Phoenix Awakens by Eliza Nolan - 3 stars

Book 1 in The Phoenix series

Phoenix Awakens by Eliza Nolan
3 stars

I had such a hard time choosing how many stars to give this book. In the end, I chose 3. There were things I liked and hated about this book, making it difficult to decide. But honestly, there were just too many cliche's for me to really enjoy it.

I really liked the premise of this book. Secret society, magic, creepy vision dreams, etc. It had all of that but there was also the love interest, Graham. Julia, our protagonist is instantly attracted to him. She has yet to admit to loving him but it's become quite obvious. It's bordering on insta-love which I really can't stand.

Julia starts having these weird dreams that are creepy and disturbing. It's not until later that we realize she's looking into Graham's past. These dreams also include his sister, Clara. They show Graham and his entrance into the secret society, the Phoenix. Suddenly this "guide" appears because "her whole life is about to change." The girl happens to be Julia's ancestor. Surprise!

What really bothers me is that Graham happens to move to Julia's town and she happens to be this descendant of this super powerful family. It's too much of a coincidence for me. There were many things about this plot that bothered me. Don't get me started on the "school bitch" and the best friend that suddenly drops Julia with no reason at all.

It was super slow through two-thirds of the book. It finally picks up in the end with some action. But the whole thing is just so predictable. There's a small cliffhanger but I don't think it's enough to draw me into moving on to the next book. I do have to say that I really like the cover. I wouldn't really recommend it to a friend but some people might like it but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in the Savan series

Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis
4.5 stars

I wasn't sure what I was going in to when I requested this book but I'm certainly glad I did. I've recently been having a hard time with the dystopian genre. This book is a mix of dystopia and sci-fi all in one. It's brilliant. This is one of those "don't judge a book by it's cover" deals. I really don't like it but I do like the book.

Sadie is part of the lower class living in the Outer Circle, also known as stars. Everyone has a small tattoo on their wrists classifying them. The lowest class have bronze stars, the middle class have silver coins, and the upper class have gold bullions. Being a star means Sadie is forced to work at the age of 14, she's not allowed to marry or fall in love, she's not allowed to have children, and much more. They're basically considered slaves to the rest of the civilization. I liked how Davis separated the classes using the tattoos and the restrictions placed on the lower class. Her world building is great.

The government decides to try a new way to lessen the strain of overpopulation. They are sending volunteers to an underground city, Thalassic City, for six months to see if it is possible to live there. Sadie volunteered to get out of her dull life and away from the family that hates her. Luckily, Sadie is chosen and she's whisked away to a new world. One thing that made me role my eyes was the name for their little test drive: "The Experimento." I wish there was a better name or just drop the "o".

We knew there were going to be aliens based on the description. Since we know this, it's obvious who the aliens are when Sadie enters her new life. I like how Davis showed the slight differences between the humans and the aliens aka the Saven. It was subtle but the reader can tell...a bit of dramatic irony added a little twist to the story.

Sadie was a great main character. She's strong, brave, and has a good sense of who she is. She knows what she wants in her life. She's inquisitive and cares about her new friends. She acknowledges her failings and her behavior towards Logan (the love interest). The action really picks up in the last third of the book and we see Sadie shine.

This was a great book. I enjoyed it and I am definitely looking forward to the next one. I definitely recommend this book. I might be checking out her True Calling series.

Vengeance Be Mine by Louisa Lo - 4.5 stars

Book 1 in the Cosmic Balance series

Vengeance by Mine by Louisa Lo

4.5 stars

This book was great. I stayed up way past my bedtime. It was worth it though. 

Our main character is Megan. She's half vengeance demon, half trickster. There's never been one of these before so she's considered an abomination. She was bullied as a child and didn't have friends. Her dad is an arch vengeance demon so he's pretty powerful. His side of the family basically shunned her. Vengeance demon's are very proud and logical. Her mother is a trickster, a race of people who like to have fun and don't care about getting jobs or following rules. She has three trickster half-brothers and one vengeance demon half-sister. I loved all her siblings. Despite being half, they never treated Megan as an outcast. 

You feel really bad for Megan at some times. She entered a college to become a vengeance demon and she doesn't fit in. But she's good at holding her head up high and not letting her bullies get her down. But she's still a being with emotions so she has her doubts. To live on her own, she moves into an apartment on the human plane. She has a roommate who loves to cook. I found it amusing when Megan didn't understand some of her roommate's words because she wasn't human. 

What I liked most was the twists and turns that you don't really expect. The world is completely different and the world building is well developed. There aren't any info-dumps and Lo shows us the world and how things work in the right way. Show, not tell. That's a sign of a good author.  I didn't get annoyed with Megan's personality. I respected her determination. She is well developed. 

I would classify this as a New Adult book but sometimes it could be on the Young Adult side. It didn't bother me though. It's well written and captures your attention. I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this to book and I'm considering buying it. I wouldn't mind rereading it. I'm looking forward to the next one. 

Devil's Daughter by Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez - 3.5 stars

Book 1 in Lucinda's Pawnshop

Devil's Daughter by Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez with Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
3.5 stars

This book was difficult to rate. I liked it but it took me a little longer to get through than most books. I was able to put it down and move on to other books in my to-read pile. I'm pretty good at focusing on one book but I kept getting bored while reading. It's also a difficult book to review. I've rewritten this thing 10 times already.

The plot of the book is interesting. We have the daughter of Eve and Lucifer. We have demons and fallen angels. Shape shifting and magic and people who are at the brink of choosing right and wrong. Lucinda runs a pawn shop full of dark objects that hold dark souls of the past. When a mortal purchases an object they are drawn to, it wreaks havoc in their lives. Lucifer has Lucinda sell these objects so he can further his plot to end the world.

Lucinda is interesting. She has the inner turmoil of being the daughter of Eve and Lucifer. She has a human side that she can't show to anyone because it is her weakness. Of course, this comes crashing down when she meets a mortal man who wandered into the pawnshop accidently. She actually starts to feel things she's never felt before. She has to be careful with this part of her life as well. Basically she had to tread a fine line and keep everything hidden from those around her.

While Lucinda is the main character,we have several points of view. Some of them were interesting. Others were boring. There were a little too many jumps between characters. Most of these characters aren't really fleshed out. It's definitely a plot driven book.

I wanted there to be more world building. There are aspects that aren't explained. What is the Between? Why was Lucinda taken from Eve at such a young age? There are many unanswered questions. Some of them are legitimate and are there to be explored in the upcoming novel(s). But some of them should have been more fleshed out.

I might read the sequel just to see what's coming next. I can only hope that there will be character and plot growth along with it.

Awakening by Catrina Burgess - 3.5 stars

Book 1 of The Dark Rituals

Awakening by Catrina Burgess
3.5 stars

We have Colina, a former healer. When her family is brutally murdered before her eyes, she knows she needs to get her revenge. She decides that becoming a Death Dealer is the only way to get back at the monsters who stole her family from her. It so happens that the men who killed her family also want to kill her so she needs defenses fast.

In this world, people know about different magic groups, or Guilds. Death Dealers have an understandably bad reputation. The connect to the spirit world and force the spirits to become their slaves. It's pretty disturbing but the main character, Luke, is able to justify why they're not so bad. I can see it from both sides of the spectrum.

I understand the need for revenge and I liked the concept of a good person gone bad. There were a couple of twists and I liked the darkness required of becoming a Death Dealer. Colina is instantly attracted to Luke and she was a little obsessed with him. I found this part annoying. She'd just met the guy! If the guy is hot, of course she has to fall in love. ::Eye roll:: There were a lot of cliches throughout the whole thing.

Warning: character death in the end. It was a definite surprise. Still, I didn't really care about it. I had no emotional connection.

The world building was lacking. When I'm reading an alternate universe book, I want to know what's going on. How does society work? What is the culture? What are the powers involved? Is magic considered good or bad? World building is important for me. I need to be able to be immersed in that world. There is a fine line when you're building such a universe. Info-dumps are terrible. But if you do it just right, it's a smooth transition.

This book was okay. Apparently that's not a popular opinion. It was well written but I just didn't enjoy the story line. It's unique but mostly I was bored. It was a quick and easy read for me but I found it slow and there was a little too much insta-love. I'm not planning on reading Possession.

Raining Embers by Jessica Dall - 4 stars

Book 1 in the Order and Chaos series

Raining Embers by Jessica Dall
4 stars

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I went into it with an open mind and I found it really enjoyable. I like the premise of Order and Chaos living through human hosts.

We have two main characters, Briar and Palmer. Both have grown up with some form of a physical disability. Palmer has a hearing problem; he can only hear one thing at a time. Briar is plagued with the smell of rot in her nose, especially during summer. After they are kidnapped, we find out there are reasons behind these disabilities; they are the manifestations of Chaos and Kosmos. Each has their own special abilities and they have been kidnapped so they can learn to use those powers.

The beginning was very slow. I wasn't really sure where the book was going. Briar is the spoiled rich girl living in the palace who likes to get drunk, apparently to help with the rot smell. Palmer is a poor little orphan who just wants to graduate from the Church and leave. There wasn't much world building. We aren't given much of a history. We don't know why the upper class has two last names. We don't really know anything about how the government and the Church functions. Basically, you just have to focus on the characters and not the world they live in.

Once Briar and Palmer are kidnapped, their disabilities disappear and suddenly they're living in a mansion learning to control their power. Then a secret is discovered and Briar and Palmer are on the run with a little girl, Rosette, who has her own special ability.

Palmer was hard to connect with. Briar seemed more fleshed out and had a wider range of emotion. I don't know if this is because of who they are as Order and Chaos but I found myself enjoying the parts from Briar's point of view more than Palmer's. There was some romance between them in the end but it wasn't a major component of the plot.

Overall this book was really good and I would recommend it for people who like fantasy. I'm not sure if this falls under YA or New Adult. Either way, I liked the plot and I am looking forward to the next one.

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop - 5 stars

Book 2 in the Others series

Previous Others Series Reviews

Written in Red (#1)

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
5 stars

I read this book months ago and I've reread it many time since. After perusing Anne Bishops' website, I've discovered more about the Others' world regarding the layout. We start out with a preface again, introducing us to the world of the Others. This is for readers who may not have read the first book or to give us a little reminder of how everything is set up. Since it's book 2, you can skip it.

This book picks up right after Meg gets home from the hospital in book 1. Simon and Meg have become closer and now share bed every night. This relationship gets complicated after Simon being woken up and shifting back to his human form during the night. The tension that develops between the two affects the whole Courtyard. This is unsurprising as Meg is a key part of the Courtyard.

We see new sides of Simon and his confusion towards his feelings for Meg. He's a wolf that's suddenly having feelings for a human. It's obvious that he loves Meg just as she loves him but their relationship is complicated. You really feel for Simon and Meg. They don't understand what's going on.

There are new characters introduced and the tension between the humans and the Others continues to grow. The Humans First and Last movement that was casually mentioned in Written in Red is now more prominent. There are more and more issues with the drugs known as Feel Good and Gone Over Wolf. These drugs are contributing to the hatred growing between the two races.

I like that we see more character growth in all the primary and secondary characters. I did really miss having Sam in this book. He's so cute and you can't help but love him. I also really like Nathan. He's the watch wolf and we rarely see him in human form but he has a personality anyway. There are many humorous parts which compliment the dark and tense parts as well.

The Others series is one of my favorites in this genre, right up there with Kate Daniels. The world building is excellent and the characters are well developed. This was easily 5 stars. My only complaint is there isn't much fan art out there for me to fawn over.

Next up: Vision in Silver. What's going to happen next?