Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

Book: Stray by Rachel Vincent
Series or Stand-Alone: Series, Shifters #1
Pages:  618 (Mass Market Paperback)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publication Date: June 1st, 2007

Description: I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.
I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.
This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them....

I am going to try and keep this short and sweet, because I am sure you all have read countless reviews of this. Stray by Rachel Vincent was a decent series opener. Our heroine, the ever spunky Faythe (yes, that is the correct spelling) is an evolving character – one who has a lot of growing up to do. She makes her fair share of mistakes and often makes rash decisions and assumptions pertaining to the people around her. She is extremely pigheaded – which proved to be both a good and a bad thing. At times I found her sheer will refreshing, but most of the time I found her a bit annoying. She never listens to anyone and decided early on that everyone is out to get her. She is incredibly self-centered; she has a hard time seeing things from other peoples perspective. Faythe is also prone to throwing temper tantrums at the most inopportune times. 

However, I give Vincent credit for creating a character that isn’t perfect; it makes Faythe feel real. I just didn’t exactly like her.  I hope that as the series progresses we see a larger change in Faythe, because I see a great deal of potential in her character. She is determined, spunky, sarcastic and tough – but she definitely as a lot of growing up to do.

On the other hand, I am a huge fan of her love interest, Marc. I would take him just as he is. The two of them have a lot of history, but Faythe does everything in her power to keep their relationship purely platonic. She is unsure of her feelings considering Marc, because he doesn’t fit in her life plan. She wants to get as far away from her old life at the ranch as possible, but Marc is perfectly content there. So, she cuts off all ties to him and tries to move on, while he holds on for dear life. 

The action/mystery part of the plot was extremely engrossing; I would definitely classify this as a “page turner”. There is a great deal of excitement, action and just overall tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The romance and love triangle portion of the book was a bit off for me. I’ve already talked about Faythe and Marc, but now let’s discuss the third wheel, Jace. I was just not buying the possibility of Jace as a love interest. Right from the get go it is obvious who she is going to end up with – the girl always goes for the crazy passionate brooding guy. Always. Jace never stood a chance.

I enjoyed Stray, but I did not love it. I did not like the heroine and that’s a BIG problem – especially a book that is written in a first person POV. I will continue with this series and hopefully Faythe will come to understand that the world does not revolve around her.

 

Favorite Quotes

"Lit majors are not known for watching where they're going; most of us walk with our eyes in a book instead of on the path ahead."

"Apparently the complete works of Shakespeare packed quite a wallop."

"I'm glad you think so. I've always considered my sense of humor to be largely under-appreciated, so it's nice to finally meet a fan."

"Wonderful a death match on my first day behind bars. Some girls have all the luck."

"Kicking ass is surprisingly therapeutic"

"He was half again my size, but when we embraced, I felt like I was holding him up, and it was all I could do to remain standing. He buried his face in my hair, his body shaking against me with the spasmodic rhythm of unrestrained sobs. It was almost more than I could bear gracefully."

Review: I Am Number Four

Book: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Series or Stand-Alone: Lorien Legacies #1
Pages:  440
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | The Book Depository
Publication Date: August 4th, 2010
How I Got This Book: Library
Description (From Goodreads): In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.
I AM NEXT.

I will be honest; I did not really have any interest in reading this book before I saw the movie trailers. Shameful, know. But, I am Number Four surprised me, in a number of ways.

I am Number Four is an absolute riot. The plotline is packed full of action – which is to be expected. However, there was a surprising almost of emotional storyline woven throughout the story as well. John’s relationships are given a great deal of attention, which allows for the reader to actually connect with him. In a lot of action books, I have a difficult time relating to the characters. The plotlines are enjoyable, but I don’t get that emotional connection with the characters. Right from the get-go you are introduced to the characters of Henry and John together. They have always been a team and it is obvious how much they rely on one another. Henry has been assigned to care for John and has basically filled the role of father.  Therefore, John’s character is extremely attached to him – he’s been the only constant in John’s life.

When the duo moves to Ohio, John makes his first real friends in Sam and Sarah. I loved his relationship with both of these characters. Sam is certainly quirky, but he is an extremely loyal friend to John. Sarah, who is the romantic interest for John, is an awesome character. She has incredibly sweet nature and accepts other for what they are. The relationship between John and Sarah was adorable; I loved watching it unfold.

There is also a tremendous amount of character development throughout the book. When we are first introduced to John, he is extremely timid and very much a little boy.  As the story goes on, he comes into his own and starts relying on himself. He not only begins to develop his powers, but he gains a great deal of courage as well.  

As to be expected the plotline was incredible and simply out of this world. There is a great deal of action and a handful of different aliens. The overall pacing was fast, but that is to be expected in an action adventure book – you are supposed to stay on your toes. 

There were some predictable elements to the story, but that is to be expected. Honestly, sometimes you can only take a storyline a few ways. The writing was also, how should I say this… sparse. Things were very direct, and I can understand why – it is meant to be a fast paced action story. However, I can’t help but feel like the writing could have included a bit more flourish; better visual descriptions and just richer text in general.

Overall, I really enjoyed I am Number Four. There was a surprising amount of emotion within the storyline, which made John easy to connect to and champion. I am interested to see how the next books play out – will there be a I am Number Five? I want to see more of the alien kids, but I hope we stay with John. Now that I’m emotionally invested in his story, I want to see it to the end!

 Favorite Quotes

"When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." 

"I'll come back to you," I say, "If it's the last thing I do, I'll come back to you."  

Review: Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

Book:  Hush Money by Susan Bischoff
Series or Stand-Alone: Series (Talent Chronicles #1)
Pages: 192
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: September 25^th, 2010

Description (From Goodreads): Be normal, invisible. Don’t get close to anyone. Kids with psychic abilities tend to mysteriously disappear when they get noticed. Joss has spent years trying to hide. Now she has an unasked-for best friend, who is the victim of an extortion plot by the school bully, who used to like Joss, who is best friends with her long-time crush, who is actually talking to her. Life just got more complicated.

With Hush Money Susan Bischoff creates a fascinating world where some people are born with superpowers. These people, the ones with “talents” live in fear of being rounded up and taken away from their families. Joss, a quiet teenager is of these individuals.

Joss does her best to go unnoticed. She and her family are afraid that she will be identified as a talent and therefore taken away. She doesn’t have any friends; she avoids contact with anyone and everyone. 

I have to say, I was really disappointed with Joss’s character. I did not particularly take to her; her personality simply did not rub we well. She didn’t have much of a backbone and she never stood up for herself. I really was put off when she stood by idly and watched something terrible happen to another girl. I understand that she did not want to draw attention to herself, but I cannot believe some of the decisions she made.

I also did not like Joss’s love interest – Dylan. Dylan was also a huge pushover, he let his idiotic friend Marco walk all over him. I never was really able to connect with him because he did not get much time as the narrator. This made it difficult to see his motivations, or at least to sympathize with his decisions.

Now, I loved the premise for this book and it started out fabulous. The way that Bischoff introduces the talents immediately draws you in, making you want to see what happens next. The idea of it was reminiscent of the T.V. Heroes, especially with the way the organization was rounding people up.  

My favorite part of the book was when a group of teen “talents” band together and save one of their own. It’s a great action scene and I hope to see more of this kind of thing in the upcoming books. They have the whole “us against the world” thing going on and it gives them an easy bond. I do wish that the rest of characters (those others with talents) were a bit better described. We are given basic descriptions of their talents, but not much else. I was interested to know more about them all, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.

 I did enjoy the plot overall, but parts of it were a little unbelievable for me – especially concerning the book’s main villain, Marco. Marco was incredibly stereotypical, which made him into an extremely flat character.  He was horrible all the time and never really gave much of a reason for being so terrible. I like when you can feel some sympathy for a villain, or at least understand their motivations, but that was not the case with Marco.

Although I had a lot of issues with this book, I did enjoy it. It was a quick, entertaining read that kept me on my toes. I will probably continue with the next book, but I certainly hope some things change. For one, I hope that all of the characters are fleshed out better. I did not connect to anyone in Hush Money, so hopefully that will change in the next book.

Review: Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

Book: Ghost Town by Rachel Caine
Series or Stand-Alone: Series, The Moganville Vampires #9
Pages: 335
Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Description (From Goodreads): While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...

Let me just begin by saying that I am a huge fan of this series and If you haven't started reading it, do so right now. I read the complete thing (books 1-9) in less than a week. It was that addicting. Anyways, like the other books, Ghost Town was beautifully written and included all of the elements that I love about this series. There is tons of mystery, excitement, romance and humor.I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical going into book 9, I mean usually by this point, a series starts to go off the deep end. Honestly, how far can you take the same set of characters? And how exactly do you follow up a villian like Bishop? But somehow Caine managed to keep things going strong, by pulling out all the stops. Tell me what is more frightening than having everyone you know and love forget you?


Claire is as feisty and determined as ever. She, once again, gets herself in an undesirable predicament. As a punishment, she is forced to fix the machine that wipes the memories of those who leave Morganville. Well, of course, something goes wrong and people (and vampires) start loosing their memories. Those who are infected are taken back mentally to three years ago. Let's just say that chaos ensues. Soon, Claire has no choice but to try and fix the machine and she is forced to make some unlikely alliances along the way.


There is plenty of excitement within the book, just like you would come to expect from this series. There are also a number of twists throughout the plot, I don't want to give too much away, but they certainly keep you on your toes. All of your favorite characters are back and ready for action, Eve, Michael, Shane, Mrynin, Amelie and Oliver are all featured throughout the book. 

I think what makes this series so great is the relationships between the characters. Not only are there great romantic relationships, but there are also a number of awesome friendships. I love the fab four - Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael; I just think they mesh well together. They always have each others back and each one of them would put themselves on the line for the other three. The connection these characters have is really a focus in this book - especially when people start loosing their memories. Caine really does a beautiful job showing how they all sort of gravitate towards each other.
 
All in all, Ghost Town was a great addition to the series. Everything that you love about this series continues in book 9, including the sarcasm, humor, excitement, danger, romance and superb storytelling. I'll say it again, if you haven't read this series yet, you really, really, need to. It is never to late to dive into a series, in fact I prefer it because you don't have to wait as long to see what happens next!

Review: End of Days by Max Turner

Book: End of Days (Max Turner)
Series or Stand-Alone: Series - Night Runner #2
Pages: 288 
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 28th, 2010

Preview on Google Books
Description (From Goodreads): In this thrilling follow up to Night Runner, Zack Thomson is back with his friend Charlie, searching for answers all the while being hunted by a creature most deadly... While Charlie struggles with his vampirism, he, Zack, and their friends are pulled into a conflict with the mysterious Mr. Hyde, a creature who hunts vampires. As the story unfolds, and the ties between Zach and his girlfriend Luna intensify, the network of support around them collapses, forcing them to redefine their notions of good and evil and find a way forward.

 

 *WARNING, SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 - NIGHT RUNNER!

End of Days by Max Turner was an absolute thrill ride of a book. It is everything a sequel should be - the characters are further developed - but they stay true to form, the pacing and tone are both similar to the first book and the plot continues to develop.

The book begins one year after the conclusion of Night Runner, and Zack and Charlie have been bunking together with Ophelia. Charlie has, understandably, been struggling with his new status as vampire. His old life revolved around the sun, as Zack puts it, he was a water baby in his first life. Now, Charlie has to adjust to life in the night. He, does not however blame Zack for this and he definitely enjoys some of the perks of being a vamp. 

Thankfully, Charlie has been fleshed out more in this book and I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. My only real gripe with the Night Runner was that the secondary characters were rather flat. Now, Charlie has a lot more going on mentally, and the character really benefits from it. Not only does he struggle with controlling his inner vamp, but he worries about Suki.

Suki still takes more of a backseat in End of Days, but I have a feeling she will be more relevant in the next book. At the start of the book, Suki and her sister, Luna are living with their parents. The household is in shambles and everyone is having a hard time of it. Suki wants to be a vampire, like her sister, boyfriend (Charlie) and friend (Zack). She feels really out of the loop and goes through a sort of depression. Luna is also extremely lonely, because she is the only vampire in the area. Their parents are also having a hard time coping - their father is desperately trying to find a cure for Luna and has been forcing her to get blood transfusions. He also is adamant about keeping the girls away from Charlie and Zack - especially Zack. He blames him for his struggling daughters and thinks him to be some sort of criminal and all around bad seed.

But, the real fun begins when a new monster comes to town. He is some sort of crazy vampire eating madman and causes some real trouble for our band of heroes. Not only do they have to worry about this monster, who is apparently unbeatable, but they have to worry about the cops and coven as well.

The cops are after Zack because they believe he murdered one of their men and the coven is after all of the teen vamps for being child vampires. However, they are really after Zack because of they believe he is the child from the prophecy. Supposedly, a son of a great vampire hunter will be orphaned. Then the boy will drink blood and will die and be brought back to life. Then, the kid will make a choice - either saving the vampire race or bringing about its destruction. Zack is widely believed to be the child from the prophecy and it puts a giant target on this back.

Once again, there is plenty of action, humor, suspense and a tiny bit of romance (more so than the first book). Zack and Luna's relationship continues to develop and something amazing happens between them. I don't want to spoil it, but it is a pretty awesome, sort of talent-for-two. Once again, Turner writes a humorous book with lots of twists and turns - I often found myself laughing along with the story. If you haven't picked this series up yet, I would suggest you do. I think that fans of The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong and The Strange Angels Series by Lili St.Crow would really appreciate this book - it has the same sort of adventure plot with teen characters that are sort of rebel outlaws. Anyways, my point is, start reading this series!

Review: Night Runner by Max Turner

Book: Night Runner (Max Turner)
Series or Stand-Alone: Series - Night Runner #1
Pages: 261

Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 1st, 2009

Preview on Google Books
Description (From Goodreads): For Zack Thomson, life in the Nicholls Ward wasn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. But that all changes the night a stranger on a Harley crashes through the front doors and tells him to run. Along with his best friend Charlie and a girl he may or may not be falling in love with, Zack does just that: run. Under the cover of night, hiding amongst the shadows, he races for the truth. 

Night Runner by Max Turner held a lot of punch. The entire story is one crazy ride in the newly exciting life of Zack Thomson. For the past eight years he had been living basically in isolation inside a mental ward. He has a plethora of allergies - including an extreme reaction to the sun. Therefore, he sleeps all day and lives at night. He also cannot stomach food, he has to drink special concoctions, which he dubs "brain cocktails". The only two friends he has are Charlie and Nurse Ophelia. 

Charlie has been around his whole life, the boys were friends before Zack was orphaned and his condition started. Charlie is his only regular visitor and his best friend. He is a mischievous, daring character who often pushes the limits. However, he is liked by most people and he is Zack's right had man, and is there when he needs him the most. 

Nurse Ophelia, Zack's only other "friend" is the night nurse at the ward. She seems to really take to Zack and often defends him when he gets one of his mood swings from not eating. She occasionally takes him out to movies and things; basically she is the closes thing to a mother he has. 

This book is incredibly plot driven. Right in the first few pages Zack's safe world is shattered (literally) when a crazed old man, who turns out to be a vampire, crashes through the mental ward and tells Zack he is in danger. This starts a long chain of events that keeps Zack on his toes and on the run. 

While the plot was definitely exciting,  I just wish there was a little more character development. I think that Turner did a magnificent job with Zack - he is one of the funniest narrators I have seen in a long time. He makes tons of pop culture references that I always found hilarious. For example, he drops this little jem on page seven, "He's coming," he continued. "He could be here any second". The man put a hand on my shoulder and pushed me gently toward the motorcycle again. He looked back over his shoulder at the parking lot. I got the feeling Darth Vader was about to waltz in and lightsabre us both in half". 

He is also a big fan of the Tolkien masterpiece, The Hobbit and often makes snide comments referencing it. Zack is also struggling with the new revelation that he is a vampire. He is delighted to finally have some answers, but he isn't crazy about the diet or the whole "evil" thing. He makes a promise to himself that he will remain "good" and not go on a crazy killing spree. I love this quote from him about his decision (pg. 49) "Well, I had no doubt in my mind what I would choose. I would be good. I certainly wasn't a threat to anybody. I didn't even believe in mousetraps."

But, the fact that Zack is such a great character only made me want to get to know the other characters better. The rest of the cast is highly underdeveloped. Like I said before, the book is highly plot-driven and unfortunately the rest of the characters suffer. I loved what I saw from them, but I was left wanting more - especially with Luna. Luna is Zack's love interest in the book; although she doesn't appear until almost halfway through it. He meets her through Charlie - Luna is Charlie's girlfriend's (Suki) sister. We get a few details about Luna, but not a great sense of the character. I hope that in the upcoming books we will see more from her.

However, I loved both the plot and the idea behind the story. This isn't just another run of the mill vampire story. What makes this so incredibly unique, is that, one: Zack has been living the past eight years as a vampire, and had no idea. The second aspect of this story that makes it a standout is that this is more of an action story. There are no melodramatic vampires moping around looking for human companionship. This is a on the edge of your seat action ride that never really lets up. It's a refreshing change of pace.

While I enjoyed the majority of the plot, I did have a problem with the ending, at least the last 20 pages or so. I don't want to give it away for those of you who haven't read it, but the events that occur seem to have been taken rather lightly. I know that for the story to progress, the plot had to go into that direction, but everyone seemed to go with the flow a little to easily for me. For those of you who have read it, I'll give you a clue as to what I am talking about - Charlie and Luna.

But, honestly, besides that last 20 pages, the plot was amazing; it was action packed, exhilarating and hilarious.  Night Runner was definitely a page turner. I just hope that in the next book, End of Days, the secondary characters, like Luna and Charlie are developed a bit more.

Review: City of Bones

Book: City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)
Stand-Alone or Series:  Series, The Mortal Instruments #1)

Pages: 485
Genre: Young Adult
Description (From Goodreads):

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
 

So, I think it is safe that say that I am one of the last people on the planet to read this book. Honestly, before Clockwork Angel was everywhere, I wasn't all that interested in reading the Mortal Instruments Series. However, I cannot tell you how glad I am that I finally picked up a copy of City of Bones.

This book has a lot going for it, there is tons of action, a quick moving plot and interesting characters. There are plenty of hideous and terrifying bad guys, including vampires and demons - which means there are also plenty of fighting scenes. Thankfully, our teenage cast of characters are completely bad-ass and can hold their own in a throw down.

Although the main characters do not preform magic (they are very adamant about this), there are tons of magical elements to the story. Everything in their world uses a glamour; shielding the mundanes (humans) from the reality of it all. This one probably one of my favorite elements of the story, because it allowed for some awesome plot points. There is late night flying motorcycle ride over the Brooklyn Bridge and a crazy Cinderella-eqsue taxi ride.

While the plot was certainly intriguing on it's own, I also enjoyed the characters immensely. Especially Jace and Clary. Clary is our main character, a fifteen year old girl, who was born into the world of Shadowhunters, but raised in the ordinary world. When her mother goes missing she teams up with the teenage Shadowhunters (Jace, Isablle and Alec) to find a way to get her mother back. When the character of Jace is introduced he is portrayed as very good looking (shocker!). He is also, very aware of this fact and flaunts it constantly. He is also an extremely good fighter, apparently having killed more demons that any other Shadowhunter his age. He and Clary often butt heads and banter back and forth. Which of course, means that I am a Clary/Jace fan. I have such a weakness for affectionate banter, it is just too perfect. Anyways, Jace takes to Clary, although he would never admit (he has some serious daddy issues) and makes it his responsibility to look out for her. Clary, who knows she is not fighter, allows this and begins to depend on him.

The rest of the characters are also entertaining, some more than others. I instantly took to Simon, Clary's best friend, although I fear for him. He has got disappointment written all over him. I am in a love hate relationship with Isabelle, she is one of those characters that you never really warm too, but love to read about. Alec, Isabelle's brother and Jace's best friend, was the only one I did not like, in anyway. I think I may grow to like him over the next few books, but in the first one, he is just annoying. He always acts superior to Clary and Simon, and although I understand why, I still do not like him.

The storyline packs plenty of twist and turns, some predictable and some not - one in particular was out of left field. In fact, that plot twist was the only thing I did not really enjoy about the book. I really don't want to spoil it for future readers, because it is definitely their for the shock value.

Those of you who have read the book, know exactly what I mean. Let me just say, that I had to reread that part, because I did not believe what I was seeing. I am still in denial, which I am thinking it a good thing. That revelation was just accepted to easily, I would want some proof.

If that turns out to be true, I will be devastated, because it makes the book... icky.  That is the best word I know to describe it, icky.

Anyways, City of Bones was a great, intriguing read. The pacing was perfect and the storyline was fun to follow. I enjoyed the characters and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, City of Ashes.

Review: Jealousy

Book: Jealousy (Lili St. Crow)
Stand-Alone or Series:  Series, Strange Angels #3

Pages: 316
Genre: Young Adult
Description (From Goodreads):

Dru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha–half vampire, half human, and all deadly. If she survives her training, she will be able to take her place in the Order, holding back the vampires and protecting the oblivious normal people.

But a web of lies and betrayals is still closing around her, just when she thinks she can relax a little. Her mentor Christophe is missing, her almost-boyfriend is acting weird, and the bodyguards she’s been assigned seem to know much more than they should. And then there’s the vampire attacks, the strange nightly visits, and the looks everyone keeps giving her. As if she should know something.

Or as if she’s in danger.

Someone high up in the Order is a traitor. They want Dru dead–but first, they want to know what she remembers of the night her mother died. Dru doesn’t want to remember, but it looks like she might have to–especially since once Christophe returns, he’ll be on trial for his life. The only person who can save him is Dru.

The problem is, once she remembers everything, she may not want to…

I am going to have to say, Jealousy was a great installment to the Strange Angels series; in fact it is my favorite of the series so far. All of your favorite characters are back; Graves, Christophe, Dru and all of the Wulfen from Betrayals. Anna is more of a main focus in Jealousy and you meet the Council, which consists mainly of stuffy old dudes. My favorite addition to the series would have to be Leon; a member of Dru's group of bodyguards. He is a lot of fun and lightens up the mood of the book. My particular favorite scene with Leon was when Dru took everyone shopping at target. He loves those slushies!

Dru also comes into her own more throughout the book. Her abilities and "enhancements" sporadically come out to play - often just in the nick of time. I was hoping that she would fully bloom in this book, but it looks like it is going to happen in book 4. At least, I hope it is book 4 and not 5 or 6!

As far as plot goes this book answered a lot of questions left open from the first two books. That being said, I felt like there was a lot of back story. Once again, like in Betrayals, there was a lot of repeated storyline. I mean, instead of paraphrasing, complete paragraphs were lifted from the first two books. This slowed the book down a great deal and was extremely frustrated because I was re-reading complete sequences. However, the story line made great leaps with the plot and when new things were happening it was always intense and intriguing.

It is still unclear who Dru will chose though, Christophe or Graves. I am 100% team Graves and I am really pulling for more of a Dru/Graves romance. There are a few moments between both Graves and Dru and Christophe and Dru in Jealousy, so she could still go either way. I personally just feel like Graves is a better fit for her and Christophe kind of creeps me out. Especially since he was all hot on her mother. That is just weird. 

The ending of Jealousy was absolutley out of left field and it was utterly fabulous. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and completely begging for book 4. My hopes for the next book are that we see more of our tried and true characters (Dru, Christophe & Graves) as well as my newer favorites, Leon (from Jealousy) and Shanks (from Betrayals). I am also pulling for a full on Graves/Dru relationship! Keep those fingers crossed everyone!

Review: Betrayals

Book: Betrayal (Lili St. Crow)
Stand-Alone or Series:  Series, Strange Angels #2

Pages: 296
Genre: Young Adult

Preview at Amazon
Description (From Goodreads):

Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)
Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England School for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem— she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide. . .
Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?

Betrayals was the perfect follow up to the Supernatural novel, Strange Angels. Once again, Dru finds herself in danger of being hunted. Evil vampires are gunning for her death and she does not know who to trust. Christophe dropped her and her best friend, Graves off at a school, where she is suppose to be safe. The only problem is that there is a traitor among the students and teachers. There are also those at her new school who want her to believe that Christophe betrayed her mother; but who can Drew really believe?

Betrayals starts off with a bang and never lets up. The plot is filled with action, suspense and humor. Dru once again has her trademark dry, witty humor; and is sarcastic as ever. You spend more time getting to know Dru as a character in this book, which was a real treat. In the first book, I felt like the plot was rushed in an attempt to be exciting - which unfortunately did not leave a lot of time for learning about and bonding to the main character. This was not a problem with Betrayals. Dru spends a lot of time struggling with relationships with the two main boys in her life; Christophe and Graves. She does not know if she can trust Christophe and like I said earlier; some people try and sway her trust in him. Trust isn't the problem with Graves; it's jealousy. He fits in beautifully with his peers and Dru feels left out. She is under house arrest, for "safety" and gets left behind a lot. But, she still trusts him with her life and he always comes through. There are a number of great moments between Graves and Dru. I have always loved their relationship and I really hope she ends up with him. 

There are also a unique assortment of new characters introduced in this book. There are so teenage wulfens that start to hang around Dru and Graves; Shanks and Dibs. Shanks is a tough guy who often butts heads with Dru, because of her vampire heritage. Dibs on the other hand, quickly warms to Dru. He is ridiculously shy and submissive. Dru often stands up for him and as a result, he bonds with her. Then there is Dylan, who acts as sort of the principle of the school. He is a djamphir; one that claims loyalty to Christophe. Whether that is true or not, I still don't know. Lastly, there is Anna - who is another svetocha. She is straight up shady. I don't trust that woman as far as I could throw her.

Like I said before, pacing in the first book was a bit of a problem. Things moved too fast and as a result, I was often left wondering what exactly happened. Thankfully, this issue was resolved in Betrayals. The plot was still quick  moving, but not as haphazardly developed and explained. 

The writing itself was superb. Once again, St. Crow's descriptions are pure magic. Everything is described in such wonderful detail. Every sentence is dripping with a dark and gritty vibe that compliments Dru's world perfectly. The tone is perfect for the "Real World" - its a dangerous place and nothing that St. Crow writes is sugarcoated.

The ending is one of those brilliant yet extremely irritating cliffhangers that writers just love. However; Dru's gang does get out of danger momentarily, so the ending is a satisfying one. 

I enjoyed this book, I thought it was better executed that Strange Angels. There was plenty of excitement and character development to keep you turning the page.

Review: Strange Angels

Book: Strange Angels (Lili St. Crow)
Stand-Alone or Series:  Series, Strange Angels #1
Pages: 293
Genre: Young Adult
Preview on Google Books
Description (From Goodreads):  Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

 

I have been seeing this series all over the place recently, so decided it was time to read Strange Angels. The story centers around Dru Anderson a hunter off all things evil. She travels around the country with her Dad - Winchester brothers style (If you are a fan of Supernatural you know what I am talking about). Well, in the first chapter or so, Dru's father is turned into a zombie and she is forced to kill him - leaving her completely alone. She quickly befriends a boy her age, Graves, who helps her throughout the book. Soon, they both realize that these creepy creatures are after Dru and they the two of them set out to find out why.

Overall, I enjoyed this introduction to the Strange Angels series. Like a lot of books, the first story featured a lot of story building. The author tried keep the pace quick, while also setting the stage for future events and came up a little short. Although the book's pacing keeps readers interested, it gets confusing at times, because things are not clearly written out. I had to re-read several passages throughout the book to make sure that I understood what was happening. Sometimes, I just would give up and hope the next few pages would clue me in more. Because of this, it took me a while to really become engaged into the story.

Also,  I had a hard time warming up to Dru. I found myself getting irritated with her character quite a bit. She supposedly has been trained for this sort of life by her dad, but she seems to freeze up all the time. She never really does anything right, she chokes up under pressure. I like characters who make mistakes, but Dru is simply not self sufficient, and I really hoped she would be. She has to rely on others to drag her out of bad situations. She usually carries a gun and barks commands but she doesn't hardly ever follow through on anything. 

However, I did eventually warm up to her and I really enjoyed the other characters in the book. Graves, in particular. He is a loyal character and has his very own coined phrase, "first one's free." I am excited to see where his story progresses. I also love Christophe. He is an extremely interesting character. I like how he is half-vampire (or a 16th vamp, whatever), so he's not your traditional character. This way the author has more of a free reign on him, since readers aren't as familiar with this particular brand of dark and mysterious. 

All in all, I think this story has a lot of potential to grow and evolve. I am interested to see how the characters develop and to see if Dru comes into her own in the next book. I would love to see her powers grow and for her to become more self sufficient. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Betrayals.