and the mythology behind reapers. I love how the characters talk to each other. I also loved how we found out about Piotr’s past. There’s a mention of Valkyries! I love Norse mythology. I love stories with reapers and ghosts too, but mythology is even better.

Wendy is also really tough and I liked how her brother and sister got to take part in the story because Wendy didn’t have her body, which was in a coma. There were a few interesting thing I realized about this series. The main character’s name is Wendy, and the love interest is Piotr, which is Peter. And the Never is where the ghost are. I drew a very interesting conclusion (mostly because of watching season 3 of Once Upon a Time). This is kind of a retelling of Peter Pan in a way. Wendy Darling was in Peter Pan. The Never could be like Neverland. The author must have name her character because of her love of the Peter Pan story.

I also liked the setting. San Francisco sounds like a cool city. I read many books and watch many shows set there. I like how part of the story was at the Winchester Mystery House. I remember the episode of Ghost Adventures when they had a lock down there. It’s a really cool and strange building with a crazy maze of rooms.

I recommend this book to fans of Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, the Soul Screamer series by Rachel Vincent, the Die For Me series by Amy Plum and Vampire Academy.

Cover Art Review: I love the cover illustration, but I don’t like where the title is. It’s hard to read and not very visible. Too close to the author’s name and not large enough. 

With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Series: Soul Screamer (bk. 7)

Genera: Paranormal

Subjects: Supernatural, banshees, reapers, death, afterlife, souls, love,

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 377 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Summary/ product description: “What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...
After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.
But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has....

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: How do you review the final book in a series? All I can say is that this is an awesome, action-packed, and well-written finale. It’s unbelievable that this series is over. Seven books. I love this series so much and I’ll miss all the characters, especially Tod. I still have to read the novellas and short stories, but the books are done. Unless the author decides to write a spinoff series in which the main character is a different paraonormal being, maybe a female Reaper, or Siren, or maybe an incubus. This was the longest book in the series and had so much packed into it. It took me a week to read because I was savoring it. This isn’t the type of book you want to read in one sitting. I wanted to drag it out slowly because one’s it’s done, it’s done and it’s not like you can re-read it and still be surprised what happens. The ending was happy, but I was surprised by it. I wasn’t sure how thing would turn out after what Kaylee did, but they turned out good.

So, here’s what I can say without being spoilery. At the end of the previous book, Kaylee put Emma’s soul into Lydia’s body. Poor Emma! To see her own funeral, and to feel others emotions because Lydia was a Syphon, that really sucks. But it did make for an interesting conflict. There were a lot of side-conflicts in this book. The main one it Avari trying to get Kaylee to surrender her soul, but there’s others. Like Emma’s sister being pregnant with an incubus. Kaylee meets the hellion of wrath, and help her for a taste of her anger. Lots of crazy stuff, and it makes the story interesting.

And the swoony romance of Kaylee and Tod. Tod is the most hilarious fictional boyfriend ever. He’s a reaper and he have a great sense of humor. He acts like he’s narcissistic, and has a big ego, but that’s all humor. He love Kaylee more than anything, and that matter more than anything. I loved what he said about Hellions not being proper villains. That’s on page 293-294. And there’s a part when he says that he hopes Nash has those grandkids and old man gut someday, wishing him a life of good sex and food. Funniest thing ever. And he says some very swoon worthy things too. I want Tod so bad! Despite him having a name like Tod, he sound awesome. Tod and Kaylee should have been together since book 2, not just the middle of book 5.

So how does everyone else feel about the ending? I looked at the other reviews. So many great series ending this year. It does feel like torture. But it’s still better that being tortured in the Netherworld. Tortured by finale books? I’ll take that kind any day over hellions.

Cover Art Review: Such a pretty golden dress. Wish there was something more paranormal looking, but I love the title typeface.

 

~Haley G

Death, Doom and Detention by Darynda Jones

Series: Darklight (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Angels, visions, prophets, psychic ability, nephilim, supernatural, New Mexico

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 296 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Macmillan: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary/ product description: “The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.
It went out with a bang.
Goodbye normal.
Hello dark and eerie.
While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: I love this series. It was so under the radar and had deceptive looking covers. This sequel is just as good as the first book. I love the characters so much. As I said in my review of Death and the Girl Next Door, I love the dialogue and relationships between the characters. Lorelei, Brooke and Glitch have the most hilarious, sarcasm filled conversations ever. Banter and teasing and all kinds of fun. I wish I had friends like them. They’re so loyal and amazing. And Lorelei’s inner monologue is funny too. 

Jared reminds me a lot of Patch from Hush, Hush. He’s also an archangel, not really fallen, but just the angel of Death, Azrial here on Earth.  He’s dark and protective, but mostly good. He turns bad for a little while in the book, but thankfully doesn’t stay that way. He’s very hot too. Cameron, who like Brooke, and is not in a love triangle with Lorelei and Jared, but rather in one with Brooke and Glitch, is also a great character. He’s another really hot, tall guy who just so happens to be a nephilim. It you read the 1^st book, you know all this, but I really just want to say how much I like them both. Brooklyn is the best friend. She’s half African American, half Caucasian. She says the funniest stuff. She made this book awesome. Glitch is a bit nerdy and hates Cameron. Lots of high school drama in this series. Lots of great characters you can really care about. There’re deep and not at all boring. Never a dull moment.

This book’s plot is based around the arrival of nephilim descendants that are out to kill Lorelei before she can fulfill the prophecy as the last prophet of Arabeth. Students start acting really violent after they show up. Lots of crazy stuff starts happening to students and Lorelei. And to Jared. Lorelei also learns a new depth to her visions. A new way to see thing. I agree with Brooke. Her new power is very cool.

This series is not at all cliché. I mean, beside the high school drama stuff, it’s very unique and I hope the uniqueness continues. I love angel books so much. And this one’s in New Mexico! I recommend this series to those who enjoyed any of the following Angel-related series: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Hush, Hush by Becca FitzPatrick, Fallen by Lauren Kate, Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, A beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies.

Also other series that this book has similarities too: Vampire Diaries (Jared reminds me of Damon.), House of Night (Because the friendship, and school stuff).

Cover Art Review: I hate these covers so much!!! So boring. These books need good covers with a hot angel of death on them. And that red head is the same girl on the cover of A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young.

 

~Haley G

Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Series: Angelfire (bk. 3)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Angels, reapers, supernatural, magic, reincarnation, Michigan

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 469 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegen

Summary/ product description: “Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .
Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:
She must fight for Will.
The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.
She must fight for humanity.
As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.
And Ellie must save herself.
Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.
In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: What a crazy action packed adventure this final book has been. It felt so epic even if it was shorter that the first two books. There’s a lot of traveling within the states and to places on the other side of the globe. A lot happens. It’s exactly what you want in a series conclusion. There were parts that made me laugh, or cry or root for the characters. There were surprises, either wonderful or terrifying. There was romance and friendship. After such a wonderful series, I wonder what Courtney will come up with next. I was hoping for a spin-off series, but a new series would be okay too.

At the beginning, Will’s hurt. I was missing Will badly, but Cadan was just so kind and wonderful. For a mostly demonic reaper, he’s a trustworthy friend. He has a good heart and that’s what matters. I don’t think I could pick a team, because Ellie and Will are clearly together. Love triangle over. You can let me have Cadan now! Not that this is a spoiler, but of course Will doesn’t die. I just can’t tell you how she saves him. Cadan actually helps her save him. I love Will still, because he’s so hot (well, the illustration of him on my Angelfire book mark is). I want an angel(ic reaper) boyfriend! (Demonic only if it’s Cadan). Will loves Ellie so much. I remember in Wings of the Wicked how he said he liked carrots, but he knows that Ellie love Coldstone anything. He knows her so well, and worries about her because he’s her Guardian.

Other characters that I like: Marcus. He is so funny. Him and Kate (Ellie best human friend) are still dating. They’re perfect for each other. I’m still sad that Nathaniel is gone. He was one of my favorite. He was bookish and smart and kind of like a young looking uncle to Will, and a good friend.

I also love some of the new characters we meet. Ethan Stone is really hilarious. He’s a real smart-arse. There’s this part towards the end when he’s plays AC/DC in a church. You’ll see. I was LMAO when I read it. I must have underlined almost everything he said because he was that funny.

I underlined quotes and metallic forest-green gel pen. A new gel pen. The ink’s pretty much almost gone because I underlined so much. So many funny or beautifully written sentences, phrases and dialogue.

I loved all the traveling in this book. I wonder if Courtney’s actually been to all these places or if its research or people she knows have been there. I loved the descriptions. I pictured them even without photo reference. I still wish I looked them up. Oh well, I like to use my imagination.

I was so sad and worried toward the end. I didn’t want Ellie to loose herself. Her Gabriel self is just so different because angels aren’t supposed to feel emotions. They’re like killer robots in that way. “Must obey orders. Must destroy…destroy…” (lol…not exactly like that).

There’s a surprise ending in the epilogue, so don’t sweat it. I was hoping for more, but it made me stop crying. It’s kind of bittersweet that way.

Cover Art Review: Not as good as the first 2 book’s covers. I don’t like the top the model’s wearing. The background is more natural this time, but there’s still stone. I wish the title was a different color. They could have done a lot better. It’s still semi-metallic with a gloss finish. There’s a green metallic embossment of the title on the inside cover.

 

~Haley G

 THE END IS HERE for the ANGELFIRE series!

http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-end-is-here-for-angelfire/

 

Read the first two books in the series if you haven't already!

Undeadly by Michele Vail

Series: The Reaper Diaries (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance (set in a semi-dystopian/alternate hist. world)

Subjects: Supernatural, necromancer, reapers, mythology, Egyptian mythology, Anubis, gods, magic, boarding schools, zombies, ghosts

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 267 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Summary/ product description: “The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.
Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....”

My Rating: êêê

My Review: This book was different than I expected. There was not much Romance as I wanted. I really liked Rath. Rick reminded me too much of Heath from House of Night. A lot of other people agree that this book is similar the House of Night series. I feel like this book dragged out the beginning too much. I would have rather had more boarding school stuff. There were a lot of clichés, but out of all the clichés left out, why no love triangle? There was no depth to the story.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it for the most part. I think the world building is interesting. An alternate history of Necromancer and Zombies being known to everyone. All the different hekas and parts of the soul. It was very interesting. It reminded me of the Shade series and House of Night series put together, except with Egyptian stuff. I liked Molly’s voice, even with the outdated slang. The book could just use some tweets. I could have been better if it was about 100 pages longer, with a steamy romance. Seriously, more Rath. My favorite Reaper is Todd from the Soul Screamers series. The hot reaper really needs to be played up more. I just felt like some stuff was rushed/forced. It needs more build up. This is the first book in a series, so I’m sure book 2 will be better. There is a cliff hanger at the end.

Cover Art Review: The cover is kind of generic for paranormal romance. I do like the lace, though. I’m pretty sure I could have made a better cover than this one.

 

~Haley G

Death and The Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Series: Darklight (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: High school, angels, psychic ability, stalkers, supernatural, orphans, New Mexico

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 274 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: MacMillan: St. Martin’s Griffin Press

Summary/ product description: “Darynda Jones, author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right, brings us Death and the Girl Next Door, a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors
Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on.
High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity. What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.”

My Rating: êêêêê

My Review: Based off the cover, you’d never guess how awesome this book is. It doesn’t look paranormal, but it totally is. It’s one of the best paranormal romances I’ve read recently. I a big fan of angel book, and this was a really good one despite the lack of flying. It was full of surprises and great, funny characters.

I really liked all five of the main characters (Lorelei, Brooklyn, Glitch, Cameron, and Jared). They made a great team, despite the fighting between Cameron and Jared in the beginning. If you love the Hush, Hush series, the Fallen series, or basically any high school paranormal romance series, this series is not to be missed! I also like the setting. New Mexico is a great backdrop (Like Wyoming was in Unearthly).

This book was fun, full of the most hilarious conversations and dialogue I’ve ever read. Lorelei, Brooklyn and Glitch banter a lot. I really wish I owned a copy of this book because of all those quotes I would have underlined. I felt like I was part of the conversation. The characters are just so realistic. And Jared, he’s just so hot, but I think I might like Cam more personality wise. He’s funnier.

Stalking is only really part of the beginning. The main story is Lorelei’s discoveries about her purpose and past. But we also find out about her friends too. I really excited for Death, Doom and Detention. This series really need to be promoted more. I was so glad that I found out about this because I love angel books.

Cover Art Review: Boring cover. Does not look paranormal. Looks too much like a contemporary book. I would have never picked this up based off the cover.

 

~Haley G