Book Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: October 31st 2006
My Rating:3.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…

There are moments in my life as a reader when I am kind of scared to read a book/series. Not because of the subject, but because of the number of great things I hear about it. It kind of makes me afraid of being the only one that doesn't exactly like it and like I'm the only one who doesn't get it. I had that fear with Darkfever. Almost every blogger I follow and every person from the reading forums and groups I'm on have read and loved this series. So there was a bit of a pressure when I began reading this book.

The world building is fantastic. I love the history and the way the Fae are described. And I liked that some are hideous like a nightmare. Even I thought they were a little too ugly. But that's good. Again, it's always a good thing to break away from the usual track of things.

Mac was... unique. It's not that I didn't like her, I did. And I liked that she likes nail polish just as much as I do (I'm a girly girl like that *blush*), though I tend to stay with the darker shades myself. I think she's so unique especially because she really is a girly girl. I don't think I've read about a heroine that loves to dress up or wear make up or nail polish so much. I liked that soft side of her. I also liked the fact that she tries to maintain her idea that anything supernatural is just a fairy tale. I liked that she doesn't just get on board with anything, no matter how scary or real things may seem.

The thing I could have done without was the constant "I didn't know it back then, but I would soon find out the truth" thing. Sort of like she's already gone through all that and she's just remembering it. And the more she remembers things, she tries to put two ideas into one. I would've wanted to have this broken into more scenes. Something like "Hey, remember when I said so-and-so did this and that? Well, this is what actually happened". It would be nice to have some more mystery surrounding things and keep me in the dark when it comes to certain aspects of the story. Knowing beforehand that things aren't what they seem makes it a little difficult not to want to jump inside the book and shake Mac a little and tell her the truth about stuff.

Then Barrons came. See, I was sure I would be instantly head-over-heels in love with him. Instead I found him too bossy sometimes and sometimes he kind of pissed me off. Not too much, but enough to want to see Mac smack him. Gibbs' style (on the back of the head for those of you that don't watch NCIS).

The book ended so abruptly I didn't know what hit me. I will be reading Bloodfever, at least to satisfy my curiosity and see if we get some between the sheets action. And maybe Barrons will grow on me. Can't say my opinion about V'Lane, because we haven't seen him so many times yet. Anyway, I'll keep reading.

Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked

Umm... I have no idea? I could answer the reverse question, which book I hated that everyone loved. But this one has me kind of blocked. To be honest, I don't really pay attention to that. I usually see if other people with similar tastes in books recommend a book and if I like it then I'm like "Yay, they weren't wrong". But when I "branch out" and try something for myself and I like that book, I don't really check to see if I'm alone or if there are other fans. I just know that I liked the book.

What about you? Do you have a book that you loved but everyone hated?

Early Book Review: Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Lords of Deliverance #4
Publisher: Piatkus
Release Date: November 20th 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now. They are the Lords of Deliverance and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride.

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous . . .

Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbours are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

Oh boy. I know I didn't review the other books from this series, but I just can't wait. Let me start by saying that I was oh so very surprised by this book. I didn't expect to love Reseph as much as I did. And I also wasn't expecting to love his book almost as much as I loved Than's book (Lethal Rider). 

In case you haven't read this series (shame on you!), Reseph has been the bad guy for almost the entire series. It wasn't until the very end of Lethal Rider that he gets to become one of the good guys again. Even in his bad I'm-going-to-kill-anything-that-moves state, I didn't hate him as much as I should have. Probably because I knew that his story would come and because I was going to get to read his story really fast (see, there's a good part to this whole late to read a series thing I have going on!). I was hoping for something big for his story and I wasn't disappointed. From the tortured hero to the strong heroine and ending with some surprising news and turns and twists, Rogue Rider has it all. I'll be honest and say that I loved Thanatos out of all three brothers more. Now, before you call me names let me say that yes, I KNOW there's a sister, Limos, as well, but honestly, how can you not love her? Plus, I was just talking about Ares, Than and Reseph. 

Even if I loved Than more, I think Reseph is really close to becoming my second favorite (Ares is trying to hold on with all his power to that title). There's this scene that made me want to grab Reseph's brothers and sister and smack them upside the head. Hard. I know what he did while he was the bad guy was...well, bad, but let's be honest, he wasn't himself. Plus, the guy has an amazing sense of humor.

I loved Jillian. There was this small fear of mine of her character. You know how sometimes you get the scarred heroine that is not strong and too afraid of her past that you want to shake really hard? I was so relieved Jillian isn't one of those female characters. What she's been through in the past was very difficult to overcome, but she made it. She became stronger, partially on her own and partially thanks to Reseph, but she did it. She didn't let fear become her second nature. And I liked her for Reseph. She's a very good influence. And it was cute to see how a "mere human" could be stronger in some occasions that an ancient warrior. 

We get to see Reaver some more and boy, is he one sexy angel. You'll find some curious things about him. And his book is next *squees* 

Bottom line is that I am oh so happy that I got to read this series as well (besides the Demonica series, I mean). I'm also sad that I finished it so fast *pout* If you haven't read this series yet, do it. NOW! Go, buy it and read it. Oh, and remember to read the Demonica series first :D You'll love that one too. Anyway, read it! Just maybe not as fast as I did, so that you won't be in misery waiting for Reaver's book *sigh*

Sunday Book Soundtrack #4 - Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

This week's book soundtrack is for Frostbite by Richelle Mead (read my review here)

1. Adele - One and Only - This song reminded me of Rose and Dimitri. But especially Rose. Can't say more because that will be spoiler-ish for those of you who haven't read the book. 
2. The Beatles - Yesterday - I can't say why I put this song on the list, because that would be a major spoiler. But I feel that it's perfect for a specific scene in the book. 
3. The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star - If you've read the book, you know why this song ended up here. Though it wouldn't be my favorite choice for that scene, I can't think of a better one. That and I really like the song.
4. Roxette - How Do You Do
5. Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog - This is for Adrian. I just couldn't help it. I see this song as his ultimate theme song, at least for Adrian as we know him in Vampire Academy. We'll see if I change my mind after I read the Bloodlines series (judging only by the first two books, I'd be tempted to change the song. Not yet though, I'm still waiting to see what he has planned next :D )

Day 28 – Favorite title

I... don't have a favorite title. Not that I know of. But I usually like that the book I'm reading has memorable titles. If they're stand-alones I don't have many preferences. But if they're part of a series, I kind of like to see some sort of consistency in the title. For example, most of the books in J.R Wards's Black Dagger Brotherhood start with the word "lover" (except the first one which ends with it). So I like that there's a pattern and something common to the titles of each of the books in a series. Especially if the author you're reading writes multiple series at the same time and you need to pinpoint a certain book into a series. (Yes, you can say that I have a little OCD *blush*)

Book Review: Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione

Series: Demonica #2

Publisher:Forever

Release Date:March 1st 2009

My Rating:4 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . . 

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn't resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy. 

A Seminus Demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he'd seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever.

As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts-or succumb to a madman's evil plans. 

I thought long and hard about this review, most of all on how to start it. So, after many hours of brainstorming, I've decided to go forward with brutal honesty. I'm sorry in advance if I ruffle some feathers.

When I first read about Shade, in Pleasure Unbound, I didn't like him very much. I didn't understand him at all. The way he acted with women, the way he talked about them... Yes, I understood that as a Seminus demon his needs were more...particular. But I can't say that I accepted him all that much. That, combined with the fact that I really wanted to read Wraith's book, didn't exactly allow me to be ecstatic about reading Shade's story. I am now ashamed of myself. For those of you who might judge Shade before you get to his and Runa's story, let me tell you that you have to wait. I get where you're coming from, but have patience. 'Cause Shade will surprise you. He's so not the shallow, uncaring guy I thought. He's so sweet and sexy. And he's also a tad tortured. He's a great brother and he's very protective of those he cares about. After reading his story I can honestly say that it's impossible not to like him. He also had a kinkier side :D

Runa was amazing. I think she's perfect for Shade. Brave, stubborn, she's able to calm Shade a little, while keeping him on his toes. I was so heartbroken after we get her story. And I liked that her brother tried to protect her after she gets bitten by a werewolf. I liked her brother a lot and I am hoping that we'll get a story for him too.

We get to learn more about the creatures in this series and we get to learn more about the brothers' history. And there's this super hot subplot with a certain half-demon and a human warrior *shivers* It's impossible not to love those two. I just wished they'd get a book just for them. I feel like they need more time in the spotlight.

If you haven't read this series, do stop waiting. It's good and it's a breath of fresh air. Like I said before, I believe that demons are the new vampires :D