Tag Archives: Supernatural

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Review: Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Title: Let the Sky Fall
Author: Shannon Messenger
Series: Let the Sky Fall series
Pages: 416 pages
Rating: ★★★★★

I went into this book doing something I try so hard not to do. I hoped. I hoped this book was going to whisk me away and make me fall in love and be everything I wanted it to be.

Usually, hoping about books leads to disappointment. When I’m disappointed in a book, it’s hard for me to look past my hopes and dreams and find a way to love a book despite not living up to expectations.

Let the Sky Fall not only lived up to what I had hoped, it soared so far past my hopes that I didn’t know what to do with myself when I finished. I literally sat in my chair and stared at a wall for five minutes because I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do with myself.

The story is told from Vane and Audra’s points of view. Vane can’t remember what his life was like before he lost his family to a tornado. Audra knows exactly what Vane is missing, but doesn’t want him to remember one part of it. Audra must keep Vane safe at all costs, but doing so puts both of them at jeopardy for feelings they shouldn’t have.

The story of the sylphs is something I had never read before. The world of the sylphs is so wonderfully crafted, that I could almost believe there are true sylphs that walk among us. Messenger created a parallel world that fits so perfectly into our real one that I found myself looking at the trees move in the wind tonight and wondered who was controlling it.

The relationship between Audra and Vane is sweet and powerful. There’s something there that I can’t explain. It just fits. It’s like when you see those elderly couples in love, 75 years later, and you know that there is just something between them that isn’t supposed to have a name. It goes beyond love and I can’t say enough how much I loved it.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I have to wait forever for the next one. I’ll be reading this book several times between now and when the net novel is released. This is definitely a must read book.

If you think Let the Sky Fall is your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Amazon
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Review: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé

Title: The Sweetest Dark
Author: Shana Abé
Series: The Sweetest Dark series
Pages: 352 pages
Rating: ★★★

I hadn’t read anything by Abe before and was excited to get started. The idea behind this story was interesting, and looking past a few of the minor issues I had with it, it was just what I had hoped it would be.

The mythological creature this book is based on is different and one I had not read about. I wish there had been a bit more about the World War I setting, but based on the book description for the next book, I’ll be able to get my history fix there. My only other complaint is I wish there had been a bit more concerning the history of the supernatural. A little more explanation would have been nice.

For a time when women weren’t considered womanly if they had convictions and strength, Lora is strong. She maintains the politeness required of her, but she finds other ways to show her strength. She doesn’t back down when she’s threatened, she doesn’t fall back on her “station” and cower. She stands strong in the ways she is able and doesn’t back down.

While my heart broke at the end, I wasn’t as into the love story as I wish I was. Jesse was sweet and kind, but I would have liked a little more depth to him. Armand has a little bit more to him, but I found his hot and cold with Lora to be a little too frustrating.

The Sweetest Dark manages to be something new in a sea of sameness. The level of detail is fantastic and the picture Abe can paint with her words is glorious. It does have a few shortcomings, but it is still worth a read. The historical setting makes for a unique and wonderful backdrop for this supernatural story.

If The Sweetest Dark sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the novel in exchange for a honest review.

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Review: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Redemption
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Castor Chronicles series
Pages: 451 pages hardcover, 576 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

When I was in 9th grade, my English teach spent an extraordinary amount of time teaching us about the Hero’s Journey. We read books, wrote essays, and watched the Star Wars movies all so we could better understand this pivotal part of so many stories all around the world.

Beautiful Redemption is the conclusion to the Castor Chronicles series. It ties everything together. As I was reading, I noticed something. There was a Hero’s Journey inside a Hero’s Journey. Ethan must complete his own journey in order to get back to the person he loves most. More importantly, Beautiful Redemption is the final leg of the Hero’s Journey of Ethan and Lena together. That 9th grade English class made me appreciate this even more.

I don’t really want to talk much about how the story unfolds; I feel anything I say might give away a secret. I will say that my earlier complaint, about there being some filler instead of moving the story along, wasn’t even a minor issue in this novel. Something was always happening and each little thing was important. Every step Ethan takes leads him somewhere and every plan Lena forms gets them closer to the end.

Both Ethan and Lena grow in this novel. They have to face their demons in order to continue along their journey. They have to face a world where they aren’t together and find a way to get back to each other. They each learn that they are strong individually, but together there is nothing that can stop them. And they do all of this without having whiny teen moments.

Beautiful Redemption is exactly what I wanted from the end of this series. Loose ends are tied up, personal demons are faced, and Ethan and Lena learn to be the people they need to be going forward. Everything wasn’t happy, but it was amazing. Stunning conclusion that makes closing that last page wonderfully bittersweet.

If Beautiful Redemption sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Amazon
IndieBound
Audible

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Review: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Chaos
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Castor Chronicles series
Pages: 518 pages hardcover/paperback, 566 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

The thing I enjoy most about these books is also the thing that I like least. I like that mixed in with all the doom and gloom and supernatural, we get to see Ethan and Lena living their lives. There’s a bit of normal mixed in. However, this adds a lot of extra material that is somewhat filer and that’s the part I don’t like. I’m not sure which side will eventually win out.

Beautiful Chaos is the culmination of everything that happened in the previous two books and the price that must be paid. Everything that went wrong in the past two books comes to a head and Ethan and Lena have to figure out how to save the Mortal and Caster world. I did figure out the ending fairly early in the book, but that didn’t take me out of the story any. I wanted to see how the characters ended up, even if I wanted to let them all in on the secret.

Ethan and Lena are still the wonderful couple that can make it through everything. They’ve both changed though and that affect their relationship. They have to learn to trust each other again and to not jump to conclusions. They had to stop being teens in love and start dealing with being in love while in the Mortal and Castor worlds. I enjoyed reading how they grew as individuals and as a couple. Their challenges are only making them work better together.

The subplots were really something else in this book. I would love a Link and Ridley story all their own. With everything going on, getting this other little stories to focus on for a little while was a nice break from the bad things you know are about to come.

Beautiful Chaos was a fantastic book that ended on quite the cliffhanger. I can’t wait to get started on Beautiful Redemption and see how this series concludes.

If Beautiful Chaos sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound
Audible

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Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Darkness
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Castor Chronicles series
Pages: 503 pages hardcover/paperback, 508 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Beautiful Creatures was on my meh list. It wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t horrible. It was a nice read, but it wasn’t one of my best. Beautiful Darkness was able to expand on the world created in the first novel and make the characters do things and grow in ways I didn’t see coming. I found myself losing sleep in order to read just a little bit more, rationing that decision with the power of caffeine. It takes quite a book to make me consider losing sleep.

The story of Ethan and Lena continues on shortly after the events of Beautiful Creatures. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m not going to do much of a recap. I will say, however, that the events of the first book make everything that happens in this book make sense.

Lena is pulling away from Ethan and he doesn’t know why or what to do. She isn’t sure who she is or what she can do and that makes her worry about losing herself and hurting the people she loves. It’s more than the typically supernatural teen “I love you, but I can hurt you, so I’m going to leave” plotline. It doesn’t feel drawn-out or like the authors were trying to force something that wasn’t there.

I like that the story is told from Ethan’s point of view. It gives the complexity of the story just a touch of simplicity because we aren’t trying to figure out the Castor world as we try to figure out the problems the novel puts in front of us. We learn about the Castor world as Ethan does and as it ties into the story instead of trying to add more layers to an already complex story.

Beautiful Darkness makes up for what Beautiful Creatures lacked. There was a fantastic plotline, plus we got to explore Ethan and Lena as people. They grew and discovered things about themselves and the world that makes for a promising future in the next novels. I’m looking forward to getting started on the next book.

If Beautiful Darkness sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Amazon
IndieBound
Audible

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Review: Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Shadows in the Silence
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Series: Angelfire series
Pages: 469 pages hardcover, 384 ebook
Rating: ★★★★★

Shadows in the Silence blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading and as soon as I finished, I had that feeling. There’s really no way to describe that feeling, but you know when you have it.

Ellie really comes into her own in this novel. She’s strong, determined, and really figures out who she is. I really liked the focus on Ellie and her humanity. Moulton did an amazing job of speaking about what makes humans human without sounding like she was trying to preach; she wrote about souls perfectly. The struggle Ellie faces between saving the human world and possibly losing herself, or keeping who she is and risking evil taking over is done in a breathtaking way.

Will and Ellie together are fabulous. They realize that while love can make you weak in the knees, it does not make you weak in the heart. It gives you something to fight for when everything looks like it is stacked against you. They rely on each other, but they aren’t dependent upon each other. There’s a wonderful balance of give and take in their relationship and it’s perfect.

I was very hesitant about reading the Angelfire series. I just wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea. Moulton’s writing shook me and made me think, really slow down and savor each word she wrote. Ellie and Will’s story is timeless and I’m completely in love with them. Shadows in the Silence is a gripping, fast-paced novel that keeps you turning page after page, needing to know what’s next. Even in the darkest times, Moulton created a world that still had that ray of hope.

This is a definite must-read series for me. Don’t make the mistake I did and pass it up for two years. Read it, and read it as soon as possible.

If Shadows in the Silence sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Title: Boundless
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly series
Pages: 438 pages hardcover, 448 paperback, 320 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

I’ve been looking forward to reading Boundless for a while. I was nervous and excited and anxious to start it as soon as I got my hands on it. I knew once I started reading, I wouldn’t be able to stop until I had read every last word.

Boundless starts off the fall of Clara’s first year at Stanford. She feels a little alone, even though Angela and Christian are there with her. Angela begins to drift away from her and Christian wants more than she can give. She misses her mom, her Jackson friends, and Tucker. On top of that, she’s trying to balance being a typical college freshman with being an angel. Every choice she makes can alter the lives of those around her.

While I’ve been a huge fan of Tucker for the last two books, I did warm up to Christian. I could see why Clara struggled so much between her feelings for the two. It was a black and white choice. An author has to be amazing in order to make me love both guys in a love triangle, but Hand easily does it. I knew either choice Clara made would be bittersweet.

As for the other important part of any novel, the plot, it was just amazing. It had me anxious, waiting for someone to pop out and say the figurative “Boo!” I was completely engrossed, barely paying attention to anything in the real world. It kept me engaged and interested.

Boundless is the satisfying end to a fantastic paranormal series, definitely one of the best I’ve read. It has strong messages about life and love, and even with the paranormal aspect, it speaks true to life. Finishing a book is always bittersweet, but Boundless ends with hope lighting the future. Amazing book, amazing series, amazing read.

If Boundless sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Audible
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IndieBound

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Review: Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Possess
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Rating: ★★★★

The first few chapters of Possess did not draw me in. They felt a little rough around the edges and I was worried this was going to be another book that got high praise from others and left me baffled.

Once the book got introductions and explanations over and could settle into the actual story, it got better. So much better.

I was expecting a book that relied heavily on religion to make a point. For the first few chapters, it seemed like that would be the direction the book took. Thankfully, the religion aspects of the novel were secondary. The story focused more on Bridget as she came to terms with her father’s death, her seemingly new power, and a possible love interest.

Bridget has the power to banish demons. She only recently discovered this power and it’s giving her a lot of self-doubt. She wasn’t looking for anything like this. She hasn’t really come to terms with the death of her father, plus she’s just like any normal teenage girl trying to find her way through the maze that is the high school years. She was a little immature at times, but that fit her character. I was happy she wasn’t some perfectly put together fifteen year old; she was a fifteen year old that had to grow up a little too fast, but she was still 15.

Matt was sweet. He isn’t my favorite Young Adult love interest, but he was nice enough and made me smile. He works hard to get Bridget to see him as more than the annoying son of a cop and I’m glad he got through to her. I can see him being her strength when she needs it.

The story wrapped up nicely, but left it open for more. It’s clear Possess is its own story, and I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful the ending was left open for more.

Possess is a book that surprised me. It got off to a slightly shaky start, but as soon as the action and mystery kicked in, it became a page-turner.

If Possess sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound