Review: Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1) by Richelle Mead

Succubus Blues 
(Georgina Kincaid #1)

by Richelle Mead

Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.) A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid. 

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical? 

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore--free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't. 

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: March 1st 2007

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation

Format: Paperback, 347 pages 

Series: yes

Source: bought


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My Review

For some reason I thought I would dislike this book immensely, and so it took me forever to finally start it. But, just as these things go, it was love from the first page. LOL.

Georgina Kincaid is a manager at a local bookstore, she has a thing for white chocolate mochas, she absolutely adores the ground the author Seth Mortensen walks on and, last, but not least, she is a Succubus. She has to take sexual energy from human males to survive. Oh, and she can shapeshift into whatever and/or whoever she wants, as long as she has enough energy to do it. Her immortal friends are all either vampires, imps, demons and angels.

Georgina, filled to the brim with energy from a virgin who sold his soul for sex, is very excited to meet her favorite author at the signing her bookstore will be holding...but discovers she already had met him, confusing him with another fan, and told him some very embarrassing things, such as complaining about how long he takes to write the books she loves so much and how she would be willing to become his sex slave in exchange for advance copies of the next volumes. She is mortified and can barely look at him, but somehow she's the one who's chosen to take him out on a tour of the city. Turns out that the author who can write such witty and bright dialogues can barely keep a coversation in real life. But, weirdly enough, his silence doesn't bother her much. His e-mails crack her up, his thoughtfulness enchants her and his books are her drug of choice... too bad she can't date.

But this other guy, Roman, sure is trying to get her to go out with him. Roman is the total opposite from Seth. He's charming, daring, almost insolent in his self-confidance. And Georgina is hopelessly attracted to him, which is a very bad thing for her decision never to date good guys again. But is Roman really that good?

When someone starts to murder people with whom she just had fights with, she's suddenly the prime suspect... until she, too, is attacked. But who is doing this? Who is attacking the lesser immortals, and why can't the victims not feel the attacker's presence? The only ones who can mask it are the most powerful immortals, like demons and angels... So, is the murderer an angel? Could it be Carter, the local angel? Georgina, against her boss's orders, starts an investigation that leads her to one of the immortals' greatest secrets...

I thought the story of how she became a succubus was so sad! And the ending was so ironic! Not to mention surprising! I only discovered who the bad guy was a few pages before he was, indeed, revealed, which is a first for me. Usually it's so obvious it's annoying, but not this time. :)

I'm not sure who I want her to end up with, if with her favorite lovely author, with a certain angel who kept saving and comforting her or this other 'angel', who, I think, can still make up for his mistakes.

I loved, loved , LOVED thsi book, and am about to start the second volume.

If you like good writing, creative settings, complex and lovable characters, nice, vulgarity-free sexy scenes and a very smart heroine, this is your book!

Early Review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread
by Sophie Littlefield

Expected publication: September 11th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year's Fourth of July festival won't see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing's wrong.

And they're not the only ones hiding something.

Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people's pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year's Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams.

In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Publication Date: September 11th 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Format: eARC, 272 pages 

Series: ?

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

After her parents were divorced, sixteen-year-old Clare Knight, a.k.a. Cee Cee, and her mother decided to return to the city they both grew up in. To the city where her very eccentric grandmother lives. To the house everybody believes to be haunted. And they move there close to the date when, for two years straight, there have been murders. First, a little boy, Dylan, was killed in a car accident. And a year later, a very popular teen, Amanda, disappeared without a trace. The culprit was never caught for either crime.

Claire creates new clothes from people's 'trash'. She's the ace of sewing and just loves her art. But her mother wants her to study and have a real future, one that does not involve art school. But it's her dream, and she's been saving any money she makes from her line, 'NewToYou' to pay for it. But there's one thing that sometimes give her beloved daily handling of clothes a bit of a bitter taste. Clothes speak to her. Just like they did to her grandmother. And her mother before her. But not all clothes and not all the time, only those wore by people during times of strong emotion. Such as fear. They bring her the vision of the moment lived by the owner of the clothes.

And Claire has just found the jacket Amanda, the second victim, was wearing minutes before being murdered. Now she just needs to fit all the pieces of the puzzle and find the murderer... before he finds her.

This book could've been much better. I have to admit I skipped quite a few paragraphs about sewing techniques and such, because, well... it was just boring to me. But I thought it was interesting to see how much it mattered to Claire, even with her 'ability' bothering her. I couldn't quite believe how fast she and Jack got so chummy, because in one sentence she's telling us how he terrifies her and how she can't trust him, and in the other she's all 'oh, I want his body, I need him to hold me'. I mean, really? Are you afraid or are you horny? Just decide already!  >.<'

About the revelation of the killers.... it took me a while to finally have a good idea of what really happened from the clues the book offered. They weren't exactly predictable because things weren't made very clear at all. I have to say I expected more. The ending felt rushed and kind of bland to me... the tension built and built and then I was like: 'That's what happened?'. Oh, and I still can't understand why there was so much talk about the house being haunted and the origins of her abilities if these things weren't going to be better explained. I mean, why put so much effort in introducing a haunted house if you're not even going to use it in the story??? O.o It doesn't make any sense!!!

Other thing that wasn't explained was what she saw when she touched Jack's shirt, why he was so upset, why she didn't recognize the killer when she was in 'Amanda's shoes' (or clothes, for that matter) and experienced the whole thing. I mean, Clare herself said the person looked familiar. But it took her the whole freaking book to figure it out? Sheesh... there's a lot of useless information in this book. Not even the romance (if you can call that romance) was able to save it for me. Too many loose threads for my taste, no pun intended.

If you like sewing and styling your own clothes, you'll like many parts of this book. But if you're looking for a story that was well planned and well delivered, and narration with content that actually makes sense and are important to the plot, then you might want to look elsewhere.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty
by Elizabeth Fama

Expected publication: September 4th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: September 4th 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Format: eARC, 295 pages 

Series: no

Source: Netgalley

________________________________

My Review

The mermaid Syrenka has loved before and only managed to find pain. But in the year 1872 she can't help but fall in love again, very hard, this time for Ezra, a very hadsome young marine biology student, who's fascinated by every sea creature. Needless to say, he's completely enchanted by her. They are quite happy for a while... but they could never imagine that their 'forbidden' romance would bring a lot of pain and suffering -to themselves and others- for years and years to come.

It's 2002 and seventeen-year-old Hester has just met a very strange, yet very charming man inside a cave by the beach. She is stragenly drawn to him, and can't help but come back and just be close to him. She's falling in love... and it's the worst thing she could ever do. Hester has promised herself to never fall in love. Ever since she was just a kid she's been hearing stories about the women in her family, who always seemed to die just after giving birth to their daughters. Including her mother. So, just to be safe, she decides to not love at all. But no doctor could ever find out what really happened to those women. Not even the modern medicine can tell. Is it some kind of genetic condition? Or could it be something more dangerous, like a curse?

When she mentions the mysterious deaths to the guy from the cave, he suggests she looks deeper into it. And when Hester starts to investigate, she discovers much more than she could ever expect to find. Is teh crypt where her ancestors are buried really haunted? Who is the little girl who used to play with her at the cemetery that no else can see but her? And why is it that everything always leads her back to the ocean? Are the myths of sea creatures really myths?

Gods. So much love, so much tragedy, so much sadness, violence and wasted lives. This book will break your heart and make you cry a freaking river. But you'll love it anyway. Elizabeth Fama is a complete genious. Her writing is perfectly fluid, clearly well planned and well thought of, her characters are very alive and almost spill out of the pages. It is, I daresay, an almost perfect tale. It has it all. Drama, tragedy, romance, true love, action, violence, magic, mystery and paranormal beings. And it all fits superbly.

I can't say I was terribly excited about starting this book. I didn't care much about the other mermaid books I've read recently (found them to be very childish, weak or even downright mediocre...), but, oh, boy. Was I surprised by Monstrous Beauty!!! It blew my mind. I just couldn't stop reading it. I could barely blink! (even bloodshot eyes are totally worth it, I promise!). It's not everyday I give a book 5 stars, so that alone should tell you how much I loved it.

Hester was so strong, so smart and likeable! I usually find main heroines annoying, but this one was just absolutely incredible. Ezra was definitely charming, if quite pitiable. He deserved so much more of life... Syrenka was one of the most fascinating characters I've ever read about. I really wanted her to find the happiness she had been looking for her very long life. Even if she did some very gruesome things while trying to achieve it. And the secondary characters were all captivating in their own ways. Peter, Sam, the priest, Nellie... they were all very complex, even if they had short appearances. Oh, and the double POVs were awesome.

There was nothing I didn't like in this book, except that it was too short. LOL. I wanted to keep on reading it forever. ;) Even if it did make me cry quite a bit.

If you like tales of true love with tons of mystery, drama and quite a bit of action and adventure thrown in the mix, you'll love Mostrous Beauty just like I did, especially if you're not a fan of mermaid books, like I was. And you'll follow my example and pre-order it right away, because it's so freaking good you have to have it. (My beautiful precioussssssss must be on its way. *-*).

* I'm so happy I received an eARC for this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

P.P. (Post posting): I sort of liked the eARC cover better, buuuut.... what's a girl to do, right?

So, do you think you'd like to read this book? If you've read it, what did you think? :3

Early Review: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
by Ruth Frances Long

Expected publication: August 16th 2012 by Dial Books

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: August 16th 2012

Publisher: Dial Books

Format: eARC, 300 pages 

Series: no

Source: Netgalley


_____________________

My Review

When Jenny was 10-years-old, her older brother Tom decided to take a shortcut through the forest on the way home from their music class. Tom, a very talented fourteen-year-old was joyfully playing his flute when Jenny started to notice the earth moving slightly... and then, out of nowhere, a strange man made of bark, moss and dirt appeared and tried to grab her. Her brother stepped in front of her and was taken in her stead, screaming for her to run while the earth swallowed him up. He was never found again.

Seven years later, Jenny is tired of being treated like a mentaly-ill person. Nobody ever believed her when she spoke of the bark man or about how the earth swallowed her brother. Her parents sent her to all the doctors they could think of, and eventually sent her away to a boarding school, because they could barely look at her, who looked so much like the son that never returned home. The talented one.

Jenny has been trying to convince herself for years that trees cannot hurt her, that the forest is harmless, even if she keeps hearing them call to her... so she returns to the forest where everything happened, where the pull is even stronger. She has a bouquet of flowers to honor her brother. She's looking for some sort of closure... but then she hears his flute, his beautiful music. Without even thinking about it, Jenny follows the sound until she finds herself far, far  away from home.

She's in Faerie land. There, she's considered sport to any fae who can get her... but Jack o' the Forest, the Guardian of the Edge, is responsible for her well-being and with the help of the famous Puck, tries to send her back to where she came from... but Jenny is to close to give up, now. She discovers that the man she heard playing, the one she suspects's almost sure to be her brother, is the Queen's piper. And to meet the Queen Titania would be a very, very dangerous thing to her. But almost everything in that place is dangerous. Beautiful, but two-faced and treacherous. Jenny now needs to learn whom she can trust and to what point.

The book is beautifully written, with such an enrapturing style of narration you can't help but just want to fall into it, and in love with it. I mean, look at that cover! It's to die for. Well, I have never been much of a faerie fan, but Jenny is such a very nice female character! And she's not blond.(Nothing against blondes, but I am starting to get tired of so many blond heroines in YA, ok? And redheads.). Oh, and I just went nuts for Jack! Wretched, bewildered and completely torn between duty, love and his own survival. How can someone NOT  love him? The story did drag a bit at some parts, but the plot was so interesting I just kept going, dying to know what would happen next.


I can't say the ending was incredibly creative or at least surprising. Not at all. But it was cute and satisfying nonetheless.


If you enjoy paranormal Young Adults with faerie stories and forbidden romance, then The Treachery of Beautiful Things is your book.

*I received an eARC from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

The Unquiet
by Jeannine Garsee

Expected publication: July 17th 2012 by Bloomsbury

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publication Date: July 17th 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: eARC, 388 pages 

Series: ?

Source: Netgalley

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My Review:

First line: Sometimes, when I dream, the deadliest moment in my life happens all over again.

Last line: I don't believe you. 

Favorite quote: As someone who's always drawn to the "bad boy" type, I can't explain my attraction to a certified band geek who'll probably major in animal husbandry and end up inseminating cows for a living.

Corinne Jacobs has been a good girl, taking all of her meds everyday, for 3 months and 13 days. Why she's being so careful and counting all the days like that? Because of what happened 3 months and 13 days ago. The time when she decided to stop with her bipolar meds and ended up killing her grandmother.

Now her stepfather hates her and her mother has dragged her from sunny California to chilling middle-of-nowhere Ohio, where she grew up. Rinn doesn't think that moving to this dinky little town will make anything better. But then she actually starts making friends. And the cute farmer boy next door is starting to look way too yummy. Oh, and she absolutely loves her new house and room up in the attic. Until she finds out that the previous owner killed herself up there, of course. Right after her granddaughter was found dead in the pool at Rinn's new school. Awwwwkward. 

And, as if that wasn't freaky enough, she finds out that very strange things have been happening to the people who cross the 'Tunnel' (the part of the gym with the pool where Annaliese's body was found). Weird things have always happened there before, but now another student is found dead by the pool and Rinn's new friends start to act very bizarre. Is it the ghost of Annaliese? Is she haunting the pool area? Is she haunting Corinne? If so, why?

This book had so much in it! So much mystery, so much drama, so much angst and romance!! It really had everything a good book should have. I especially liked knowing/seeing more about how bipolar people act, what they have to deal and fight with everyday, how they really feel about themselves and everyone else. The pressure. The fear. The regret. The desire to just let go. The strength needed not to. 

The Unquiet gives you very strange vibes throughout the book. You start to think that things are getting better, that Rinn herself is getting better and everything and everyone is going to be alright... then the creepiness starts and you have to control yourself not freak out over what's happening in a freaking book! LOL. Miss Garsee has such an engrossing, enrapturing and right-to-the-pont way of writing things that it sucks you right in and makes you feel comfortable... and that's when you should be careful. She makes you forget, repeatedly, that you're actually reading a ghost story, not an ordinary teenage tale. And it sneaks right up to you. Every. Single. Time. O.o

It's been a while since I've found a book's title that is as absolutely perfect or as fitting as this one is. Unquiet. That's exactly how you'll feel during the entire 'ride' that is Corinne's story. And afterwards. Yup. Even after you close the book and start to try to think of something else. It will stick with you. That unquiet feeling. That little chill behind your neck. And you'll love it.

P.S.: And Nate was so adorable!!! *-* It makes me want to move to Ohio, too. Like, right now.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance #3) by Larissa Ione/Reading Romances May Challenge

I chose this book for the Reading Romances May Challenge

2) Read a book by a favorite author or from a favorite genre.

Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance #3) 
by Larissa Ione

May 22nd 2012 by Grand Central Publishing

Thanatos, the most deadly Horseman of the Apocalypse, has endured thousands of years of celibacy to prevent the end of days. But just one night with the wickedly sexy Aegis Guardian, Regan Cooper, shatters centuries of resolve. Yet their passion comes with a price. And Thanatos must face a truth more terrifying than an apocalypse-he's about to become a father.

Demon-slayer Regan Matthews never imagined herself the maternal type, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance she had no choice but to seduce Thanatos and bear his child. Now, as the final battle draws closer and his rage at being betrayed is overshadowed by an undeniable passion for the mother of his child, Thanatos has a life-shattering realization: To save the world, he must sacrifice the only thing he's ever wanted-a family.

Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk

Publication Date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books

Format: eARC, 368 pages 

Series: ?

Source: Netgalley

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My Review:

First line: Regan Matthews was going to die

Last line: Too spoilery.

Favorite quote: From virgin to dad in zero to sixty.

Guardian Regan Matthews is pregnant and almost ready to deliver. Normally women in her situation would be thrilled, counting the minutes and preparing everything for the new arrival... but hers is a quite different situation. 

First of all, her baby was conceived in a very unorthodox way, one that made the father-to-be freak out and decide to kill her. So now she's in hiding and he's in an induced 'coma' of sorts, thanks to his siblings. A very strange situation, indeed. But it gets weirder. How? Well, the father is Thanatos, the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. A.k.a Death, if his Seal breaks. 

And in Thanatos' mind, Regan, an OCD Aegis Guardian and psychometric empath with other gifts, has tried to purposefully break his Seal. After drugging him with an aphrodisiac and trapping him in his own body with one of her abilities. Practically 'raping' him to end the world. Even if he did enjoy it immensely and wants to do it again, he's still majorly pissed off and wanted to kill her. Until he found out she was pregnant with his baby, of course. He did get pissed off all over again when she told him they wouldn't be raising the baby.

Regan feels terrible for what happened that day. She really regrets it, but she was drugged as well, by one of Than's vampires, and didn't notice that Thanatos was 'restrained' by her powers at all. She also was not aware that there was a possibility os his Seal breaking and releasing the Apocalypse on Earth. As a matter of fact, she was made to believe quite the contrary. And now she's knocked up by a very, very mad Horseman. Very hot, too. Who wants her to make up for the eight months in which he was trapped by his siblings so as not to kill many people with his rage. And he wants her to make up for this time sexually. While they try to understand each other, his brother, whose Seal broke and is now known as Pestilence, is wreaking havoc all around the world. And he wants to kill his baby.

Oh, man. I've been waiting patiently to read this gem for months now!!! Thanatos is the perfect example of the wounded, flawed hero. And super hot and damaged. How can a girl not go crazy over that? 

It was kind weird to read about a man going on about how his virginity/his seed/his innocence were stolen, though. You usually expect a heroine to whine about that kind of thing. LOL. But it was completely understandable. He wasn't overly whiny about it, thankfully. Just indignant for a while. Then things became much more interesting.


Larissa Ione always manages to surprise me with the depth of her characters and the twists in all of her plots. When you finally think you're getting something... everything changes. LOL. It should be frustrating, but it's really refreshing. Thanatos has been my favorite character ever since the first book in the series, so I was in absolute heaven just reading more and more about him. He suffered so much... it felt good to see him finally find some happiness.


Also, her angels are very different from what we are used to expect from angels, so that, too, is quite fascinating to read about. No perfect little goody-shoes in these books. They are good, of course, but even they are not perfect... and even their goodness can go bad. LOL.


But I particularly want to see more of Harvester. She gives me very mixed feelings. Oh, and I'm dying to know what really went on in Reaper's past. And what awaits him in the future... The curiosity is burning me up!


Not to mention that I want to see more of Reseph/Pestilence. Like, right NOW. You are killing me, Mrs. Ione!!! In a good way, obviously. Sort of. LOL. That first chapter only served to make me squirm! December, come quick. :X


If you don't mind some spoilers, check out the synopsis for Rogue Rider. It sounds like it will be out-of-this-world good. :)


* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Struck (Struck #1)
by Jennifer Bosworth

Expected publication: May 8th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. 

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come. 

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publication Date: May 8th 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

Format: eARC, 373 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

__________________________________________

My Review 

Seventeen year-old Mia Price is addicted to lightning. She calls herself a 'lightning rod'. She loves the feeling of being hit, it makes her feel more alive than ever, the pain that is almost pleasure, and that can do anything to her (even kill her, of course, which, apparently, happens on accasion. LOL). But there are many aftereffects, such as chronic insomnia, veiny red scars all over her body (caused Lichtenberg figures) and a burning in her chest when she gets emotional. Oh, and she can fel when storms are coming and sometimes shoot electric shocks at people when she feels threatened.

She moved to Los Angeles after a lightining accident made her the town pariah. But lightning followed her to L.A. And it somehow caused earthquakes that destroyed many parts of the city and hundreds of people's lives. In this post-apocalyptic setting, there are serious food and water shortages, power, cell service and internet are always on and off and the most desperate people resort to rioting and looting. 

Others find religion with the Prophet, the man who claims to have been told by God when and where the earthquake would happen. But people who go to the Prophet are never the same when they return... Mia's mother, suffering from Acute Stress Disorder, spends her days medicated (with overcharged pills from the black market, since doctors and pharmacies were only available to more serious cases, such as severe injuries and earthquake fever, an immunity disorder caused by mold released from the ground) and watching the Prophet on TV.

But 'end of the world' situation or not, Mia and her brother, Parker, need to go back to school. Every student that goes through his classes receive rations at the end of the day. It's not about education, it's about survival. Mia feels like it's her responsability to keep the family together, but with her mom not being herself and pushing her children away, and Parker also starting to pull away, she feels like she's not doing her job right, and blames herself.

At school she's surrounded by the desperate, the sick and scared. And the Followers of the Prophet, whom Mia calls 'extremist evangelical whackos', are always looking for new 'sheep'. But apparently they aren't the only ones recruiting. The 'Seekers' are also on the look out. And they know she has 'The Spark' just by touching her, and they tell her they need her help to save the world. But this very attractive new guy at her class, Jeremy Parish, tells her not to trust either of them. Mia is very confused and annoyed. The only thing she knows for sure is that when he touches her, he shows her the future. And his touch gives her a nice tingle from neck to toes, the likes of which she never felt before.

Now she has to decide what to believe, even if nobody tells her what she wants to know... only that her actions can change the whole world. For better or for worse.

I loved 'Struck'!!! It was so different from the usual YA books out there! The main character is so, so strong and determined! It was very refreshing to see a heroine who doesn't let people step all over her or tell her what to do. She's independent, responsible, she fights back, doesn't just believe everything she hears and is just... intense. Her life is not just about boys or school or what clothes to wear. She has a family to take care of, and with her unfit mother, she has to be the grown-up. 

Oh, and with her addiction causing her body to be almost completely scarred, boys are the last thing on her mind. And the one guy that does appear, apparently falling for her and not caring about the scars and all that, has tried to kill her once. Unlike any other stupid YA heroine out there, she doesn't immediately forgive him and just falls in love, too. No! She stays guarded, she's careful and waits to see if he can ever be trusted. Like I said, it's a very refreshing change of airs. ;D Thank you very much, Jennifer Bosworth. You give me hope.
The ending was just perfect!! I can't wait for the next book!!

If you like your dystopian YAs with strong female characters, a very different and creative plot and lots of drama and action, this is your book. 


*I was very lucky to receive an advanced e-copy from the publisher through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.*

Manga Rec #11: Black Bird, Vol. 1 by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Black Bird, Vol. 1 
(Black Bird #1)
by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Published August 4th 2009 by VIZ Media LLC

High school is hard enough, even under the best of circumstances. Misao Harada would love a normal high school life, but she has been burdened with the sight since childhood—a gift that allows her to see a world of myth and magic that surrounds ours. Lonely and somewhat mournful, Misao finds her world turned upside down when she reconnects with her childhood friend and first love Kyo and finds out that he is the head of a demon clan. As luck would have it, Misao is the bride of prophecy whose blood gives power to the demon who claims her. While other demon clans target her intending to consume her power, Kyo gives her the choice to become his bride and enjoy his protection. The tension between the two characters as they stave off supernatural forces is intriguing, and readers will no doubt long for Misao to become Kyo's bride. Sakurakoji's art is very romantic and the characters are almost painfully beautiful; fans will have no difficulty falling for Kyo's good looks and charm.

Genre: Manga, Supernatural Romance

Publication Date: August 1st 2009

Publisher: Viz Media LLC

Format: printed book, 194 pages 

Series: yes

Source: bought

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My Review

Misao Harada can see things that others can't. Demons and other supernatural beings, but she does her best to ignore them. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. 

But one day one of those beings attack her, and Kyo, her childhood friend reappears and saves her. He heals her wounds with his tongue and explains to her that he is a Tengu (a sort of demon crow samurai, our 'Black Bird'), and that she is 'The Senka' (the bride of prophecy), and her blood will give power to the demon clan who claims her.

But most demons want to eat her in order to absorb her power. Now Misao is just trying to stay alive... and decide if she likes it when Kyo licks her wounds. It goes like this: Every 100 years, a human is born with blood powerful enough to prolong a Youkai's (demon) life and it's meat can offer immortality to whatever clan owns him/her. If that human is married within the clan, he/she will bring prosperity to it. 

Black Bird is a very sensual manga, but it takes a LOT of time for something to actually happen. The author is great at building tension and making the characters work around it.

There are many hilarious moments, especially with Misao, who blushes very easily and, so, is always teased. 

There are really nice battle scenes, too. But the most interesting thing about the manga is the japanese folklore. We see all kinds of youkai such as the Kitsune (fox spirit), snake demons and other kinds of  'nightmare creatures'.  Misao can be a bit of a pain, but the story is very addictive. :)

If you like supernatural manga with good art, romance, drama and a great story, go for it.

Early Review: White Witch by Trish Milburn

White Witch
Trish Milburn

Expected publication: March 1st 2012 by Bell Bridge Books

Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business.No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. “Jax” Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her—the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publication Date: March 1st 2012

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Format: eARC, 188 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

Sixteen-year-old Jaxina Phearson, a.k.a. Jax Taylor just wants to be a normal girl., with a normal life, normal friends and a normal school. But she is as far from normal as a person can get. She's a witch, running away and hiding from her coven. They want her to grow up to kill humans, getting revenge for all the witches that were killed by humankind in the past. But Jax doesn't want to kill anyone, she just wants to control her powers and dark impulses and live her life. The problem is, nobody leaves the coven and lives to talk about it.

So, she leaves Miami and heads over to the mountains in North Carolina (after making sure to leave fake trails to Alaska, so her family won't find her). There, she intends to start her new life. She has a trailer, a used car and was just enrolled in her new school (even if she had to use mind control on a tourist so she would pose as her mother and guardian). Everything looks peachy, until she meets a hunter. A human hunter with a bloodstone that can kill supernatural beings in his hand. She's able to hide from him, but, surprise, surprise, his name is Keller and he goes to the same school she's now going to. And he's the most attractive guy she has ever set eyes on. And he seems to think the same about her. 

Jax has trouble reigning her powers in, disturbed as they are by her very strong attraction to Keller, and even more because of all the bullying she's receiving at school, for being the (super pretty, super perfect) new girl. The darkness inside her wants to be freed, and Jax needs to control it, else she might murder her bullies. And the more she uses her powers, the bigger the trail left for her family to find her gets. Or for Keller to discover what she really is.

When I saw Sherrilyn Kenyon's praise on the cover of this book, I knew I had to read it. I mean, I'm a super fan of hers, so I should trust her judgment, right? No. Not really. I don't know what she was on when she read it, but I wish I had some, too. This book is filled with stereotypes. Completely. 

From the Mary Sue perfection of the main character (flawless long blond hair, beautiful clear blue eyes, killer body and face, everybody wants her, poor thing wishes she wasn't so pretty...blah,blah,blah), to her lovely 'weirdo' best friend/sidekick, who automaticaly isn't jealous or hates her like every other girl at school does, to the impossibly handsome 6'4" (couldn't this 16 year-old be a bit taller? >.> ) ADOLESCENT everyone wants, wanting her. Oh, and, obviously, he's her 'natural enemy', so they can't be together. Which is the same as saying they fall in love with each other from the very beginning. 

*sighs* I apologize if I sound bitter, but I'm a bit tired of always reading the same thing. What's wrong with a bit flawed heroine? And even a bit flawed hero? Sure, this is fantasy and we don't want to read about ugly people, but how about something more believable? How about friends that take a while to really become friends with you? And a couple that doesn't turn out to be star-crossed lovers? Sure, it's much less dramatic, but every relationship has hardships, I just think that they don't have to be doomed from the very first page. O.o

What I did like (and found to be very creative), was the story of all the undocumented killings in Salem, and how the witches got so mad they turned against mankind. That was just brilliant. 

If you like your YA with witches and lots of supernatural and high school intrigue, you'll enjoy White Witch.

*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*