ARC Review : Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

Chasing Magic

by

Stacia Kane

Release Date : June 26th, 2012

Rated : 

Okay, I know I have said 'this book is the best so far' starting at book 2 or 3 but I have to say it again. This book is my favorite so far! We all know and love Chessiebomb and Terrible. I mean they are my favorite couple along with Zsadist and Bella from BDB and a few more.  My point it that these books are pure awesome, right? Right. Now add...Zombies to this awesomeness and you get Chasing Magic. Yes, I said Zombies! I know I never expected it to happen in this series but Stacia Kane went there and I loved it!

Recommend : Anyone who has read the Downside Ghosts series will adore this book. If you haven't given this series a try well do it.  You have nothing to loose and everything to gain by looking at life from the other side of town.


Let's take a walk down Chasing Magic lane :

1. Debunking Gone Awry

Review : Tempted by Elisabeth Naughton

Tempted by Elisabeth Naughton

Rated :  

Recommendation : If you enjoyed Zsadist's story from BDB then give this one a try. It has the same sort of feel to it. If you liked the first two books of the Eternal Guardians series then you will like this as well.

"Demetrius who we are is not a result of where we come from. It's the combination of what we do and how we live that determines who we are."

Review : Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells 

Rated : 

Before I get into the review I do have to state that this review has been on my goodreads page since Sept. 5, 2010 . I have kept reading the series and have enjoyed it so far. Without further Ado I give you my review.

Recommendation : If you enjoy Vampires and Assassins mixed with Mages, Faeries and a sprinkle of Demons then this book is for you. 

Review : The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Rated : 

Recommend : If you enjoy Young Adult Paranormal books about Vampires then give this a try. Julie Kagawa takes the normal vampire book and gives it a dark twist. 

The book begins with a hanging. Yes you heard right. Right off the bat we have children being hung for stealing food. The society that Julie Kagawa created reminded me of The Hunger Games in that the cities seem to be kept apart from each other and people are kept in the dark about all things. There are fences and walls keeping out the Rabids and keeping Registered and Unregistered people in. Vampires run this show though. They keep people like Cattle. If you are Registered, branded, then you get meal tickets. If you are not then you must steal and that is a hanging offence. Those that are Registered must donate blood once a month no matter what. 

Review : White Witch by Trish Milburn

White Witch by Trish Milburn

Rated : 

Don't let this cover fool you. This book is awesome!

Calling all Hex Hall and Firelight Fans! There is a new "Juliet" in town! Jax has run away from her witch coven that is known for there use of dark powers. She ends up in the mountains of North Carolina. Here she meets her "Romeo," the compelling Keller Dawes who happens to come from a family of Hunters. This is the next up&coming Star-crossed Lovers Trilogy! 

Recommend: If you love the whole "Romeo & Juliet" story placed in the present time with paranormal thrown in the mix then check this book out. As stated earlier, if you like Hex Hall and Firelight then this book is a great addition to your to-be-read list.

Jaxina Pherson or "Jax" is running for her life. She comes from a long line of witches who use their powers to kill. Jax does not want to be part of this family legacy and breaks free. She is drawn to a small community amongst the mountains of North Carolina. She has some money, a car and an RV to her name and must locate a subsitute for her mother to enroll her in high school. You heard right, Jax wants a normal teenage life and will hold on to it with both hands. 


Upon arrival to this small town she is almost run over by a truck  while walking by the woods near her RV campground. She is able to avoid the Truck due to her super speed but ends up in bigger trouble. The driver is not only a teenage boy but a hunter due to the bloodstone he pulls out of his pocket. 


Jax did not let that little incident deture her from her dream of a normal life. She finds a woman to use mind control with and impersonate her mother to enroll her. Keller Dawes her mystery car man and hunky hunter ends up in the school office and sparks start to fly. She seems to be drawn to him against her better judgment. 


Now that she has found someone who makes her temperature rise is all the right ways can she really stay with the danger he brings? Will she stay and fight for a normal life and possibly love or will she flee for safety?


Can we change what Fate has handed us?


Side Note

 

 

* Keller Dawes tall, dark hair and handsome.
*Jax Pherson drop-dead gorgeous blonde.

"I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you."
"Me, Too," I whisper, only sharing part of what I feel.


Favorite Quotes


"Who would have thought when I fled my family's compound in Miami that my biggest obstacles would be disguising myself and getting enrolled in school? Fleeing a coven of deadly witches, buying a used car and purchasing an RV? Mo problem. Going brunette and getting your average high school education? Monumental tasks."


"Fate needs a good, solid bitch slap."


"redneck-Rambo"


"And would you happen to have classes in living without magic and how to relate to boys who aren't witches?"


"Toni, being a Buffy fan, would appreciate the irony if she knew the situation. All that tortured, star-crossed longing between natural-born enemies."


Overall this is an excellent book for young adults and adults alike. 


Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.


-Amanda

Review : Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Rated : 

Before I go any farther I have to say that I love this series and have re-read it tons of times. I am now finally getting around to posting a review of this Great book and Amazing Series!

Warning: You may not be able to put this book down! Curran Addiction is a huge possibility!

Recommend: I recommend this to anyone who wants a Great Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. It has enough for either of them. If you are looking for a Kick-Butt Female Character and a Sexy Alpha Male then look no farther! 

Tons of Action and a dash of romance that adds to the flavor of the book. Yummy and deliciously filling. 

 

We enter a "Whole New World" at the beginning of this book. Atlanta, Georgia (where the book takes place) and the rest of the  world has suffered from a "magic apocalypse." We meet Kate Daniels right from the start. She is sitting at home enjoying her Boone's Farm Hard Lemonade. She gets a surprise visit from a Vampire who is being piloted by Ghastek, a Master Vampire. Kate is not happy having an undead in her house and shows her love by slicing it's throat open. Yes, she did that while she was sitting down. Ghastek proceeds to inform her that the man who helped raise her, Greg, has been murdered.  For this information he asks for her help in solving the murder since one of his own was also killed off. We then get to watch as Kate wrestles her way into solving this murder to get revenge and closer for Greg. In the process she gains his home and more "power words." It seems that Atlanta's Shifters seem to be caught up in this mess as well. The Beast Lord himself, Curran, asks to meet with her and wants the same cooperation that the Vampires do. 

The stage is set and the players are let loose. It is a fight to the end to see who will come out on top and who is guilty of murder. 

Side notes:

 

*Kate Daniels is one of my fav. female characters of all time. Her past is so messed up it is amazing she turned out decent at all. She is a fighter as she has been raised to be, by her mothers "lover." 

 

*Curran is the ultimate sexy male in this book series and rivals many in other series in my opinion. He is the Alpha over all the shifters in the region. He shifts into a mighty, mighty lion.  

Favorite Quotes:

"Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty" 

"It's a reflex. Hear a bell, get food. See an undead, throw a knife. Same thing, really." 


"Why a raven?" 
To honor my father." 
The writing under it, is that Cyrillic?" 
Yes." 
What does it say?" 
Dar Vorona. Gift of the Raven. I am my father's gift" 
The raven is holding a bloody sword." 
I never said it was a nice gift." 


"Men and swords. My father said that if you put any able-bodied man, no matter how peaceful, into a room with a sword and a practice dummy and leave him alone, eventually the man would pick up the sword and try to stab the dummy. It is human nature." 


"He finished the bandage and was examining it critically. 
“You know those things are unreliable”. His voice held just a touch of reproach. 
“Eleven out of twelve work fine. I’d say that’s better chances than getting an orgasm with a blind date and women still try”. 

-Amanda

Review : Witchful Thinking by H.P. Mallory

Witchful Thinking by H.P. Mallory

Rated: 

This might be your cup of tea but it was not mine. This is painful to say because I was really looking forward to reading this book. I have heard great things about the author and the first two books of this series are on my to read list. 

Recommend: This book reminded me of Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley and The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig with the writing style. If you enjoyed these books then you might like this one. It starts in the present and flashes to the past, I mean like hundreds of years difference. 


I want to start out and say that I love the cover of this book. I think it is cute and sassy. I thought that Jolie Wilkins was that kind of girl and maybe for some of you she is. However, her character left me confused and saddened. 

Shouldering onward 
Love the beginning. I was so excited when we met Rand. Talk about hot man. Tall dark and handsome. 
 


Rand,Mr.British Hottie, walks into Jolie and Christa's to have a reading. Jolie can see a person's aura and Rand has a blazing blue one. He asks for a reading and she takes out the cards but he wants specific's about his future. She says that all she can do is see auras. She then proceeds to inform him on his aura. I could feel the pull between Rand and Jolie. It was great. I kept thinking, "Yes, we get to watch them fall in love over time." But instead I got information overload. Years and important events were summed up. I felt confused and discombobulated. By the time we got back to the story between Rand and Jolie we get shifted back to the past through Jolie's journal entries. I kept up reading though hoping that we would see an end to the past and come back to the present. We did hit the present and then back to the past with journal entries. This pattern kept repeating. The whole time Jolie is trying to keep a secret from Rand about her past and consequently his. Throw in a love triangle with Sinjin a vampire and we have our opposing forces. <sigh>

Will Jolie trust Rand with her secret? Who will she pick Rand or Sinjin? What is going to happen with her being the Queen of the Underworld? (I forgot to mention that she becomes this during the information overload.) 

Besides going back and forth with present and past I think the ending really confused me the most. We wind up at the beginning of the book. We were still asking ourselves the same questions. 

Overall I give it a 2 out of 5. It was okay but I am not going to write home about it. For me it was just a writing style issue. I have a hard time with all books written this way so it is not necessarily the author. I am still looking forward to the first two books since they are not written this way. 

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

 -Amanda

Review : Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Rated : 5/5 Stars *****

Wow !!! That was amazing. I need the next book in this series now! 

Recommend:Everyone! Angel's vs. Demons, Heaven and Hell, Good vs. Evil!!! Awesome Characters and plenty of action. There might even be a "cat fight!" What more could you want? 

My Emotions During This Book: 
 

I Loved so many things about this book let me start: 

*It was very original. I loved that it was post apocalypse but it seemed reasonable. People fighting people, gangs, militias banding together. Survivalists eat your heart out with a paranormal twist. 

*Penryn was awesome. Tough but still vulnerable. She is able to rise above her upbringing to do the right thing. I pictured her as Alex in the TV Show Nikita. 
 

*Raffe got added to one of my favorite male Angel characters. I loved watching him slowly melt that cold hard shell around his heart. This is one of those cases where effort is worth the outcome. Come on who doesn't want a sexy bad*ss angel. I thought it was interesting that he is Raphael  and was sent to track down all the fallen and their offspring . Then he falls for a Daughter of Man . 
The way I picture Raffe: 

Alex Scarsgard 
 

ADD THESE 
 

That Equals One Sexy Raffe! 

* Dee-Dum were my favorite comic relief! These twins reminded me of the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter. You know what I am talking about. I mean taking beats and throwing the matches. 
 

Things that made me sad: 

*When Raffe's sword refused to give allegiance to him. It broke his heart and mine. Stupid black razor wings . Thank goodness the sword likes Penryn. 

*When poor Raffe had to watch his enemy wear his beautiful wings. 

*Paige being turned into one of those " little demons". Poor thing and I will just say it, it is kind of gross!

*Last but not least is watching Raffe mourn for Penryn and thinking she is dead . No!!!! It is Lord of the Rings all over again with Frodo and that nasty big spider. <shudders> 

The only bad thought I had was , I don't want to wait till the next one comes out. I want to read it now! 

Must Read People! 
-Amanda