Review: Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Book: Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles #1) by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy 

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository   

Available Formats: Ebook | Hardcover | Paperback
Publication Date: November 22nd, 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Version Reviewed: Ebook
How Did I Get This Book: From Library
First Sentence: "I can fly. Katelyn Claire McBride was the girl on the flying trapeze."
Description: Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.

Unleashed, for me, held a great deal of potential. I'm a sucker for this genre, I loved the idea of the book and the opening chapter or so. However, as I continued reading, my opinion of the book changed.

The main character, Katelyn doesn't really bring much to the table personality wise. The only thing that sets her apart from other characters we've seen before is her love for dance and gymnastics. Yet, that is never really demonstrated within the book. Sure, she talks about dance occasionally - but she never does anything. I thought that her passion for being an athlete could have folded into the storyline, but it never really way. Instead we are stuck with a version of Katelyn who is almost a shell of a character. This made her difficult to connect to and I couldn't seem to create an attachment to her. On top of that, she made terrible decision after terrible decision. Plus, I could not get behind Katelyn's narration. I'm not going to do into too many details about it, but she literally drove me crazy. She just came across an incredibly naive and immature.

The rest of the characters aren't much to write home about either. Cordelia, Katelyn's new BFF comes off as unreliable and flaky. She claims to care about Katelyn, yet spends the majority of the book dodging her questions, being fake and putting Katelyn in impossible positions.

Then there is Trick - one of Katelyn's love interests. Now here is the thing. I believe that I could like Trick. But unfortunately, we don't get to know him at all. He has some crazy mood-swings, but that's never address. I have some ideas about why, but the authors never touch on it. So, he may just be a complete jerk. Then there is Justin, the second love interest. That's right - it's love triangle again. Can we please stop with the young adult/urban fantasy love triangles? The relationship between Katelyn and Justin literally comes out of nowhere. There is absolutely no build up and it really bothers me. I'm sure there is a reason for it, but it still irritated me.

Overall, the characterization throughout the book is seriously lacking. None of the characters (including the lead) are well-rounded or even fleshed out. It makes it incredibly difficult to get through the book when you are unable to connect to any of the characters.

Long story short, in today's market a young adult story about werewolves really needs to bring something new to the table in order to be successful. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Unleashed. I don't think I'll be continuing this series, but you're welcome to give it a try. From looking at other reviews, it seems people either loved it or hated it. If you really have a thing for this type of storyline, you may enjoy it.

 Favorite Quotes

The front door was open, but the porch light was off, and someone tall was standing on the poor, silhouetted by the moonlight.

"He's like the pied piper of lunatics."

"Don't worry about it, honey. There's nothin' dumber on the face of this earth than a teenage boy. They do grow out of it, eventually. The ones who live long enough."

Review: Touch by Jus Accardo

Book: Touch by Jus Accardo
Series: Denazen #1
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction(?) / Paranormal Romance
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011 (Entangled Publishing)
First Sentence: "I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there, waiting at the bottom."
How Did I Get This Book: From Publisher, For Review
Description: When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her.

It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy, and her father's "law firm," than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation -- an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons -- his entire life.

And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills.

The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

 I do not really know how to put this delicately, so I am going to just come out with it. Touch by Jus Accardo was in a word (or two), freaking amazing. The characters, the plotline, the pacing; everything was just spot-on.

Kale is quite literally starved for touch. He has never been able to touch a person without killing them. When he discovers that he can in fact touch Dez, he cannot seem to get enough. He’s extremely affectionate with her and it’s just so incredibly priceless. He’s not only been starved for touch, he has spent his life basically in isolation from the outside world. He doesn’t understand things; he doesn’t quite have a grasp on the social norms and customs. In a sense he kind of reminded me of Brendan Frasier’s character in Blast From The Past. He’s ignorant when it comes to social interactions – especially those with women. I particularly love this little scene.


Then, making a spur of the moment decision, I brushed the lightest of kisses on his left cheek.
He sat up straight, eyes wide, and touched the tip of his index finger to his cheek. "What was that?" I blushed. "A kiss."
"That's what a kiss feels like?"
"Well, technically. There are a lot of different types of -"
"Show me."
"Show you what?"
"Show me some of the other kinds."
"You're asking me to kiss you?"
He nodded, hands curled around the edge of the bed. "is that not right?"



The internal dialogue used as she narrates situations like this just killed me. When she is forced to describe why people hold hands to Kale, I nearly died. Deznee just has such a spark; it’s impossible not to love her. The same goes for her relationship with Kale. Their connection is fierce, exciting and absolutely adorable all at the same time. There were a number of moments between the two that just melted me into a pile of goo.

The storyline itself is packed to the brim with action. Accardo grabs your attention from the very first page and never relinquishes control again. I was completely enthralled by Touch; it has action, excitement and an incredible romantic storyline as well.

I simply could not put it down. I read the entire thing in one sitting and then went back through my favorite parts and read them again. I still am flipping back through my favorite quotes and rereading them. You need to give this book a shot, because believe me, you won’t be sorry.

Favorite Quotes

Buzzed or not, I was still pretty sharp. Whoever those guys yelling in the woods were, they were after him. Drug deal gone south? Maybe he'd gotten caught playing naked footsie with someone else's girlfriend?

Mr. Mime didn't seem like he was rocking a sense of humor.

Stay calm? Was he crazy? He was pointing a gun in my general direction! If anything about that situation said calm, I was missing something.

He reached for me, hesitating for a moment before pulling his hand back. "Can... can I touch you again?"

"You're a human being, not a weapon. You don't belong to anyone."

I didn't know how to respond. Imagine that. Me. Speechless. Glaciers were probably popping up all over hell.

I sighed. If I had to have the sex talk with a guy my own age, I was going to die. Baseball analogies wouldn't work. He probably didn't even know what baseball was.

If possible, the rain fell even harder now. We were soaked almost instantly. Fantastic. Now on top of homeless chic, I'd be rocking the drowned rat look.

The guy who'd tumbled down the embankment, landing at my feet - the Six who'd tried to kill me, was more than that now. I didn't know when it happened, or how, but there it was.

I'd had a lot of guys look at me like I was a fun vacation on the beach, but the way Kale's ice blue eyes devoured every inch of me, full of heat and hope, I felt like Christmas morning. Timeless and perfect.

I understand now, Dez," he whispered sleepily. "I understand the hand thing."

Just you wait. Payback's a bitch, Daddy.

I waited a few minutes for them to get it out of their system - testosterone and all that. It took longer than I'd hoped, but eventually they'd settled for menacing glares and silent seething.

When we finally came up for air, he was smiling at me. It seemed to come easier to him now, smiling. It did funny things to my stomach.

"Just you. Only you. Always you."

"For me.," he said. It came out as a cross between a choked growl and a whimper. It was shocked, and it was possessive. Full of pain and laced with joy. "You were made for me."

A chair. Someone had thrown a chair at me. What the hell was this, WWE?

Review: Blood by K.J. Wignall

Book: Blood by K.J. Wignall
Series: Mercian Trilogy #1
Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
Available Formats: Print / Ebook
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: For review from netgalley
First Sentence: "We burned the witches in 1256. It was the last time I really enjoyed a fire - not because of the witches, you understand, even though I was for burning them at the time - just for the pleasure of flames dancing in the night sky and filling the land with their orange glow."
Description:  I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me. Back in the Thirteenth Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia, although he never lived to inherit his title. In the centuries that follow, Will has led a lonely life, learning to deal with whatever the present day throws at him, always searching for answers but never finding any. Until this time, when he awakens after a 20-year-slumber, hungry for the blood that sustains his undeath, when it appears that he is finally getting a glimpse at why he exists. He does indeed have a destiny, and an enemy, but revealing that fate will be a matter of trust...

Blood is the story of Will, the rightful Earl of Mercia.  In Will, Wignall creates a wildly romantic version of a vampire. He is much more Louis (Vampire Chronicles) than Edward (Twilight); he’s dark, brooding and depressed. And no, he does not sparkle.

The story and writing style also connect more with the traditional stories than the modern ones. It’s highly introspective – every chapter or so features a passage in which Will narrates his history (much like a diary). As you might imagine, this  certainly makes for a slow moving book. the writing itself is very eloquent, expressive and lengthy.  Wignall favors long, complex sentences – which worked with the tone of the book.

However,  the style of the book turns it into a bit of an oddity. Due to the characters ages, it’s always going to be looked at as a young adult book. The problem is that it’s not written like one. It is inevitably going to be marketed to twilight fans (I’m not saying anything is wrong with that, I own all four books) and that just not the right market for the book. It's much darker and serious - you will not find any sparkling vampires professing their undying love here.

Anyways back to the characters. Along the path of self discovery, Will meets a girl, Eloise - who ends up helping him throughout the book. I was not swept away by her character, but I did like Eloise. She tends to bring out the lighter side of Will and I am interested to see how she rubs off on him in the future. 

Like I said before, the storyline is slow moving, but it does eventually pick up. I found it all incredibly interesting and I liked the characters, it is just that things tended to drag out a bit too much for my liking. Will is also rather repetitive - he tends to go on and on about his feelings. If you enjoy a book that his heavy in the descriptions and wording, you are surely going to love Blood. I feel like you have to be in the right mindset for this one, if you go in expecting a story like the rest of today’s vampire fiction, you are not going to be happy.  Yes, it’s got action, mystery and excitement, but above all else it’s a story about Will as a person.  It’s certainly not overly romantic either; but it’s an intriguing story that centers around an incredibly infatuating character.

On a final note, If I ever purchase this book, I am going to buy the U.K. edition. I am not really sure why publishers always feel the need to have two different book covers, but in my opinion the U.K. version is much better than the U.S. edition.The U.S. one just does not work with the book. Not every vampire book needs to have a half naked guy on it.

Favorite Quotes

We returned because that night was ours, our triumph over witchcraft and evil.

At last, in this new millennium, he'd found a message in the most unlikely of places. And it promised something that he'd never dared hope, that there had been a reason for all of this, his sickness, the centuries of loneliness, that he had a destiny. 

It's hard for me to describe the terror I felt upon waking because I knew only one thing and knew it instantly, that I was in the grave.

She almost looked in danger of being won over, but as if remembering her former frostiness, her face hardened.

For now, he could think only that she was almost as tall as him, that they were both dressed in black, both pale, walking as one - it was almost as if they were meant to be together.

"You know, I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you. You're like some old-fashioned knight." "Thank you, though it's been a while since I killed  a dragon."

She stared back at him, and he knew they didn't have very long, that he had to get away from there quickly. But he didn't rush her because he knew that she'd seen things she should never had witnessed, and that right now, she was making the biggest decision she would ever make.

He wanted to believe her, but more importantly he believed in her because she knew already that he was quite lost, more lost than she would ever be, and yet she still believed in him.

"Oh well, back to the crypt, I suppose."

It was instinct that drove him to hibernate, not choice, but he would have chosen it at that moment anyway because he saw that blood had nothing to offer him but more of this, standing in the shadows, watching other people live.

"You're nearly eight hundred years old and here you are, sitting on our sofa, and you're a vampire who needs our help. Of course."

"If there is a God, He abandoned me a long time ago."

"If I didn't taste like dinner, I'd kiss you right now." "If you didn't taste like dinner, I'd kiss you back."

Tour Stop // Review: Weaving Destiny by G.P. Ching

Today is my tour stop for G.P. Ching's latest book, Weaving Destiny! Be sure to follow all the stops; there are a few opportunites to win a copy of Weaving Destiny and you could even with a Kindle from G.P. Ching! *you can find a complete list of the tour stops below my review

Book: Weaving Destiny by G.P. Ching
Series: The Soulkeepers #2
Previous Books in the Series: The Soulkeepers (#1) 
Genre: Urban Fantasy /Young Adult
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: June 22nd, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: From Author, For Review
Description: Malini Gupta thought Jacob Lau was her destiny. But after months of failing to decipher how she fits into the Soulkeepers, frustration threatens to tear their relationship apart. And it doesn't help that a new Soulkeeper named Mara is ready to stop time itself to earn Jacob's love.

When Malini faces her worst fears, and even death, she learns a funny thing about destiny. Fate is a tapestry of choices, and she has the power to weave hers.

With Weaving Destiny, G.P. Ching serves up a fascinating story that is equal parts action, excitement and emotional baggage.

Jacob and Malini’s relationship undergoes a change, and I must say that it makes me love them even more. I am not going to give away the details, but let’s just say that the dynamics change. They do a lot of growing throughout Weaving Destiny; both together and separately. Malini especially begins to have more of an identity outside of their relationship and it is really nice to see her in the spotlight.

There is also a new Soulkeeper in town. Mara is a teenage girl from Chicago that has had an extremely rough go of it. She is definitely jaded and she adds an interesting dynamic to the story. I was afraid that she would simply become a plot device used to cause friction between Malini and Jacob, but as the story progressed she began to come into her own. I will not deny it, I was quick to judge her, but she certainly grows on you. She undoubtedly stepped into a difficult role; I cannot imagine anyone will take too kindly to someone who comes between Jacob and Malini. However, Ching did give her an awesome story arc. Out of all the plotlines in the series so far, I am most excited to see hers develop.

Weaving Destiny, much like its predecessor is filled to the brim with action and excitement. Ching certainly has some new tricks up her sleeve to keep things interesting, including zombies, dates with Death and a side trip to Eden. I can only imagine what Ching has in store for us in book three.

The ending certainly snuck up on me; I did not expect it to end so quickly. I was so engrossed in the storyline that I was not paying any sort of attention to the page numbers. And I must admit, I am dying to know what happens next.

Weaving Destiny was a wonderful follow up to G.P. Ching’s The Soulkeepers. Ching manages to stay true to the characters, while expanding them at the same time. We are also introduced to a few new friends that are sure to captivate readers. I loved the first installment and I was afraid that Weaving Destiny wouldn’t live up to it, but I am happily to admit that I was wrong. It was just as exciting and intriguing as the first book!

Favorite Quotes:

Malini didn't usually make snap judgements about people, but she didn't like this new Soulkeeper. In fact, at that moment, if Mara had burst into flames, someone else would've had to put her out.

Why, I love the feel of plastic wrapped amphibian in the afternoon.

It is you. You're Wisnu. Wow, saved by my great-great-grandmothers magical pet mongoose. I did not see that coming.

She wasn't there, not really. And he couldn't protect her this time. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. He tried to accept that this was one journey she had to complete on her own.

There's nothing like a few decaying body parts to make for a romantic prom.

Don't you know about destiny, Malini? Destiny is not a place that we navigate to like a pinpoint on a map. Destiny is the fabric woven from our choices. It is the cloak we wear every day and the shroud that covers us in our death. You can't wait for destiny to find you. You make it for yourself.

It wouldn't be murder, Malini, it would be mercy.

What color did you wear to have your heart broken?

He knew the world needed Malini; she was the last Healer. But he needed her more.

Tour Stops

September 12

Review

Rachel at Fiktshun.com

September 13

Review

Sarah at ThatBookishGirl.com

September 14

Review and giveaway

Valerie at http://wovenstrands.wordpress.com

September 15

Review

Misty at http://www.the-top-shelf.com/

Review and giveaway

Amanda at http://www.lettersinsideout.com

September 16

Guest post & giveaway

Misty at http://www.the-top-shelf.com

September 19

Review

Andrea at theBookishbabes.blogspot.com

September 20

Interview and giveaway

Amber at memyshelfandI.com

September 21

Review

Catherine at AbnormallyParanormal.blogspot.com

September 22

Review

Amy at ladysbookstuff.blogspot.com

September 23

Review and giveaway

Krystal at livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com

September 24

Review

Amber at memyshelfandI.com

September 26

Review and giveaway

Kreag at Kreagslistofawesomebooks.com

Review: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Book: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #1
Pages: 373
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Young Adult 
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Book Depository
Available Formats: Paperback / Ebook
Publication Date: July 26th, 2011
First Sentence:  "I know your secret."
How Did I Get This Book:  From Publisher, For Review
Description: My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Touch of Frost is the story of Gwen Frost, a teenage gypsy from the wrong side of the tracks. She is certainly an intriguing protagonist, who is undeniably full of sass and whit. It is great to see a young adult paranormal heroine who is shows a sort of unconventional strength. Usually, in these sort of books, the main character is all about kicking ass and taking names. Estep provides her heroine, Gwen, with a different sort of strength; strength of character. Gwen has been through a lot in her life, yet she continues trucking on through life. What I really appreciated about Gwen was that she wasn’t just strong – at times Estep also let her venerable side show. For me, this made the spunky heroine much more realistic and easy to relate to. I mean honestly, all teenage girls are insecure, some are just better at hiding it. 

Speaking of Gwen, I want to talk a bit of about the inspiration for her character. Estep listed Veronica Mars as an influence for Touch of Frost and it is clearly evident within the character of Gwen. Gwen is teenage sleuth of sorts who makes ends meet by solving mysteries for her wealthy classmates (sounds familiar, no?). She has a tough exterior and is quick with a snarky comment, but occasionally she lets her vulnerability show.  Both characters also have a difficult time fitting in with their rich peers and are treated differently by them. Oh and Gwen works in the library to help pay the school tuition, just like Veronica does at Hurst college. Her romantic interest, Logan, also had a lot in common with Veronica’s main love interest… Logan. No, Logan Echols is not a descendent of an Ancient warrior lie, but both characters are perceived as “bad boys” and both are incredibly protective of the lady folk. Then, let’s talk about Daphne. Daphne eventually becomes Gwen’s one and only gal pal and go-to computer technician/hacker. Basically, the Valkyrie is the mythical version of Mac (Cindy Mackenzie on Veronica Mars).

Now, honestly I do not know how I feel about all of these similarities. When reading it, it sort of put me off, because I felt like I already knew the characters. I happen to be a huge Veronica Mars fan and I could not help but see all of the connections. However, after finishing the book, I am not sure. Most of the reasons why I enjoyed the book were also connections I made to the show. I love the characters, especially Veronica, and it was almost like getting to read a book about her. Now, how will others relate to it? I really can’t say. I would think that if you are not fans of the show, you will love Touch of Frost, without a doubt. But, if you are fans of Ms. Mars, then I would say it really depends on the reader.

As always, Estep does an excellent job weaving the storyline together. Touch of Frost is absolutely full of mystery, action and suspense.  I also want to touch on one of my favorite aspects of the book – the setting. I have to say, I loved the idea of an academy for raising ancient warriors. The campus is practically crawling with fun and interesting characters and I never really knew what to expect. I have a bit of knowledge in Greek and Roman history, so I was quickly able to get a handle on things; but honestly, Estep does a terrific job explaining things. A lot of times in fantasy books, I get a bit overwhelmed by things, but the author did a good job of taking the time to properly explain things. There was the perfect combination of explanation and action, so the reader is clear about what’s going on, but the pace doesn’t suffer. I will say that some of the repetitive nature of the writing got under my skin. For those of you who have read Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, you are familiar with Gin’s “grey eyes”. Once again, the heroine’s eyes become a character of their own. It seems like Gwen’s crazy violet eyes were being mentioned every two seconds.

All things considered, with Touch of Frost, Estep delivers an exciting and mysterious story that instantly captivated me. Although the characters were familiar to me, I still found them to be entertaining. The fantastic, mythical setting is pure magic and is sure to dazzle readers everywhere.  I have been a Jennifer Estep fan for a while now and she certainly doesn’t disappoint with Touch of Frost!

Favorite Quotes:

"Sometimes, I felt like Nancy Drew or maybe Gretel, following a trail of psychic bread crumbs until I found what I was looking for."

"Even the richest snobbiest kid knew better than to piss off a Spartan."

"Logan Quinn was the kind of guy who could stab me in the eye with a freaking twizzler."

"I clutched my bag to my chest, as if that would somehow protect me from the Spartan and the fact that he could kill me with his pinkie finger."

"I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open. Had the infamous Logan Quinn just asked me to go back to his room with him? I rewound the last few seconds in my mind. Yes, yes he had - a whole two minutes after he'd just jumped out of some other girls window."

"Graceful I was not."

"Toothpick?" Vic muttered in an indignant voice. "Did she just call me a bleeding toothpick? Kill her! Kill her now!" 

Review: Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson

 

Book: Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson
Series: Marina's Tales #1
Pages: 261
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Young Adult 
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble /
Available Formats: Ebook
Publication Date: March 19th, 2011
First Sentence:  "My father often said that there were times in life when your personal happiness was of little consequence, and you needed to make a sacrifice for the greater good."
How Did I Get This Book:  From Author, For Review
Description: Something extraordinary is lurking in the deep ocean waters off the coast of Aptos, California. In just a few weeks after moving to the small beach town, sixteen year old Marina has nearly drowned twice, enchanted the hottest guy in high school, and discovered a supernatural creature. If she can only manage to survive her increasingly dangerous encounters with unpredictable mermaids, she might just be able to unlock the mystery of her past to learn how to appease the mysterious forces that seem to want something from her...and maybe even find true love along the way.
Between The Land And The Sea is the first book in the series "Marina's Tales". Her story continues on in book two, The Moon And The Tide.

Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson is an exciting and thrilling young adult mermaid story. Surprisingly, I haven’t read that many books on these particular supernatural creatures, so I was looking forward to diving into the story.

Marina is a strong heroine who prides herself on being independent. Sometimes her closed-off nature gets her into trouble, because she doesn’t want to burden others with her problems.  Like all good characters, Marina isn’t perfect. She has flaws, but tries to work through them. I certainly wouldn’t say that she is over her independent streak by the end of Between the Land and the Sea, I expect it is something she will struggle with throughout the whole of the series.

This being a young adult romance book of sorts, Marina’s relationship with Ethan takes up a lot of the book. However, it doesn’t overwhelm the story. There are plenty of other plotlines that keep the romance from taking over things. Plus, their relationship develops at a reasonable pace. Marina doesn’t throw herself at Ethan and Ethan earns her trust over a period of time. They also have ups and downs, which keeps things realistic. After all, these are teenagers – moods swings, hormones and all. 

As far as the secondary characters go, there were some I loved and some that were just so-so.  Abby, Marina’s aunt felt very familiar to me, she reminded me of a lot of my friend’s mother.  She was a bit offbeat and incredibly kind. However, Marina’s cousin and his best friend fell a bit flat for me. I felt like they were one-dimensional and they did not really make a big impression on me. I also felt like at times Cruz’s (Marina’s cousin) storyline pulled the focus off of Marina’s. Cruz’s storyline certainly had a different tone than Marina’s and it disrupted the flow of the book. 

Another element of the story that kind of threw me off was the sheer perfection of Marina’s world. At times things were just too difficult to believe – and I don’t mean her aquatic heritage. Marina was just too perfect – she’s a brilliant, beautiful globetrotting teen who has a wildly successful father (he wins a Nobel peace prize) and an unbelievably rich “Aunt” who lives to dote on her with lavish gifts - I am talking about prada, Gucci and sports cars. Then, her cousin, Cruz, is supposedly this undeniably talented teen fashion designer (who Aunt Evie takes under her wing). I just think that Marina’s real world is too far-fetched. These portions of her life are supposed to be rooted in reality and I just can’t say that I bought it. The unrealistic aspects of her life certainly affected the overall feel of the story and I think that to a point, it hindered it. 

That being said, I did enjoy the fantastic portion of Marina’s life and things that directly pertained to it. I thought that her relationships with and reactions to the mermaids were incredibly intriguing. I don’t want to give plot points away, but things get dark and dangerous and I thought Anderson did a great job with the pacing. That’s why I had a hard time with the “realistic” portions of the book – they created a light, fluffy tone, when I much preferred the darker feel of the mythical side to the story.

Although I had a few issues with the book, I really did enjoy Between the Land and the Sea. Marina was an interesting character who is forced to deal with some very exciting and complicated challenges. Ethan was a decent love interest and I cannot wait to see their relationship develop further. The book had a few pacing errors, but when it was solely focused on Marina’s storyline the pacing was spot on. I am looking forward reading the sequel, I cannot wait to see where Anderson takes things from here. This was definitely a great start to a series!

Favorite Quotes

“I looked pale and fierce, like a Gothic rock and roll vampire. I kinda liked it.”

“Ah, very good match,” said Lue, shrewdly looking between me and Ethan, “Earth and water.”

“It was going to let my freak flag fly.”

“I was a half-mermaid hybrid, but he was only human after all.”

“I hugged him impulsively, and felt his body tense up. I pulled away, feeling awkward, when he gathered me back into him tightly, wrapping his arms around me like a cloak.”

“His face felt rough against mine, and his hair smelled like salt water. I wanted to crawl into bed and wrap myself around him, as if I could somehow protect him.”

“Evie always said that we possess the power to decide whether to simply be victims of fate or masters of our own destiny.”

“I was crying, filled with unbearable sorrow, and it occurred to me that the whole ocean was made up of salty tears.”

“I think crazy runs in the family.”

“He tucked me into bed and turned out the lights. He settled down next to me on top of the covers. “Sleep,” he said, throwing his arm across me, “I won’t let you go.”

“At that moment I knew that he loved me too, and that I had just broken his heart.”

Review: Stolen Dreams by Stacey Kennedy

Book: Stolen Dreams by Stacey Kennedy
Series: The Lingering Spirit #1
Pages: 442
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Buy A Copy: Paperback / Ebook
Available Formats: Paperback / Ebook
Publication Date: February 19th, 2011
How Did I Get This Book:  Purchased
Description: Tess Jennings has the ability to see and talk to spirits. On a daily basis, they harass and annoy her to save their souls. Sometimes she helps, other times she ignores them, but one ghost will give her no choice. Kipp McGowan, a cop with the Memphis Police Department, uses his ghostly charms to gain her attention and forces her to expose herself to his partner.

As she’s pulled into the five year old cold case of Hannah Reid she wants no part of, she finds herself in more than one precarious situation. But that’s the least of her worries―Tess begins to have a serious problem on her hands. Kipp might be dead, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous and she’s beginning to forget that he’s a ghost.

Murder and corruption has brought Tess and Kipp together. But as her feelings for Kipp deepen, she suspects she just signed herself up for a one-way ticket to the nut house, and can only hope, straitjackets come in a size four.

 

Stolen Dreams by Stacey Kennedy was a cute, charming and delightful read. Tess is a sassy heroine, who has plenty of spunk and appeal. She is incredibly likable and easy to understand.  Kipp was also a great character – he definitely stole the show. I would say that Kennedy struck gold with these two. Their unconventional relationship kept me contemplating about how everything would work out. Honestly, I was completely stumped as to how a ghost a living woman would pull off a romance. Keep in mind that Kipp (the resident hottie/ghost), is a honest to god ghost – he can’t touch anything. I do not want to give anything away, because truthfully, speculating about this was half the fun. 

Kennedy did a good job with the mystery part of the book, but it took second fiddle to the romance. I found the background  to be entertaining and somewhat intriguing, but the main focus is definitely the sparks between Tess and Kipp. Which is generally the case with paranormal romances. Kennedy did such a wonderful job with the chemistry between the two main characters, so I didn’t mind the focus shift. 

The conclusion , shall we say, left me hanging. I guess you could say that the storyline was wrapped up, but  I was hoping for a little more. The overall "mystery" was solved, but I still felt a little cheated. I thought I was going to get more resolution with the Kipp storyline, but Kennedy decided to leave things open for the next book (I hope!).

This was my first Stacey Kennedy book and I just have to say, that I love her writing. The dialogue was always witty, snappy and just plan entertaining. She created some wonderful characters (even the secondary characters were charming) that have no problem carrying the book. all in all, Stolen Dreams was a cute story with lots of charm.

Favorite Quotes 

If you don't stop this grandma behaviour, your va-jay-jay is going to shrivel up and die."

"My sex life was as dead as the man in front of me."

"My hand shot up as I gave him a glare which clearly stated I'd Ghostbuster his ass if he said a word."

"Apparently, he was the one who dealt with the crazies, and I could see why, his kind face was trusting."

"I'm going to hunt him down and then I'm going to haunt the fucker."

"I continued to state at Kipp, not really knowing what to say. But I did know I wanted to say something that involved every single curse word known to man."

"I needed to force myself back into someone that resembled a sane person."

"I glowered, narrowed my gaze at him. "If you try and defend him for one second, I will castrate you."

"Oh, look an elderly woman needs help crossing the road. I best go help her."

"Before I knew it, I was home, whored up, and heading back downtown."

"A while later, I found the energy to move, I snuggled up as much as I could to a ghost."