Vampires

Review: Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

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House of Night #1

Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast, UK edition cover.

Title: Marked (A House of Night Novel)
Author:  P.C. and Kristin Cast
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  Atom (15th January 2009)
Source: Local library/Own copy
Blurb:

So the bad news was that I’d have to move into the House of Night, a private boarding scholl, known by all my friends as the vampyre finishing school, where I would spend the next four years going through bizarre and unnamable physical changes, as well as a  told and permanent life shake-up. And that’s only if the whole process didn’t kill me.

But the good news was that I wouldn’t have to take the geometry test tomorrow.

When sixteen-year-old Zoey is marked by the Tracker, she knows her old life is over. Now she has to leave her friends and family to join the House of Night school, where there’s only one subject Zoey needs to study: Vampyre 101.

Of course, there’s always a catch, and this one’s nice and simple: if you fail, you die . . .


Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Marked is the first book in P.C. and Kristin Cast’s House of Night series. As the book’s blurb suggests, Zoey gets sent to a school to learn how to be a vampyre. So the story is half high-school story, half vampyre story.

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Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

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Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, UK edition

Title: Hex Hall
Author:  Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (1st April 2010)
Source: Local library.
Blurb:

When sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer discovers she’s a witch, she imagines life will be full of magic, fun and . . . well . . . broomsticks! But her first attempt at a love spell goes disastrously wrong and, as punishment, Sophie is shipped off to Hecate “Hex” Hall, a reform school for witches, shapeshifters, and faeries.

By the end of the first day among her fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person on campus and the only vampire.

Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students and her only friend is the number one suspect . . .


Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Hex Hall is Rachel Hawkins debut novel, and tells the story of Sophie Mercer a 16-year-old with magical powers. Things go a little wonky, and Sophie finds herself shipped off to reform school and a world she knows little about.

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Review: Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

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A Chicagoland Vampires Novel 5

Drink Deep by Chloe Neill, UK edition cover.

Title: Drink Deep (A Chicagoland Vampires Novel)
Author:  Chloe Neill
Genre: Paranoraml Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (10th November 2011)
Blurb:

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if it’s the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, things haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black, and things really start getting ugly.

The mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late . . .

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

This is the fifth book in Chloe Neill’s exciting Chicagoland Vampires series, and it is a very exciting read. Drink Deep starts not long after the end of Hard Bitten, the previous book in the series, with everything slowly starting to settle back into place. Unfortunately it would seem that Merit is not destined to have a quite life (but then if she was, we wouldn’t be reading about her).

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Review: Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

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A Blue Bloods Novel 6

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz, UK edition cover.

Title: Lost in Time (A Blue Bloods Novel)
Author:  Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Paranoraml Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: atom (6th October 2011)
Blurb:

They’re young, fabulous and fanged . . .

Egypt, a land of ancient mysteries, seems to hold the key to protecting the Blue Bloods. But when Schuyler and Jack are forced to separate, can she find the strength to fulfil the Van Alen  Legacy on her own?

Mimi finds herself in Egypt too, in an attempt to rescue Kingsley from Hell’s grasp. Can her love story finally have a happy ending? Or will she have to put her own feelings aside to save her crumbling New York Coven?

On thing’s for certain: the fates are never kind to the Blue Bloods. And there’s more at stake for these vampires than love. . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Lost in Time is the sixth book in Melissa de la Cruz’s epic Blue Bloods series. It continues the story of Schuyler Alen, a girl who is anything but ordinary even in the extraordinary world she is a part of. As those who have read the previous books in the series know, being a Blue Blood makes you very special indeed. . .

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Review: Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

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Women of the Otherworld Anthology

Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong, UK edition cover.

Title: Tales of the Otherworld (The Otherworld)
Author:  Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit (13th April 2010)
Blurb:

Kelley Armstrong’s gripping and imaginative short stories are brought together in a fantastic new collection.

A young vampire learns the heavy price of his new existence; black witch Eve Levine meets Kristof Nast, her soulmate and her nemesis; Lucas Cortez, lawyer, sorcerer and unwilling heir to his father’s Cabal, sets out on a case that will change his destiny; Paige Winterbourne discovers just how fraught a white (witch) wedding can be; and Elena Michaels begins her unwitting journey to a new life – as the only female werewolf in the world . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

With Tales of the Otherworld Kelley Armstrong introduces her second anthology of short stories based in her fantastic The Otherworld series. This book holds a collection of eight stories, some of which were at one point available on Armstrong’s website for free. However, with the publication of this book Armstrong has her proceeds go to World Literacy of Canada.

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Review: Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

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A Guild Hunter Novel 4

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh, UK edition cover.

Title: Archangel’s Balde (A Guild Hunter Novel)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (8th September 2011)
Blurb:


The severed head with a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts hones over hundreds of years compelled the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past . . . but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing compared to his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with a seductive vampire who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality . . . the same vampire who had been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting, and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Archangel’s Blade is the fourth book in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter Series. Unlike the previous three books in the series, this one does not focus on the relationship between Elena and Raphael – although they do both appear as minor characters. Instead, for the first time, we get to see Dmitri centre stage and boy is it a treat!

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Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

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The Hollows 9

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison, UK edition cover.

Title: Pale Demon (The Hollows 9)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperVoyager (4th August 2011)
Blurb:

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after. . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight – freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

Pale Demon is the ninth book in Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, or the Rachel Morgan series as it is sometimes referred to. It has been an interesting ride getting to this point in the series, but I have really enjoyed the journey. For various reasons real life meant it took a while for me to reach this book in my to-read pile, but I think it was worth the wait.

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