Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwaters-Rhodes

Series: The Maeve’ra Trilogy (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Paranormal/Fantasy

Subjects: shape-shifters, vampire, witches, magic, supernatural

Setting: A secret vampire run city called Midnight

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Vance Ehecatl

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 280 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Random House: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “A gripping tale about loyalty, power, and the quest for freedom

Vance Ehecatl was raised with every luxury he could imagine in a beautiful greenhouse within the powerful empire of Midnight. Vampires are the only guardians Vance has ever known since he was abandoned by his shapeshifter family as a baby quetzal, and he is grateful to them for generously providing for all of his needs. When an act of violence forces Vance from his sheltered home, he is startled to meet Malachi Obsidian, a fellow shapeshifter with conflicting ideas about Midnight and its leader, Mistress Jeshickah.

Malachi claims Vance is a bloodwitch, who Jeshickah and her trainers, Jaguar and Taro, are trying to control. Vance doesn't know anything about the rare and destructive magic Malachi says he possesses, and he can't believe Jeshickah would use it to hurt others. But when his friends begin falling ill, Vance starts to realize his perfect world may not be as flawless as it seems. Now Vance must decide who to trust-the vampires he's always relied upon, or the shapeshifters who despise them.”

My Review:  Bloodwitch is the first book in a spin-off trilogy to both the Den of Shadows and Kiesha’ra series. The main character, Vance, is a 14-year-old shape-shifter who turns into a quetzal. If you don’t know what a quetzal is, it’s a type of bird found in Mexico. It’s like a bird of paradise. It’s green and red and white. It has long tail feathers, also called plumes. Such an adorable bird. Not your typical shape-shifter.

Vance has been living in Midnight, in Lady Brina’s green house. He’s live a shelted life and doesn’t know about the outside world. When he finally tries to escape, he meets a half-falcon, half serpent man that tries to help him. Vance actually want to go back to the world he knew with Lady Brina, but he and Malachi go to the market in Midnight proper and meet other shifters. Vance discovers he’s also a bloodwitch, which means he can use magic through blood sacrifice.

My favorite thing about this book was getting to see more of the shifters that were in the Kiesha’ra series. That whole series was about bird shifters (Hawks, falcons and other birds) and snake shifters, and wyverns and a wolf shifter. I love the world building and mythology that has been built up. I love birds, so I really liked that the main character was a bird shifter. I have four parakeets. I try to imagine what they’d be like if they had a human form too.

We also have vampires and witches that were in the Den of Shadows series. Lady Brina and Jeshickah and Jaguar were all first introduced in Midnight Predator. This book is a prequel to the Den of Shadow, set in the old city of Midnight in the early 1800s. It reads like a fantasy. It feels almost like middle grade, maybe because Vance is only 14 and so naive and innocent.

Sometimes the book got a little wordy and boring, or confused. I mostly enjoyed it because it was readable and I liked the characters and the world building. The book was pretty short, and not much really happen. I know this is a trilogy and don’t know if we’ll see Vance as the narrator again. If you read and enjoyed anything by this author, then read Bloodwitch. If you never read anything by Amelia, then give it a try. He series is similar to Cynthia Leith Smith’s Tantalize and Eternal, or Feral Nights, or L.J. Smith’s Night World series. There’s a lot of reoccurring characters and the books usually read as stand-alones or companion novels.

Cover Art Review: I like the quetzal feather and the leaves. The trees make the cover too busy. I wish the cover was more simple. The title type is really great too.

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: July 1^st, 2014

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (bk. 4) or a Standalone Spin Off/Companion

Genera(s): Contemporary/Paranormal Romance

Subjects: werewolves, musicians, reality shows, fame, love

Setting: Los Angeles, California, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and the greater L.A. area

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV past tense, rotating between Cole and Isabel 

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 357 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Scholastic

Summary/ product description: “A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?”

My Review:  Sinner is a fun, exciting companion/spin-off to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It rotates between Cole and Isabel POVs and is set in L.A. A far cry from Minnesota where the previous books took place. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, but it was nothing like I expected. I loved it, but was slightly disappointed because it was so different from Shiver, Linger and Forever. This book still deserves 5 stars. I love the characters so much and it’s great that Isabel and Cole get their own book about only their relationship.

Cole seems as sunny and exciting as his new L.A. home. He’s always saying and doing the craziest things. Befriending his driver, Leon. Firing the guitarist and bassist that Baby hired for him. Using phrases that normal people wouldn’t use in conversation. Cole’s great at improvising and acting. He can also come up with lyrics out of pretty much anything. Cole is so different from Sam in Shiver. He craves attention and the crowd. I love his narration. He’s like the most interesting guy in the world. He’s got charisma, humor, hotness and depth.

Isabel is very angry and doesn’t seem to care about anything. She’s logical and icy. She wants to be a doctor. She’s working at a clothing store, and taking a CNA class. She’s living with her mom, Aunt Lauren and cousin Sofia, who loves to cook for others. She misses Cole, and Cole surprises her at work with his presence. Isabel’s life has been pretty complicated too. Her brother was a werewolf and he was killed back in Minnesota. Her parents are breaking up. He cousin keeps trying to do stuff for her, but Isabel yells at her. Cole and Isabel try to do stuff together, but sometimes the cameras get in the way and they have to find private places, like the bathroom, to talk.

Sinner is less focus of the werewolf stuff and more focused on Cole’s return to fame and him relationship with Isabel. The story is about Cole dealing with being famous again and making an album. This book has barely any paranormal stuff. Shifting is more like Cole’s addiction since he doesn’t do drugs or drink anymore. Cole become part of a web reality show ran by a lady named Baby who loves to ruin the lives of her subjects. She wants him to look like a mess for good TV. Cole’s running around, doing the crazy thing she suggests. Things that rock stars are supposed to do, and things that someone like Cole St. Clare would do.

Sinner is nothing like you’d expect it to, and everything you never knew you’d want. If this was a contemporary book in which the shapeshifting was replaced with drug using, I still would love the book because it’s written that well. Fame games and fans. Rockstars, music, and all kinds of crazy. I recommend it to fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s other books. Also if you liked Audrey, Wait by Robin Benson, which is a contemporary book about a rockstar and his girlfriend (From Audrey’s perspective), thing book has some similar appeal.

Cover Art Review: I like this vector color with the gradients and silhouette of Cole, a wolf and palm trees and buildings. Goes with the other covers, yet is different.