Matched by Ally Condie

On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life. Except he's not.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love. How many children they have. Where they work. When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.

And that's when her whole world begins to unravel...

Cassia gets matched to her best friend, Xander, on the day of her Matching Banquet, it is a very rare occurrence to get matched with someone in the same city let alone someone you actually know. But when she reads Xander's microcard, another face flashes up on the screen - a face she knows. Cassia begins to question the Society and her Match, along with everything else in her world. She needs to know more about the other boy, Ky, and finds herself falling in love with him. Is she willing to endanger everything she knows, and possibly her family's safety, to follow her heart or does she stay quiet and do what Society tells her to?

First off, how gorgeous is that cover? It's the reason I picked up the book, very different and visually stunning. The author has created a perfectly scary world in this book. Society have made sure only genetically matching couples have children therefore ensuring the healthiest of children, and over time most diseases have been eradicated. Society chooses who you marry and what you do for a living. Even what you eat and what you wear. This world is terribly frightening to me.

The book is very well written and I loved it. In spite of my fear of the world, I was drawn in to the story because, in my head, it's something that could actually happen at some point in time. Cassia is a good heroine, she has her own mind and decides that Society can't be completely true so she decides to fight. I really like her relationship with Ky and Xander as well as her family. Luckily, for me, there's going to be a sequel!


Rating
5/5


Book depository: Matched
Amazon UK: Matched

Firestorm by Rachel Caine

******SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS******

Rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is racing to New York to warn her former colleagues of the impending apocalypse. An ancient agreement between Djinn and the Wardens has been broken, and the furious Djinn, slaves to the Wardens for millennia, are now free of mortal control.

With more than half the Wardens unaccounted for in the wake of the Djinn uprising, Joanne realises that the natural disasters they've combated for so long were merely symptoms of restless Mother Nature fidgeting in her sleep. Now she's waking up - and she's angry...

Book five of the Weather Warden series. Previous books are Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, Chill Factor and Windfall.

After the ending in Windfall, Jo has to work out how to stop Mother Nature waking up fully and destroying the world. David can only help so much 'cos, if she wants him, Mother Nature has full control over all the Djinn, and they have no way of fighting it. And as if that wasn't bad enough, not all the Djinn are on the same wavelength. Ashan and a small group of Djinn are set on letting Mother Nature win this battle. But Jo is determined to fight as much as she can and must talk to Mother Nature to convince her to stop. And yes, that is as hard as it sounds.

I was a tad miffed at Rachel Caine and her treatment of David in previous books but this series has quickly dragged me back in again. I lovelovelove David and Jo and want them to be happy but I realise this is not at all possible. But I still want them to be together as much as they can.

The story in this book was amazing, real apocalypse style. And since it involved the end of the world it's a story that you feel fairly strong about! It was very emotional at times as well, not a lot can upset me but Rachel managed it in spades with this one. I said it before and I'll say it again ~ if you've read the rest of the series, you have to read the rest (LAW, remember?).

Also, if you haven't read the rest of the series? What are you waiting for??? Get started now!!


Rating
5/5


Book Depository: Firestorm
Amazon UK: Firestorm

Windfall by Rachel Caine

******BLURB HAS SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS******

Leaving Las Vegas seemed like a great idea to Joanne Baldwin. But there is no escaping her past - and there is no time to recharge. The former Weather Warden's powers are at an all-time low just as the clouds of war are gathering - and the biggest storm since Atlantis's destruction is heading for landfall.

Joanne is exhausted. When not donning a rain mac and camping it up for the camera as a TV weather girl, she has to contend with a vengeful cop on her tail, her newly divorced sister moving in and getting caught in the middle of a supernatural civil war. Worst of all, her boyfriend in a bottle can't stop draining her powers and is fast morphing from the Djinn of her dreams to the Ifrit of her nightmares.

As the agreement between the Wardens and the Djinn starts to self-destruct, Joanne finds herself forced to choose between saving her lover, saving her Warden abilities ... and saving humanity.

Book Four of the Weather Warden series. Previous books are Ill Wind, Heat Stroke and Chill Factor.

Joanne is working as a weather girl in Florida and has been warned about ever using her Warden powers again. Which isn't much of a problem since David is feeding off her powers and they're running low. David is an Ifrit but he can take form after feeding, which he doesn't like doing because he knows he's hurting another Djinn by doing it. But a major storm is coming and bringing other dangers with it, Jo has a huge decision to make that will affect her whole life.

This series just keeps getting better. I love how Rachel keeps you on your toes wondering what's coming next. One thing I really love about Rachel's writing? Her chapters are nice and long, although this trifles with my "I'll read to the end of this chapter then go to bed" method of reading!

I love David so much so the "is he isn't he an Ifrit" theme in this book killed me! I just loved the scenes after he'd fed and he was back and all gorgeous and sexy as usual but then he has to go away again when his power starts to fade, urgh, so frustrating.

If you've read the first 3 you have to read on, it's the LAW!


Rating
5/5


Book Depository: Windfall
Amazon UK: Windfall

Badlands by Seleste deLaney

After a brutal Civil War, America is a land divided. As commander of her nation's border guards, Ever is a warrior sworn to protect her country and her queen. When an airship attacks and kills the monarch, Ever must infiltrate enemy territory to bring home the heir to the throne, and the dirigible Dark Hawk is her fastest way to the Union.

Captain Spencer Pierce just wants to pay off the debt he owes on the Dark Hawk and make a life for himself trading across the border. When the queen's assassination puts the shipping routes at risk, he finds himself Ever's reluctant ally.

As they fly into danger, Ever and Spencer must battle not only the enemy but also their growing attraction. She refuses to place her heart before duty, and he has always put the needs of his ship and crew above his own desires. Once the princess is rescued, perhaps they can find love in the Badlands - if death doesn't find them first...

Release date 28/02/11

Ever gets interrupted pre dinner party by a siren going off at the fortress. The prisoners have escaped and are fighting their way free. When she and her guards get there, she hears of the queen's assassination and realises she must find the princess heir to the throne. She ends up aboard the Dark Hawk and finds herself strangely attracted to the captain but she must fight her attraction and get on with her mission. But can she stop herself if he's also attracted to her?

I loved this story so much. Loved Ever and especially loved the world Seleste has built for the characters. It's just my type of place (without the war and fighting), the steampunk/clockwork style that she's going for just reminded me of Return to Oz. I like the steampunk look so I had no problem with the imagery. Hmmm, I wonder if I could have found a new Hallowe'en costume?

I may be wrong here, but knowing the author likes a certain space-cowboy Captain, I felt there was a bit of Firefly/Serenity influence going on as well. Whether there was or not, does not change my opinion of the book, it was fun to read and I didn't want it to end. In fact, I'm still disappointed that it was over so soon.


Rating
5/5


Amazon UK: Badlands

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh ...

She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just want to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee's power than she does.

And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason and only Kaylee knows who'll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries.

I read My Soul to Lose, the prequel to the Soul Screamers series, a while ago and couldn't wait to read this book. But just as I was about to order it, Rachel announced the cover art for the UK version and, as you can see above, it's gorgeous! So I forced myself to wait so I could get the nicer covers. I'm a tad cover obsessed when it comes to my books.

The wait did not disappoint. This is a great first book for the series, although I'm finding it difficult to say anything about the book here without giving away spoilers. Normally I gauge it by what the blurb says and the blurb here does not give a lot away! And I don't like to give spoilers away in a review.

So all I'm going to say is that Kaylee is a great character, as is Nash. They're well written and the story is great. I've read all of Rachel's Shifters series and love her as an author, her writing style is flawless and I basically read this book in one sitting. She writes a great story and manages to make me laugh as well.

I am currently about to download Reaper which is another Soul Screamers novella that the lovely Rachel Vincent is offering for free. Isn't she a lovely person?

So yeah, sorry I couldn't tell you a lot about the story but I don't want to spoiler people so blame the person that wrote the blurb! But a must read for all YA fantasy fans.


Rating
5/5


Book Depository: My Soul To Take
Amazon UK: My Soul to Take

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

When ordinary seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between Angels and the Fallen, and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will, who has been waiting sixty years for her return, reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one armed with angelfire, and capable of fighting the reapers. He is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Her soul has been reborn again and again over the centuries to fight the reapers, and he's been there for five hundred years to protect and fight alongside her. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once. At the same time, Ellie is falling in love with Will, even though they know their relationship should be impossible.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to destroy Ellie's soul forever, not to mention the devastating ramifications for human souls. Now she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Release Date 15/02/11

It seems angels are the new vampires in the young adult world. But does that mean they're going to get run to the ground in the same fashion? And turned into something they're not just for entertainment? If it does, it's not happened yet. Angelfire is a great debut novel from Courtney Allison Moulton and is the first in a trilogy, so ... even more awesome!

Ellie comes up against a reaper on the night she turns 17, thankfully Will is there to help her. He "wakes" her powers and she remembers what her job is. Ellie's sole job is to hunt and kill reapers and stop them from recruiting more soldiers for Lucifer's army. Will has been her Guardian for 500 years and always waits for her and watches over her until she turns 17.

Ellie kicks ass and it's awesome to read a YA novel that has a kick ass heroine. Her family life isn't perfect but she has Will to help her escape that life. Ah Will *sigh*, he's sexy, tattooed and willing to protect Ellie with his life ..... yeah, he's also awesome.

The book reads fairly quickly and the characters are well written. I'm really looking forward to the second book, Wings of the Wicked, which will be released in 2012.


Rating
4/5


Book Depository: Angelfire
Amazon UK: Angelfire

Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong

The first rule of a supernatural fight club? Don't kill your opponent.
When the fighters come with lethal spells, werewolf strength and half-demon powers, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds. It's hard to attract talent if they know they might not leave the ring alive. So when fighters at a California club start dying - it's bad for business.
Witch detectives Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine take the case. Going undercover in the power-heavy arena of the fight club is a welcome change of pace for Paige, relegated to the role of The Wife as her husband struggles to find his place in his family's Cabal - the corporate Mafia of the supernatural world.
As Paige is drawn deeper into new and dangerous corners of her world, she quickly discovers the greatest threat isn't the killer in her sights. It's something much, much closer to home. And this is one fight she can't afford to lose.

I will start off by saying this is not a completely unbiased review. I love Kelley so much and will never have a bad thing to say about her books. Her novellas on the other hand? They're too short, lol. I know, I know, that's the point but when you have to wait a whole year between releases the novellas are a nice wee shot to take the edge off the cravings but, like any other addiction, you end up wanting more!

Counterfeit Magic lets us know how Paige is getting on, we only had a little bit of her in Waking the Witch so it's nice to get back to her. She's approached by someone wanting the fight club investigated and she goes undercover with Savannah to find out more. It's a good break for her after dealing with the Cortez Cabal on her own, although it makes her realise help is needed in other parts of her life.

As I've already said, I can't say a bad thing about Kelley's writing. She writes such great characters and tells the stories really well, I normally read Kelley's books in one sitting 'cos she has a habit of ending chapters in miniature cliff hangers that make you keep reading even if you tell yourself you're putting it down at the end of this chapter (I do that all the time and it never pans out). Although it's even easier to read this one in one go as it's very short, took me about 2 hours to read even with a wee break for eating my dinner as well.

My only possible complaint about this is that the actual storyline seemed unfinished, although I can only hope that means Kelley will write another one. And soon.


Rating
4/5


Book Depository: Counterfeit Magic
Amazon UK: Counterfeit Magic

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Clara has known she was part-angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago. But now she is finally getting visions of what her Purpose - a rite of passage for every part-angel - is to be, and it happens to involve a gorgeous guy. Of course, there is the raging forest fire surrounding them, too. When Clara's Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, Clara finds the boy of her visions, Christian, but complicating her mission are her growing feelings for another guy, Tucker. As the day in her visions draws closer, Clara discovers that her Purpose may play into a larger struggle between angels and Black Wings - fallen angels who spread sadness and misery wherever they go. But when the fire erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

Release Date 4/1/11

There seems to be a lot of angel books being released lately. I was worried that they might start to go downhill to the silly extreme like vampires and werewolves have, but luckily, it hasn't happened yet.

This is the debut novel from Cynthia Hand and I'm really hoping that it's going to be the first in a series. I had a check on her site and unfortunately can't find a mention of any upcoming books. Cynthia (or someone in the know), if you read this please put me out of my misery!!

The book starts with Clara having a vision of her Purpose and this leads to a lot of things, mainly her family moving so they're in the right place at the right time. She quickly finds the subject of her Purpose visions and tries to get to know him. She also gets to know Tucker, but this isn't necessarily a good thing. She also tries to find out more about her angel half and her purpose but her mum keeps very tight lipped about it all so she has her work cut out for her.

I loved Cynthia's take on angels, a family living amongst us but carrying out angelic duties. Clara was very likeable and has to deal with normal teenage things as well as her impending Purpose. I liked her friends and I loved Tucker.

If you like the angel market (Hush Hush, Fallen etc) then this is a must read.


Rating
4/5


Book Depository: Unearthly
Amazon UK: Unearthly

Once In A Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Celeste hangs with the popular crowd at Legend's Run High and is being wooed by Nash Hunter, the football quarterback, but doesn't really feel that she belongs. She only comes in contact with the new and enigmatic student, Brandon Maddox, when she passes him in classes, the hallway, and at lunch, but she suspects there is something different about him other than that he is a Westsider and comes from the wrong side of town.

On a dare, Celeste and her friends go to a psychic's shop for a reading. When it is Celeste's turn for a fortune, the psychic grabs Celeste's hands and warns, "Beware of a kiss under the full moon." Celeste and her friends laugh and mock the fortune teller. But on her way home from their outing, Celeste is blinded by a blizzard. Disoriented, she finds herself deep in the woods bordering town. She is overcome by snowfall and unable to see anything. Above her hovers the glow of a full moon. Just then, she sees beady eyes staring back through the falling flakes. She finds herself in the midst of a pack of hungry wolves. The wolves begin to howl. She can't outrun them, and the shortest tree branch is out of reach. They slowly approach her. At the last moment, a stranger pulls her from the hungry pack. He grabs a branch and fights the pack of wolves until they retreat. In the scuffle the stranger is bitten. It is Brandon Maddox.

Celeste is enamored by her hero and can't get him out of her mind. Where Nash is a hero on the field and court, Brandon is a hero in reality. Celeste steals away from her friends to find Brandon, and they meet on a hilltop near his home. A cloudy sky lingers above them, and Celeste realizes she has fallen in love with a Westsider. But in the next few moments, Celeste will face an even bigger challenge than falling for a guy from the wrong side of town. As the two lean in to kiss, the clouds pass, exposing the glow of a full moon. Brandon feels strange and pulls away. Something is about to change-him.

Release Date 28/12/10

Nicely written wee Young Adult story. I liked Celeste but couldn't figure out why she was friends with her friends. They are very different and Celeste knows this but is still best friends with them. In real life, I'd like to think she'd have more common sense.

I really hope this is the start of a series because the book felt unfinished. It seemed to end really abruptly, without explanation. The story has definitely been left wide open so there's potential for a series here.

Wasn't too keen on her take on werewolves but I suppose that's what makes werewolf and vampire books good reads - every one is different. I'd suggest this for a light wee read, it's very short but sweet.


Rating
3/5


Book Depository: Once In A Full Moon
Amazon UK: Once in a Full Moon

Ravenous by Ray Garton

A corpse gets up and walks out of the hospital morgue. Minutes later, a policeman is killed outside the same hospital ... and partially eaten. Something deadly has come to the coastal California town of Big Rock - something that's leaving mangled and devoured bodies in its wake.

Sheriff Arlin Hurley refused to believe the wild talk of werewolves. Then a tuft of wolf's fur was found on one of the victims. But there's more than one werewolf on the prowl. It's quickly becoming an epidemic, the curse passed on not through blood but through sex. As the sheriff and his men set out to stop the spreading terror, they'll learn that many of the old werewolf legends are myths. The reality is far worse.

One word ~ Wow! The quote on the front of the book says "Razor-sharp and gut-punch brutal", very true. A very brutal story, not to be taken on lightly as an urban fantasy book in the slightest. The werewolves in this book are your stereotypical Hollywood monsters, they'll go after anyone and eat them up.

I liked the idea of the virus being transmitted via sex instead of a bite, it leaves you trying to work out who's going to turn before the book tells you and it all becomes very convoluted as you try to figure it out and link everyone together.

Big Rock is just a little town that ends up with a big pest problem and of course no-one figures it out until it's too late. I mean, come on, who believes in werewolves?! It's not exactly the first port of call for any sheriff and Sheriff Arlin Hurley is no different, despite what the evidence is telling him.

You don't get to know characters in depth since it's told from multiple POVs but they're well written in that short space. I've never read anything by Ray Garton before but he's definitely a good storyteller and keeps you hanging on right until the last word (literally!)

Well worth a page turn if you like your horror stories.


Rating
3.5/5


Book Depository: Ravenous
Amazon UK: Ravenous