Review: "Captivate" by Carrie Jones

Title: Captivate

Author: Carrie Jones

Series: Need book 2

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they did-sort of. The pixies are sill locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he is in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. It is enough to draw a new king into town. Astley claims that he is different, that there are pixies that can live peacefully with humans. Zara wants to believe him...until Astley also claims that she is fated to be his queen. There is no way Zara will ever turn pixie. She's got good friends who will make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when the very thing that Zara wants to protect most is exactly what's at risk, she is forced to make a choice she never imagined....

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

One of the things that draws me to this series is the setting. Having grown up in New England and spending time with family in Maine, where the story takes place, I am reminded of things I have sort of forgot about in my nearly ten years in Georgia. The description of bitterly cold Maine winters, getting "grinders" (sub sandwiches) from the deli, eating "home fries" (hash browns), using the adjective "wicked" for everything that is awesome., and most of all the environmentally friendly tree-huggers who will keep the planet healthy for us. I was drawn in immediately with the first book and I couldn't wait to read the second. One of the best things about Carrie Jones' series is that although it is younger teen friendly, it still has enough scare, blood and gore to keep the older reader's interest. I think that a reviewer got it right, when they described Jones' first book like this, "If you grabbed Stephen King and Stephanie Meyer and asked them to author a book, they would come up with need."( Justine Magazine) I wholeheartedly agree, I love this series. I enjoyed the second book, Captivate, as much as the first. The characters are unique. Zara, is most unusual she is pacifist, vintage t-shirt wearing, Amnesty International writing, fiercely loyal teenager. Nick is a handsome, macho, overprotective (in a good way), super sweet, jock-werewolf who madly adores Zara and would die for his friends. Issie is the hyper, chatty, ever supportive, always positive, absolutely human best friend to Zara, she is also madly in love with Devyn. Devyn is also a were-shifter. He changes into an eagle like bird. He is super nerdy, ridiculously smart, except when it comes to noticing Issie, he was in a terrible accident that left him in a wheel chair but hopefully not for long. His shifting is healing him slowly. These are some original characters, yet they could be your best friends and I so enjoy that. Big decisions are made in this book, huge plot lines are intertwined, and one big heartbreak brought tears to my eyes. This a fast-paced read that once again I couldn't put down. As usual, read Need first and then this one.

Review: Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Spells

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Series: Wings

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: Although Laurel has come to accept her true identity as a faerie, she refuses to turn her back on her human life-especially her boyfriend, David-to return to the faerie world. BUT when she is summoned to Avalon, Laurels feelings for the charasmatic faerie sentry are undeniable. She is forced to make a choice- a choice that could break her heart.

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

WOW!! That is my reaction after reading the first book in this series. It was also the same reaction I had to this book. Pike has created a beautiful faerie world the likes of most movies couldn't replicate. I want to live in Avalon! Her descriptions paint a vivid picture of this perfect world. As I have said before I love when a series get better with each book and this one does. I can't wait for the next book since we were left with a frustrating cliffhanger. Pike's characters are multidimensional, although it doesn't seem that way at first. Laurel is a beautiful faerie who has been raised in the human world, and has only found out about her heritage in the past year. Along with her heritage, she found out about Tamani, a faerie sentry who has both protected her and loved her whole life. And Laurel can't deny she has strong feelings for him as well. However, she is also in love with her loving boyfriend David, who loves and accepts her for who and what she is. This is a great love triangle because both boys are absolutely wonderful and readers are left once again picking a "team" This book brought the love triangle to ahead early in the series, whereas most authors draw it out. However, regardless of Laurel's choice in this book, readers are left with the hope that she might change her mind later. I absolutely adore a good love triangle! We meet some new characters in this book and are curious about what they mean for the series. This is a must read, and I recommend it for readers of younger ages (tweens) and older ages alike. Be sure to read Wings before you read Spells.

Review: Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Title: Intertwined

Author: Gena Showalter

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: There's something about the the new guy at Crossroads High.... Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him. With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions. Aden and the souls have become friends. But now, they're causing him all kinds of trouble when all he wants is peace...Then he meets a girl, Mary Ann, who quiets the voices. Well, as long as she is near him. They are total opposites and unlikely friends, but Aden can't help it, he's drawn to her. He knows he must stay away, for her own good, but it's too late because they both share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond that is about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist. The four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger-but not everyone will come out alive...

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

Okay, so I am kind of on the fence about this book. I was teetering between a GOOD rating and a BAD one. I chose GOOD because Showalter is coming out with a sequel in August and I think it could have real potential. I liked the book, it was fairly original and gripped me emotionally in some areas. However, some parts bored me and I would put the book away for a while and return to it later when I was mentally able to push through the boredom. Other parts like the the ten chapters or so made me not want to put it down, whether or not it was because I just wanted to hurry up and finish it or because is was that good, I still am not sure. What I am sure about it that though I probably won't read it again, I would recommend for UF junkies. What I did love about the series was the four main characters, Aden, Mary Ann, Riley and Victoria. They are complicated, and tough and vulnerable and best of all they are extremely protective of each other. The relationship of the four characters is the what keeps the reader interested in the book because these characters are fascinating, especially Riley and Victoria. Mary Ann could be your best friend at school, and Aden...well he could be the boy you have always dreamed about. The relationship of these characters override any qualms I have about the plot. I am looking forward to the next in the series Unraveled due out August 31, 2010, I can't wait to see what is going to happen to my four new fictional friends. Showalter is a great author and I enjoy many of her Adult UF books, and maybe I simply had too high of an expectation for this book. That happens quite often with me when I adore an author. As, I said this isn't a book I would rave about, but I think that lots of people would enjoy despite my opinion. So go ahead and pick it up and make your own judgements.

Review: My Soul To Keep

Title: My Soul To Keep
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Synopsis: Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee. Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. . . until something does: Demon Breathe. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends-one of whom is hooked. And so is someone else. . .

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

Seriously, I really need to add a FREAKING GOOD to my rating system. I love, love, love when a series gets better and better. Usually the third book of a series is one of the best whether it's the last one or not. Most people have probably inferred from my blog that Rachel Vincent is probably my favorite author right now. I am absolutely addicted to her books. With her, each book in her series' is better than the last and you don't want it to ever end. I loved MSTK because it is the pinnacle of the series, as I think most third books are. And as usual it leaves you with an unbelievable cliffhanger that you have to wait six months until the release of the next book to find out what happens. GRR! I was worried before reading this book, because of the fact that Vincent had warned us that a lot of things would change for Kaylee and that her boyfriend was lying to her. Since I love the romance between Nash and Kaylee, I was concerned. It is really hard to talk about this book because I don't want to give anything away. I hate spoilers...actually that is not true. I am a very impatient person and usually always read the last page of the book first just so I know what happens. (Yeah, I'm a freak, but it works for me)

There are many surprises in this book, we learn new things about characters we thought we knew so well. Kaylee learns a lot and grows tremendously in this book. She has always been a relatively strong character, but her strength blossoms in this chapter of the S.S series. Without being preachy, she sets a good example for girls her age who might not have the strength to make the decisions she does. Since Nash is her greatest weakness, it is wonderful to see that her greatest growth comes from her greatest weakness.

I love it when a book grips me emotionally and I either weep with the character, or I throw the book against the wall in frustration. I am not going to say which emotion this book pulled from me, you are going to have to read it for yourself to find out. And read it you must!! BUT not before reading the first two: My Soul To Take and My Soul To Save. I am so excited for the next book in the series, My Soul To Steal due out in January 2011. That gives all you Rachel Vincent newbies about six and a half months to catch up on her two awesome series's: The Shifters and Soul Screamers. This book wasn't supposed to be available until June 1, but for some reason it was available at Amazon.com I ordered it Thursday and it came today, SCORE! I put Intertwined on hold for a few hours so I could read MSTK. It is a quick-I read it in about four hours-and exciting read. Both teens and adults alike will be satisfied with this book. I know I was.

My Soul To Keep by Rahel Vicent...Coming Soon!

Hey Everybody!

I am superexcited! I just ordered my copy of third book in the Soul Screamers series. If you haven't read this series or any of the books in her other series the Shifters, I highly recommend you do so...soon. The Shifters series is just awesome. I have gotten all my friends and even my mother hooked on the series. The first book is STRAY, once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down. The Shifters series is Adult, Urban Fantasy and the Soul Screamers series is YA but is super good as well. Anyway, click on to Rachel Vincent's blog page, I have a link on my side bar, and check out this great author. You won't be disappointed.

Don't forget to register for the "Something Like Fate" by Susane Colasanti GIVEAWAY! It ends Monday!

Review: The Prince's Donor

Title: Prince's Donor
Author: Sindee Lynn
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Synopsis: Four years ago Jenna James signed up for the donor database with fanciful thoughts of lying in the arms of a vampire. Now she wishes she'd had never heard of it since no vampire has ever called on her for donation. As soon as she is ready to delete her name from the registry, a handsome vampire shows up on her doorstep asking for her to be his donor. She agrees to and then is taken on a wild sensual journey unlike any she's ever been on before. However, her vampire is keeping a secret from her, one that could put her life in danger....

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

Okay, so I got this book in the mail because I signed up to host a virtual book tour and Ms. Lynn was kind enough to send me her book for review. When I picked the book, I new it was about vampires, and since I love a good vamp story I wanted to read it. What I didn't know however was how much sexual content there would be. Now, I like a little sex in my adult fiction as much as the next red-blooded thirty year old woman, but I felt that there was a little more than necessary, with the book being only about 140 pages long. That being said, aside from that I really enjoyed the book. Lynn has created a world set in the future where vampires and humans live side by side. A world where humans sign up to be blood and sex donors for vampires since they require both for survival. The main characters, Jenna and Syrian, are both likable. Their love story is a little fast and solely based on sex, as they have only seen each other twice. As I said I loved the idea and the world that the author created, however, I wish there had been more to their romance than sex. I hate given any book a bad review, and I really had to fight to not to give an UGLY rating. Since I liked some parts of the story, and like the overall way the author writes, I felt that BAD was a appropriate rating.

I hesitate to say this because I am sure that it will have the opposite effect of my intention, but I feel I need to say it anyway since I review a lot of Young Adult books. THIS BOOK IS NOT YA! I do not recommend it for teen readers.

Review: Spirit Bound

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy Book 5
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Synopsis: After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere. She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Overall Review: GOOD!!! BAD UGLY

I was so ready for Spirit Bound, the newest book in the Vampire Academy series, that I got up at six yesterday morning in order to go to Target and buy this book. I was a little pissed that they didn't open until eight. Oh, well I had a good breakfast while I waited. Anyway, I began reading it immediately and spent the entire day absorbed in it trying to avoid the many distractions of a husband, a household and a puppy. I finally finished it at three in the morning, stopping only for bathroom breaks and meals. I contemplated writing my review then, but frankly I was too tired to write anything coherent, besides who was going to read my review at 3 AM anyway? So I am writing it now...Are you ready?
I should have made room in my rating system for FREAKING GREAT! Good, Bad and Ugly. What a wonderful surprise this fifth book in the series was. After my severe disappointment with Blood Promise (book 4), I will admit I didn't know what to expect. I didn't want to get my hopes up like I did for Blood Promise, but I was excited to see what this book held. Spirit Bound was better than I could have predicated! It was exactly what I had wanted B.P to be after the the cliffhanger of Shadow Kissed. The twists and turns of Spirit Bound draw so much emotion from readers who have followed the lives of Rose, Dimitri, Lissa, Christian and Adrian. When I read the V.A series I feel like these characters are apart of my life, only one other series I have ever read has done that. (If you want to know which one, ask me) I think about these characters after the book is over and I love that throughout the series I have gotten to know them so well that I was able to predict what their reactions and behavior would be in Spirit Bound. The only exception to this is Adrian's character. I was taken back by the direction of Adrian's character. We see a lot of growth in him throughout this book. Which is a nice and needed twist to the plot. I predicted Dimitri's reaction in this book which is only because of how thoroughly Mead allows to get to know her characters. Along with the extreme growth of Adrian, we also see a little growth in Lissa. Which I am happy for. I love Lissa's character, I really do, but I was glad to see her mature a bit in this book. She has quiet strength about her and I was glad that Mead allowed us to see more of it. Although I was not surprised by some of the reactions of the characters, I was blown away by the many twists, including the surprise ending-cliffhanger that nobody will see coming. You must read the previous four books fully understand and appreciate the awesomeness that is this next to the last in the series. (Although, I've heard there might be a spin-off) MUST READ...IF you were discouraged by Blood Promise, don't worry I promise you Spirit Bound is everything you expect Richelle Mead's books to be. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!

Give Away---"Something Like Fate"

Win a copy of Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

• Become a Follower of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for a chance to win!!
• Winner will be chosen on May 24th and name will be posted on the 25th
• Leave your e-mail address in the comments sections under this post, I will e-mail the winner for mailing details.
• GOOD LUCK!

Review: Once a Witch

Title: Once a Witch

Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: Tamsin comes from a long line of witches, and on the day she was born her grandmother claimed that she would be the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now Tamsin spends her time in a NYC boarding school where she pretend she is normal. One day during her summer vacation when she was back home working in her family's bookstore/magic shop, a handsome young professor from NYC arrives and mistakes Tamsin for her more talented older sister. She agrees to find an heirloom for the professor, but as she searches she finds that not everything and everyone her life is as it appears. Tamsin's hunt unlocks the secret of her true identity, the past sins of her family and a power that could destroy them all.

Overall Review GOOD BAD UGLY

One word to describe this book--ENCHANTING! I freaking loved this book. I started reading it before bed (never a good idea) and ended up staying up all night to finish it. It was a glorious break from the vampires and werewolves that normally shape urban fantasy. MacCullough gives an original take on witches and witchcraft, but leaves enough tradition so that feel like they know what is going on. The beautiful imagery throughout the book takes the reader on an adventure through time with the feeling of sitting through the latest blockbuster action movie. This book made me wish I was born a witch in the Greene family. Their vast array of powers or Talent as it they are called in the book, are some of the coolest abilities.

Characters: The characters were interesting and well developed. I loved that even though they were witches and had powers, they could have been the person sitting next to you on the bus. Each character had their own quirk...Tamsin's smoking, (which is the only I really didn't like about the book) Gabriel's blue crescent moon tattoo on his neck, Rowena's beauty that we all have seen on the most beautiful of all girls, the spunkiness of Grandmother despite her age.

Plot: The plot was thought out and original. While the plot of this book was resolved, it left a enough unresolved to anticipate a sequel.

I highly recommend this book for any lover of the Urban Fantasy genre who are looking for a different and thrilling experience.

Book Review: Hush, Hush

Title: Hush, Hush

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis: Romance was not a part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend Vee pushes them at her...until Patch comes along. Against her better judgement Nora is drawn to him. Soon Nora finds herself in a series of terrifying encounters and she thinks Patch might have something do with them.

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

I really hate to give this book a BAD rating, but I just feel like I have read it before. In fact this is my second time reading because when a sequel is due out I like to read the previous book in order to better enjoy the new one. Luckily, my rating still leaves room for improvement in Fitzpatrick's follow up, which I will read. There are a lot of similarities between Lauren Kate's Fallen, and this book. My opinion may be skewed because I read Fallen first and loved it. I am concerned that Angels are going to become as over-used as vampires. Although I am happy to read a fantasy novel about something other than vamps and wolves (don't get me wrong, I love a good vamp and wolf story) I just didn't care for Fitzpatrick's portrayal of angels. Even after a second read through there still was so much I didn't really understand, hopefully Crescendo will fill in some of the gaps. Even with a bad rating, I would still recommend this book to teens who love a good paranormal romance since the romance in the book is what kept me interested.

Attention Sarah Dessen Fans.....

Fans of Sarah Dessen, bestselling author of Along for the Ride, Lock and Key, and my favorite The Truth About Forever, will be happy to learn that she has written a new book that looks to hit shelves by May 2011. She just posted the news on her blog at writergrl.livejournal.com, I have a link on my side bar, check out her page!
Dessen's latest is titled Cut and Run. It's about a high school senior who, after her parents divorce, has taken up the practice of assuming a new identity in each of the four towns she's lived in.
**I am huge fan of Sarah Dessen and have been looking forward to a new book from her for a while now, and finally it's here. I have to wait a year before I can read it, but oh well, it's always nice to have something to look forward to. One of the reasons I love her books is because they resonate with readers of all ages even though they considered YA. Be sure to pass on the news to other fans of this awesome author, and be looking for Cut and Run.

Book Review: Kiss of Death

Title: Kiss of Death
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: The Morganville Vampires Book 8
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

Rachel Caine's series about Claire Danvers, Michael Glass, Eve Rosser and Shane Collins surviving everyday life in the town of Morganville where the Vampires rule over the town. This is one series in my opinion that keeps getting better and better with each book, this is saying a lot since Kiss of Death is the eighth book of the series. In this book Claire, Michael, Eve and Shane leave Morganville and experience the most freedom they have felt in a long time. However, nothing goes as plan when you have a grumpy, ancient vampire for a chaperone and you get stuck in a town that doesn't like outsiders. In this book we see the four friends in a different setting with more than ever on the line. The ending of the previous book gave us the impression that Eve and Michael were history. In Kiss of Death, they are struggling to work things out. Of course Shane and Claire are as strong as ever and once again I am drawn to their unlikely pairing. The thing I love about Caine's Morganville characters is that they original. I love goth-girl Eve and the strong but often underestimated Claire, and the reckless but fiercely protective Shane and of course every one's favorite good vampire Michael. Each character has come into their own throughout the series and it seems there will be more room for growth for all if the end of Kiss of Death is any indication. I think I could read a hundred books about these characters and as long as Caine continues to write action packed, plot twisting, stories about them, I will read every book about four of my favorite characters.
Even though I highly recommend reading the entire series, Kiss of Death could be read and still enjoyed on its own...BUT it will be so much better if read in sequence.

Book Review: Burned

Title: Burned (House of Night Book 7)

Author: P.C Cast &Kristin Cast

Series: House of Night

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis: Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampyre High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left… Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world. In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance. Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned.

Overall Review: Good Bad or Ugly

I have been a fan of the series since book one, however the last two books have disappointed me. One of my major issues is the bouncing around of POV's. Instead of reading only from Zoey's standpoint we read from nearly every other character's, in fact in Burned we actually see very little dialogue from Zoey. And are plagued by an abundance of dialogue from Stevie Rae, my least favorite character of the series. I was a pleased to read the POV of Aphrodite since she is such a fun character (this was the only highlight of the whole experience for me) Considering where Tempted left off, I was expecting more from this book. What I believe has started out as a great, edgy, super cool series, has turned into a disappointment and I'm kind of ready for it to end. There are some series's that you wish would go on forever, those are the series's that know when to quit, this is not one of them! Unfortunately for me, because I read the first seven books of the series, I will probably still end up reading the rest of the books of the, simply because I have to know what is going to happen with Zoey (although since they killed off the one love interest I liked for her I'm not sure why I care anymore, but I do) Also, a small naive part of me wants to believe that the next book will bring the series back to its early splendor. Here's hoping Awakened (the next book in the series) will be a hell of a lot better than this one or the previous one.

Book Review: The Reckoning

Title: The Reckoning

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: The Darkest Powers Series

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis: My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal. But normal is one thing I'm not. For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf. Not normal. My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently. Definitely not normal. And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying. As far away from normal as it gets.

Overall Review: Good Bad or Ugly

As the final book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy it was everything it needed to be. In the first book of the series, The Summoning, I was not a fan of Chloe Saunders, but as we got to know her I began to love her. The best thing about the trilogy is that nothing is as it seems-a must for any good thriller. And in The Reckoning no one is as they seem, much to the characters dismay. The Chloe, Derek and Simon love triangle is predictably resolved but still pleasing. Since I was sad to see the series end, I was happy to see that though Armstrong wraps the series up in a satisfying manner, she left room for a continuation or a spin-off. The Reckoning is my favorite of the series and it is a chilling read for all ages.

Book Review: Shift

Title: Shift (Book 5)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Shifters
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Synopsis: Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways. As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option….

Character Review:

• Faythe: Faythe Sanders is unlike any character I have read, which is why she has become one of my favorite characters. She is strong, mouthy, independent and most of imperfect! I love imperfect characters and Rachel Vincent does a fabulous job of making this infinitely flawed character so likable. Throughout the Shifters series we have seen trememdous growth in Faythe as person and as potential leader of her family's Pride. In Shift we see a more mature, serious and sympathetic Faythe. This is the first book int the Shifters series that I haven't wanted to smack her. After her indiscretion with Jace in the previous book, I was ready to give up on her because though I had been disappointed in her at times throughout the series, I was seriously pissed at her after reading Prey and I was fuming that I would have to wait six months to know the fallout. Faythe redeems herself fairly well in Shift as she deals with the guilt of her infidelity, her growing love for Jace and the grief over Ethan's death. In Shift we are given more insight as to why she did what she did with Jace. We also see how much Marc andtheir relationship truly means to her. When we leave in Shift we see her as a formidable character who has come into her potential and makes us anxious to see her in her role as Alpha.


• Marc: Oh, Marc...Whereas readers have a love-hate relationship with Faythe, they either totally love him or totally hate him. One thing neither can disagree about is his loving loyalty to Faythe. I personally love Marc and have since the first book. I love how he brings out the best and the worst in Faythe. I love how no matter what he always stands by Faythe. And this quality is even more enhanced in Shift. His reaction to Faythe's infidelity is not surprising at all. Knowing Marc as we do we expected his anger and we also expected him to still want to be with her even after she slept with Jace. However the most surprising part of his reaction was his vulnerablity. We've seen Marc pissed and worried, but we aren't used to seeing him vulnerable. It costs him a lot to give Faythe the choice between him and Jace. Though frustrating, his response made him more likable in my eyes.


• Jace: I like the character of Jace. I liked him better as the one half of the Ethan-Jace persona, than as the angry and grieving Jace we find in Shift. Even though I do like Jace I absolutely hate him as a love interest for Faythe. We get to know him better in this book and the more I know the less I want him with Faythe. His love for Faythe, while no doubt is genuine, is also very unrealistic. He loves her for who he thinks she is not for who she actually is. I do not like how possessive he becomes of Faythe, even to the point of overstepping Marc's place in her life. His lack of respect for Marc and Faythe's relationship is more displayed in this book. Jace has a lot of potential to be a strong character and I am sure that in the final book of the series he will fully grow into that potential.
  

Overall Review: Good Bad or Ugly

While this is not my favorite book of the series it is a fast-paced enjoyable read. It is not as emotionally charged as the four previous books making it a nice transition book between Prey and the highly anticipated final book of the series Alpha (available October 2010). New plot lines and even a love triangle between secondary characters keep the the reader interested and makes him eager for the the next book.

**This book cannot stand on its own. I recommend that you read the first four books of the series before attempting this one. Stray, Rogue, Pride, and Prey

Book Review: Rules of Attraction

Title: Rules of Attraction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: A Perfect Chemistry Novel
Genre: YA Fiction/Romance
Synopsis: Carlos Fuentes doesn't want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him in Boulder, Colorado. He wants to keep living on the edge, and carve his own path—just like Alex did. Unfortunately, his ties to a Mexican gang aren't easy to break, and he soon finds himself being set up by a drug lord. When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.As the danger grows for Carlos, he's shocked to discover that it's this seemingly All-American family who can save him. But is he willing to endanger their safety for a chance at the kind of life he's never even dreamed possible?

Overall Review: Good Bad or Ugly

My favorite aspect of Elkeles's writing is her raw dialogue. Readers of Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise are familiar with her ability to bring each character alive through each point of view, and her latest book will not disappoint. Few YA books today use profanity and even fewer intimately describe sexual situations, Elkeles does both. However, I believe her use of profanity, though prevalent, does not detract from the book in anyway. The reality is teens today speak that way, especially teens brought up in an environment like Carlos'. Her vivid descriptions of sensuality is enough to satisfy any romance lover, without overwhelming them. She strikes the perfect balance. I loved this book, which was a pleasant surprise because Perfect Chemistry is one of my favorite YA books of all time and I was a little worried that Rules of Attraction would not be up to par. I have never been happier to be wrong about a book.

**This book is a must read for reluctant teen reader and avid readers alike.