Tag Archives: Paranormal

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A Fractured Light by Jocelyn Davies

I’m a little torn on A Fractured Light. It’s the second book in a trilogy, and started to fall into the slump a lot of second books seem prey to, and yet it managed to stay just enough outside of the hole that I still really enjoyed the book. I just felt some of the middle started to stretch and drag a little more than I’d like.

A Fractured Light starts out only a few days after the end of A Beautiful Dark. It comes out kicking and I was completely into it. Davies doesn’t let the story start on a dull note, immediately getting into gear and I loved that. Unfortunately, after a little while, the story started to drag just a little bit. There was a lot happening, but some of it felt a little like filler. There were still important things happening, but in between those moments, there wasn’t as much plot progression as I would have liked.

Thankfully, the last few chapters completely turned this novel around and had my jaw resting on the floor. There are plot twists that I didn’t see coming until they were right there and I can’t wait to read what comes next.

The relationship between Asher and Skye progresses, but I’m left with a strange feeling about it. Asher still gives the swoony feelings, but I’m no longer completely trusting him. Davies wrote him in such a wonderful way that even as I’m falling for his words, a tiny red flag goes up making me question the true motive behind his every word. Even with those red flags, I was still completely taken with him and his charm.

A Fractured Light was a good follow-up novel to A Beautiful Dark. There were places where it could have been better, but it was still a great read that had me constantly turning the pages. I can’t wait to see how Skye’s story ends.

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A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

I’ve had this book on my to read list ever since I came across it last year. I made myself wait until A Want So Wicked was out because I was hoping hard I’d love it and the wait between books would be too much. A Need So Beautiful was a good book, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, unfortunately.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book. Definitely. But the balance was a little off and that kept me from completely enjoying it. Nothing makes me happier than when the action side of the plot and the romance side of the plot balance each other out and make each other stronger. In A Need So Beautiful the angel aspect of the story isn’t explored as much as I’d have liked while the romance was given just a little too much attention.

While the love between Charlotte and Harlin was sweet and it provided some of the most touching moments of the novel, it also overshadowed the angel part of the story. What I did read about Charlotte being a Forgotten was done wonderfully and beautifully. I would have gladly read an entire novel about that, even without a love interest. Sadly, Young tended to put a lot of unnecessary focus on Charlotte and Harlin’s relationship instead of on Charlotte’s purpose.

In the end, A Need So Beautiful is a book that had amazing potential, but fell a little short. It’s still a good read, and if you like the angel genre, it’s a good read, but it just didn’t quite live up to expectations.

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Glass Heart by Amy Garvey

I love the way Garvey can intertwine a paranormal story with a romance. Neither side feels overdone or left out. Each side balance out perfectly, and in the end, Glass Heart leaves your soul feeling happy and content.

After the heart wrenching story of Cold Kiss, it was nice to see Wren happy and in love once again. It’s a different type of love, though. Not only because you can only have one first love, but because Wren isn’t the same person with Gabriel as she was with Danny. She’s also exploring the paranormal side to her a little more. It’s this testing of her powers that leads to Gabriel revealing he’s not entirely comfortable with that, and that hurts Wren. She feels a little rejected and instead of continuing to explore her powers in the safe way she knows, she starts to get a little more reckless.

While I feel like both the romantic and paranormal sides of this book are explored well, I wish there had been a little bit more on Bay and Fiona, the people Wren starts to hang out with after feeling put off my Gabriel, and their involvement in the novel. It was the only thing holding my back from thinking this book was completely perfect.

Amy Garvey wrote yet another wonderfully sweet, romantic paranormal story that had me falling in love with her words all over again. There’s something special in the way Garvey tells her story. There’s a lot of heart without it weighing the book down. It’s emotional, but in a fantastic way. Garvey is definitely a Young Adult author to keep your eye on.

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Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

I love a book that can give me that creepy feeling, where you don’t want to turn the page but you have to because you need to know what comes next. Girl of Nightmares is that kind of book.

Girl of Nightmares follows Cas as he tries to come to terms with losing Anna, and finding a way to see if she’s at peace after she sacrificed herself to save him. It’s a little more emotional than Anna Dressed in Blood, but it also has those light moments to keep it from dragging. There are enough side stories to keep the secondary characters involved and real, and yet it’s easy to see the main storyline.

Anna isn’t in this book much, but that’s okay. She doesn’t need to be in order for her to have an impact. Her absence in Cas’ life is felt by having her absent in the book. She only really shows up near the end, and while I’m sad there’s not going to be another book to their story, the ending is perfect for them. It was exactly what I wish for in any ending of a story. It felt right and gave me that happy feeling while still making me sigh because there’s nothing more.

Once again, Blake’s writing style helps make this novel amazing. She doesn’t skimp on anything. You get the full effect of everything creepy and morbid in this novel. If something happens, she doesn’t make the book prettier and gloss over it. If a ghost is gross, you read that. If a place is creepy beyond belief, she makes you believe it. It is fantastic.

Girl of Nightmares is an amazing sequel to a wonderful book. It’s a fitting conclusion to the story of Anna and Cas. Even though I wish there could be more, Blake managed to end the series on a perfect note.

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Defiance by C.J. Redwine

I try to go into books with no expectations, that way I’m not disappointed when they don’t live up to what I wanted. I tried to do the same for Defiance, but for some reason, there was this voice in the back of my mind telling me it was going to be a good book.

It was.

The characters are real. They have flaws, but they work with them and find ways to work situations to their advantage. They grow as characters in real ways. They don’t suddenly come to life-altering conclusions that make your head spin. Every time they realize something, it fits. It makes sense.

There’s wasn’t insta-love like so many Young Adult books like to have. Yes, there was attraction right from the beginning. But it wasn’t disguised as love. It took a while to get to the love and when it happened, it was perfect.

The story itself is pretty unique, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. There’s plenty of action to keep the pace moving, but when there is a moment to rest and relax, it’s not filled with dribble. Every word has a purpose and I loved that.

There was enough world-building to make it work, while still leaving enough questions to have me eagerly awaiting the next book. There was enough of a resolution to leave a content feeling, but enough of a cliffhanger to have me counting down the days until the next book is released.

Defiance is a fantastic novel, kicking off what is sure to be a huge series. It has enough of everything a great novel needs without being completely heavy. It’s definitely a book people need to pick up and read.

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Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

This isn’t an action-packed, paranormal, good guy-bad guy book. It doesn’t have good sides and bad sides or huge battles, but it still reaches in and touches your heart with all the emotions you feel.

Wren fell in love with Danny and Danny fell in love with her. He was taken too soon, and Wren wasn’t able to handle losing another person in her life. She had lost her father, her grandmother, her aunt, her mother was closed off…she wasn’t able to let go of anymore.

Cold Kiss deals with the consequences Wren faces after bringing Danny back from the dead. He’s not a whole person; he’s not what Wren remembers. Even in bringing his body back to life, she still wasn’t able to bring back what she had lost. It’s heartbreaking to see her deal with losing him, even though he’s still right in front of her.

Gabriel is a little too perfectly placed for me to completely love this book, but I still enjoyed his character. His abilities seem just a little too convenient, and his arrival too perfect, but he’s still a good guy. He just wants to help Wren with Danny, but realizes there are some things he just can’t do. I liked how he gave her just enough space, but was always there when she needed him.

Cold Kiss is a touching book about love and letting go. It’s about finding the power to continue even when you feel like you can’t. It’s a wonderful book and I’ll definitely be reading Glass Heart.

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Covet by Melissa Darnell

I really liked Crave. I wasn’t sure Covet could top it. I was totally, completely, 100% wrong. As much as I liked Crave, Covet was so much better.

Savannah is trying to deal with her changing body, mind, and life. She had to promise the vampire counsel she’d break up with Tristan, and she has to start learning to deal with her emerging vampire self. On top of that, she has to deal with the Clann members’ prejudices and being a teen in high school. She doesn’t have it easy in this book. And yet, she faces it all with bravery and keeps her strength through the entire book.

One little thing I absolutely loved was that after Savannah and Tristan broke up, they weren’t together again two pages later. Savannah stuck to her decision, knowing that at the time, it was what was best in the long run for every single person involved. As much as she wanted to give in and be with Tristan, she knew too many people would be at risk, Tristan especially. Even though it broke her heart, she knew not being able to be with Tristan, but keeping him alive, was better than giving him and possibly draining him. Her strength when it came to this was amazing.

Savannah’s best friend Anne really steps it up, too, which I didn’t see coming. But I am so, so happy she did. It was one of those things I didn’t realize I wanted until I read it. She doesn’t sit back and play the quiet best friend. She makes herself powerful in her own right.

The Clann series is not about vampires and witches. Those are only the backdrop for a fantastic series filled with tension, growing up and making tough decisions, looking beyond yourself to see what needs to be done, and finding the strength inside yourself to be the person you need to be versus the person you want to be.

Covet was a fantastic follow up novel to Crave. I couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely a must read.

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Blink Once by Cylin Busby

This book was both predictable and completely unpredictable. I knew what was coming before I even started reading, and yet I was completely shocked by how much I love this story anyway.

West wakes up, unable to talk, to move, to breathe on his own. He knows he’s in the hospital, but he doesn’t know why or how he got there. And then he meets Olivia.

Olivia understands what he’s thinking, and becomes West’s best friend. Eventually, they start to fall in love with each other. But then things get difficult between the two and where there hadn’t been a wall before, now they can’t get around it to see each other.

Blink Once follows the plot you think it will follow. But what you won’t realize when you start is how much it will pull you in and make you feel as you read it. Sure, I wasn’t flipping through pages anxiously, trying to figure out what the next plot twist was going to be, but that was okay. Not having to know what’s next left the door wide open for me to fall in love with this story, the characters, and their relationship.

If you are looking for a book that knows how to mix a complex enough plot, a love story, some mystery, and just a touch and heartache, then this is a book you need to read. It will grab you by the heart and not let go until the final word.

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Beyond: A Ghost Story by Graham McNamee

Beyond is not your typical ghost story. Instead of a ghost haunting a thing or location, this time the ghost is haunting a girl. And trying to end her life in the process.

It took me a little while to get into the story. The beginning felt like a lot of explanation and not much of the creepiness a ghost story usually has. However, once the ball got rolling and the book started to deal with the ghost, why Jane was being haunted, and what caused the boy haunting her to die, I was hooked. The stories of Jane and her ghost are weaved together wonderfully, telling a little bit of the ghost’s story, but not enough to figure it out.

There’s a nice mix of suspense, romance, and action. There wasn’t a dull moment, and with every page I was wondering what was going to happen next. The fact that Jane doesn’t always trust herself with what she’s seeing or feeling makes you wonder if what she sees is true, or if it’s her head playing tricks on her. It only made the suspense better.

Overall, Beyond is a good ghost story that won’t have you feeling absolutely freaked out, but you’ll jump when you hear any unexplained noises.

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Inbetween by Tara A. Fuller

Inbetween is a cute, lighthearted read that I would have enjoyed a little more if there had been some mystery or suspense to keep me hanging on. As it stands, I didn’t really feel like I had to keep reading or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep, not knowing what was about to happen.

Emma was a likable character, but she felt a little flat. She never had that huge, brave, self-sacrificing moment where she becomes something more than just a girl. She wasn’t a deplorable girl, she just wasn’t exciting. I would have liked to see a little bit more from her; taking a stand, having a way to fight for herself.

Finn is a sweet guy, but he fell into the same trap Emma did. He did fight for what he wanted a little bit more, but he still wasn’t overly exciting or heroic. He doesn’t find a way to fight for what he wants, and even though he gets what he wants in the end, it felt a little anticlimactic to me.

The secondary characters are what made this novel for me, despite my wishy-washy feeling about the main characters. Easton, Anaya, and Cash could all make for extremely interesting stories and people. They have potential to become really great characters and stories in the upcoming novel.

The plot never lags, but it’s not overly exciting, either. It’s a simple read without being easy, if that makes sense. I had to pay attention as I read, but didn’t mind if a distraction came up. I could easily just right back into the novel wherever I left off.

Overall, Inbetween is a sweet, simple read for someone looking for a book to simply enjoy. You don’t have to think and try and be one step ahead of the action. It’s a good way to get lost for a couple hours in a sweet teen romance.