Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Book Review: The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury





Author: Raymond Khoury
Blurb (from Goodreads):

In a hail of fire and flashing sword, as the burning city of Acre falls from the hands of the West in 1291, The Last Templar opens with a young Templar knight, his mentor, and a handful of others escaping to the sea carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. The ship vanishes without a trace.
In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the blacktie opening of a Treasures of the Vatican exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night.
In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars
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This book has been sitting on my shelf for about a year after I bought it before I finally got to read it. Being the history nerd that I am, I saw the title and I couldn't resist buying it. I kept putting it off because I was afraid this was going to be another hit and miss for me, like other books on this subject were.

I can't say I didn't like the book, because I'd be lying. There were some great parts that this book had, like the flashbacks from the past. I love it when an author manages to combine the present actions with past scenes and Raymond Khoury did that very well in my opinion. And the historical details were very well introduced in the book, though I feel that at times the history lesson was too much. The suspense, the not knowing what artifact is the one being searched was good. It wasn't about what it was, but more of to whom it belonged in the first place. Who was the first person who had that artifact, before the templars got hold of it.  I think that was an interesting question to answer.

The plot isn't new, it's not something you haven't yet read. It's very well told, but it's not new. The characters surprised me though, and not in a good way. It might be a stereotype, but aren't detectives supposed to be...well, detectives? I mean, Sean Rilley wasn't the detective he came across, he wasn't intuitive, he didn't manage to get inside the criminal's mind, he lacked that certain something that I believe detectives should have. Not to mention the fact that Tess manages to somehow become the boss in this little adventure. Tess would've been a perfect detective. And it's not because she has the historical knowledge to back her up, it's because she has the traits that Sean doesn't. Then there's the romance that develops between them that feels so premature to me and a bit unprofessional. I mean, they could feel attracted to each other and explore those feelings after the investigation is completed.

I think this is a book the readers of The da Vinci Code would enjoy.

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Teaser Tuesdays


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser today is from The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin:

The black shapes rushed toward the stone circle, and a curtain of light flared between the three men and the advancing shadows. The shadows howled and shrieked, spreading themselves across the glowing barrier until they blotted out the moonlight.

What's your teaser this week?

Monday, September 26, 2011

Book Review: Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Author: Sherrilyn Keynon
Series: Chronicles of Nick
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse...
Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.
His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.
But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...
The second installment of the Chronicles of Nick series is just as good as the first one, Infinity. Invincible continues the story of Nick Gautier's teenage years with a little glimpse in the future. You get to spend one more day with fun, sarcastic Nick and his new friends. I love this Nick, the Nick we got to meet in the beginning of the Dark Hunter series, right before his death, before his anger and his need to punish the one person he trusted most changed him. Nick isn't the type of teenager that fits in or the one who could be invisible. You can't pretend he's not there. I think he's the perfect mixture between the fun, easygoing guy and the smartest kid in the class. Because, let's face it, Nick is very smart, even though he doesn't always use his head. I also love the relationship he has with his mother and how even though he's not very proud of her job, he's proud that he's her son and she defends her every chance he gets. And you can see it's genuine, he's not doing it for show or to get something out of it. Like in the first book, he'd rather wear a weird-looking T-shirt at school and take all the mockery his classmates throw at him, than see her mother suffer because he refuses to wear it.

I think this book helped me understand the first book better. For those of you who've read the Dark Hunter series, you know that in Infinity Nick meets a character he's not supposed to meet yet. That was very confusing for me at first, but then the little glimpse in the future we get in this book helped me understand that this series is not only a story of how Nick became a Squire, but it's more a series about redeeming yourself and about the changes you would make if you could turn back and how that would affect you. I just wished I'd caught on earlier :P

I also love the fact that we get to meet some of the characters and how they were before the Dark Hunter series. We get to see more of their backgrounds and how they got to be what they are in the Dark Hunter world . We get to see Kyrian again, which is always a pleasure. We also see Ash in his "mysterious" days, back when  his story wasn't yet told and when the mystery surrounding him was getting bigger and bigger with every book. And we get inside the Sanctuary and meet the Peltiers. I do hope we get to see more of them in the following books.

And the new characters are awesome. I loved Bubba! He sounds like a computer tech I could probably have a real conversation with about why my computer is damaged and not look at him with a blank look on my face while he's explaining me technical stuff.

There is one thing that I'm hoping to change about Nick's life, a character's future. I can't say much, because it would be a major spoiler for those who haven't read the Dark Hunter books. But I'm hoping that Ambrose will help change that certain character's course.

I don't think I can say a bad thing about this book. There's nothing I didn't like. Maybe just the fact that I had to wait that long to read it, but in the end I think it was worth it.

The next book in the series, Infamous, is scheduled for publication on February 2012 *pout* It's so far away, I want it now...*sighs* Anyway, like I said earlier, I totally love this series. I agree that some things are confusing, but I like that, they keep me on my toes.

My rating:
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Friday, September 23, 2011

Follow Friday



Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around and follow me!

This week’s question is:

Q: Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?




The series I read over and over again and then some is Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. There are a few reasons for that. One, because I really love these books. Who couldn't? They have everything: romance, funny moments, vampires, weres, ancient gods and myths and so much more fun elements. The second reason is that I need to refresh my memory. Sometimes, I confuse characters (oops, sorry!) or I forget if something happened or not. The myths and characters are numerous in this series, so it's bound to happen at some point, but it's not bothering me. Another reason would be the sarcastic comments some of the characters make. I love a good sarcasm now and then, and in this series it's like another language. I totally love that. I could probably think of some other reasons, but these three are the main ones.

Another series I'm currently re-reading is Harry Potter. The reason is that, even if it doesn't feel the same way as it felt when I first read these books, it's the book I grew up with. I remember getting grounded for staying really late one night (I think it was about...2 in the morning or something) and reading with a flashlight, under the covers. Before you ask, yes, it was a school night. And the waiting for a new book, trying to figure out who's going to die at the end of the book and who's going to live, waiting for hours to buy the newest book and refusing to do homework before finishing it. It's never going to be the same, but I can't help but reread this one.

What's your favorite series to re-read?

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Book Review: American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout





Author: Jennifer Armintrout
Blurb (from Goodreads):

"HE'S THE GOOD KIND OF VAMPIRE. SORT OF.
Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all.
Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard to come by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation.
Even if she has to die first…"


This is the first Jennifer Armintrout book I've read and I think it's a good book to start with. It has romance, adventure, mystery, suspense and, dare I say, a little coming of age theme. I do believe it's the first novel with that combination that I've read.

Graf isn't your typical hero. Yes, he's a vampire and he loves vintage cars and leather, but he's not what I'd call a hero. He's not very mature, on the contrary, he acts like a thirteen year old all the time. He has that "mine is bigger than yours" attitude. But, as the story progresses, you can see him maturing. He stops acting like being a vampire makes him king of the world and starts thinking of others before himself. I do believe he was very unfortunate to end up stuck in Penance, but I also think he deserved it. Even the town's name says it: he had some sins he needed to atone for and grow up at the same time. The Graf at the beginning of the story wouldn't have put himself between the angry townsmen and Jessa and he wouldn't have saved her life.

Jessa is one of those women who don't accept their age and can't let go of the past. On the night 'It' appeared, she lost her family, leaving her all alone in a town that didn't have anything to offer her. Her ex-boyfriend married her best friend, though he couldn't let go of their "high school sweetheart" relationship. I don't think Jessa likes that kind of life, but she clearly isn't making any move to change it. Maybe she's waiting for a sign or maybe she believes everything that happened is her fault. She is a little bitchy at times and that kind of annoyed me at some point. But she too grows up as the story is told and she manages to let go of the past.

The book was funny. I laughed at some parts and the snarky remarks between Jessa and Graf made me smile a lot. Some parts of the book were a bit too much for my tastes, but the book kept me in its grasp from start to finish. I will definitely try other novels by Ms. Armintrout.


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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

My WoW this week is The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Blurb (From Goodreads):


Dream-Hunter Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions: To descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill her and her kind. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian…
Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...

I can't wait for this book. I'm rereading the Dark Hunter series while waiting for this new book, maybe the time will seem like it's flying faster. I'm so ready for November! What are you waiting for?
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