The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Rochelle Mead: Review

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
Rochelle Mead
Published June 12th 2012 by Razorbill
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

What can I say? Rochelle Mead knows how to write a series! Of course I am sure the whole reading world knows this already, but just in case you have been living under a rock, I thought I would say it. Lol

Sydney is trying to balance school and keep up her family facade in addition to keeping Jill safe, and well hidden. Not to mention there is a new villain in town. To top that off she is also trying to have a relationship with a real boy. Need less to say it isn't all working out so great. When things take a turn for the worse will Sydney be able to solve the problem? Or has she finally met her match?

I'm coming to love Sydney even more in this book. I feel like I am finally getting a look behind her perfect exterior for once. She isn't having an easy time with everything going on around her, I just wish she could break down and admit she needs a little help every once and a while. She still has her hang ups about the vampire world but I'm happy to see that the line between her and them seems to be blurring a bit for a change. She is finally starting to see that maybe the monsters aren't so bad and that some humans are the real monsters.

I also loved, LOVED Adrian. But then that's nothing new. I have a serious soft spot for that boy, and even when I was Team Dimitri, I still loved Adrian. And in this book was no exception. I just want to make him happy. And to see him happy when Sydney would open up to him really made me squee! I will have to kill Rochelle Mead if she doesn't hurry up and put those two together. I just want to see them in love with each other so bad. Adrian is just so damn sweet to her!!

Overall this was a great action packed sequel. I liked it better than the first book in this series, and I am finally getting used to Sydney's voice. Still I have to admit my heart misses Rose.

 

Lymi...

 





Perpetual Light by Jordan K. Rose: Review

Perpetual Light
By Jordan K. Rose
Published March 2012 by Crescent Moon Press
Pick up your copy at B&N, or Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

Fate is cruel. Especially when the one you’ve sworn to love for all eternity, the very soul who changed your destiny is the last person you should trust.
After more than three hundred years of running, Lucia Dicomano must make a choice.

Forced to take her place as a Pharo of Redemption, the divine slayer needs to master her forgotten powers. Lucia turns to Vittorio, the one vampire she’s failed to deliver from eternal damnation. But overcoming smoldering remnants of love, lust and anger aren’t their only obstacles.

Samuel, who may know Lucia better than she knows herself, hunts her with a fervor stoked by a thousand years of vengeful hatred. His plan—capture and enslave the weakened Pharo then take control of her elusive power.

Can Lucia trust Vittorio long enough to reclaim her powers? Or will she have no choice but to kill him and battle Samuel alone?

Darkfallen's thoughts:

Lucia is just your average girl. She has a loving mother and father. A great career that she loves...but all that changes when the man from her dreams turns out to be real. After Lucia finds out that not only is her dream man real, they're married. Well kind of. In fact her and Vittorio have been married since the 1600's. You see Vittorio is a vampire, and Lucia? She has been reincarnated time and again as a slayer sent to give redemption to vampires through death by delivering them to the light...moreLucia is just your average girl. She has a loving mother and father. A great career that she loves...but all that changes when the man from her dreams turns out to be real. After Lucia finds out that not only is her dream man real, they're married. Well kind of. In fact her and Vittorio have been married since the 1600's. You see Vittorio is a vampire, and Lucia? She has been reincarnated time and again as a slayer sent to give redemption to vampires through death by delivering them to the light. And she will keep being reincarnated for the same fate until she can finally find the strength to kill Vittorio. Not only is he the love of her life, but he is the love of all her lives, her soul mate. Can Lucia finally give in to fate and let Vittorio go into the light? Or will the darkness pull her under? First I want to say that this is the first book, in a long time, that hasn't been published by a big company with all their fancy editors, that was sewn up tight. I didn't find a single editing error anywhere and the flow of the book and the story was perfect and smooth. In a world were editing seems to be going to the waste side I can't stress how refreshing that is. But what about the story itself? I loved Lucia and her snarky ways. She made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion with her banter between her and Peter. (her co-worker) But better yet I just found myself falling in love with both Lucia and Vittorio. Both of their characters are well fleshed out and tangible in a way that sucks you in and you can't help but feel the anguish, the heartbreak, the anger, and the love with these two. I mean I physically felt heart wrenching pain in chest at the situation that these two are in. At times I just kept waiting for Lucia to fall to the floor at Vittorio's feet and cry until she passed out, because that is certainly what I would have done. Thankfully Lucia is a LOT stronger than I am apparently. LOL Overall I really enjoyed this read and anyone that's a fan of the PNR with our vampire friends should definitely pick this up!

Lymi...





Blood & Other Cravings by Ellen Datlow: Review

Blood & Other Cravings
By Ellen Datlow
Published Sept 13th, 2011 by TOR
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!

Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

When we think of vampires, instantly the image arises: fangs sunk deep into the throat of the victim. But bloodsucking is merely one form of vampirism. For this brilliantly original anthology, Ellen Datlow has commissioned stories from many of the most powerfully dark voices in contemporary horror, who conjure tales of vampirism that will chill readers to the marrow.

In addition to the traditional fanged vampires, Datlow presents stories about the leeching of emotion, the draining of the soul, and other dark deeds of predation and exploitation, infestation, and evisceration…tales of life essence, literal or metaphorical, stolen.

Seventeen stories, by such award-winning authors as Elizabeth Bear, Richard Bowes, Kathe Koja, Margo Lanagan, Carol Emshwiller, and Lisa Tuttle will petrify readers. With dark tales by Laird Barron, Barry Malzberg and Bill Pronzini, Kaaron Warren, and other powerful voices, this anthology will redefine the terror of vampires and vampirism.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

Blood & Other Cravings is book of short stories that are sure to induce spine tingling chills...and quite possible a nightmare are two. *winks* With many many great stories about all different takes on vampirism, and I have to say that I found some of them extremely fascinating!

For instance in Needles, by Elizabeth Bear, there are two different types of vampires that work together. However the female? Yes I want to read more about her! Rather than drinking the blood of humans she somehow sucks the life out of breastfeeding infants by nursing them. This story had my attention, no matter how morbid it was. This is a story that I would like to see at novella, or even novel length.

A few of my other favorites were All You Can Do Is Breathe by Kaaron Warren (which takes creepy to a whole new level), Blood Yesterday, Blood Tomorrow by Richard Bowes, & Miri by Steve Rasnic Tem. But my up most favorite is...

Sweet Sorrow by Barbara Roden. Not only is this story chilling, the writing, lyrical at times, gives life to the story. I devoured every word and was beyond sad when after just 21 short pages it was over. I wanted more...I NEED more!

So overall while this was a book filled with great stories I think I have learned that anthologies just aren't for me. I am mean talk about fueling your ADD with all the subject changes! Which left me feeling distracted. But for those of you that LOVE anthologies Yes I know you're out there... I say this book will not disappoint! Ellen Datlow did an excellent job putting this together.

Bite ya laters...



Red Moon Rising: Review

Title: Red Moon Rising
Author: Peter Moore
Published: February 2011
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you a whole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny's other half is human. Which is a good thing.

Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds.

For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny's been having some weird symptoms — fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon.

Even though it's easy to be in denial, it's hard to ignore evidence. There's only a month until the next few moon, and Danny's time is running out.

Peter Moore speaks to adolescents in a voice that will have them laughing, set in a world that will get them thinking.


Praise the Three Little Piggys!! Finally a werewolf book a boy can sink his canines into without rolling his eyes at dreaded love triangles and lip gloss and wardrobe changes.


Totally something to howl at!!


"Red Moon Rising" is about a 9th grade boy (15 years old) who is half vampyre/half werewulf.


Being a werewolf is a big social NO NO! They are treated unfairly and when the full moon comes every month they are dumped into compounds that to me were like concentration camps for wulves. They are even tattooed at birth, having to wear the symbol of the wolf on their hand.


The book doesn't go into what the compounds are like on the inside but you get the idea that this is a fight for civil rights.


Taking place at Capathia Night High (a supernatural school for vampyres and werewolves) we follow Danny through out his day. We learn here that wulves are not treated equally.


Danny doesn't really worry about the wulves until he starts to notice hair growing in funny places and his senses starting to heighten.


Since Danny is half wulf/half vamp his family had him go through a series of treatments to basically put the wulf to sleep. They worked for Danny's sister but for some reason Danny didn't get to be so lucky.


"Red Moon Rising" is a really funny book at times. I really enjoyed reading it and I loved the fact that these wulves are the kind of beasty that stands up on two feet and not down on 4 paws like a bow wow.


I definitely think that boys and girls would both equally enjoy this book. Sure, there is a tad bit of cussing but it's not anything your kid hasn't heard on "The Jersey Shore." Actually it's probably way tamer than that.... and less scary ;)


I'd recommend this to all sons out there that are into werewolves but don't want a love story. Sure, there is a tad bit of romance but because this book is written by a man it's not a swoonfest and will leave your boy laughing out loud with the way Danny is thinking.


Totally worth checking out and letting your little teen/tween howler take a bite at.

Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger

Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4)
By Gail Carriger
Published on July 1st 2011 by Orbit
Pick up your copy at Amazon,B&N, or your local indie today!

Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.
Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Darkfallen's cup of tea:

Gail Carriger has done it again, and I have to admit I don't know how she does it! Every time I start one of these books, being the under appreciated person of all things old that I am, I always wounder...

Will this be the last one for me?

 Will I make it through all the old time slag?

First off you have to understand something.

 See me-->girl who hates black & white movies, or what I also refer to as faded color, and yes that means most 80's movies are out for me

 *the crowd gasps*

 I don't do westerns, I don't do Victorian.

 (cept for my choice in houses, then Victorian becomes my fav)

So is this going to be my last Steampunk book?

 ABSOLUTELY NOT!

 While I may not ever pick up a series by a different author I will greedily read anything Gail writes. Why you ask?

Because just when I think maybe I'm done with this series, Gail leaves me with my mouth agape, in a manner better suited for catching flies, rather then in semblance of anything dignified. Untoward I proceed to insert my foot!
See Gail MUST be a good writer if she cane make me talk all proper;)

Alexia is back up to her old ways...but OMG has things twisted and turned in an unbelievable series of events!

 I NEVER would have guessed this series to take me where it has but yet here I am left standing in the middle of downtown London, Woosely taking on a whole new purpose,

 (of which I am slightly heart broken over)

 wondering where we are going to end up next and not knowing if there is enough tea in the world to accommodate such a long wait!

 And throughout the entire journey I found myself both laughing out loud and falling in love with some unexpected characters. I love how some of the side characters are being brought to the forefront! I so cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

Alexia do be a dear and send for Floote would you? I fear this wait is going to acquire his services as far as tea is concerned.

 lolz

Lymi....