In The Blood by Robin L. Martinez - DNF

Book 1 in the Witchbreed Series

In The Blood by Robin L. Martinez

Did Not Finish

I tried reading this book. It has great reviews and I wanted to read it but for some reason I couldn't get into it. The concept is interesting but I just couldn't get attached to the plot line or the characters. The writing is good but it just couldn't hold my attention. 

There isn't anything terribly wrong. There's blood magic and shapeshifter magic and warriors. You would think that would be exciting and make me want to read it. Not so much. Maybe it will one day. For now it will stay on my to-read shelf and maybe some day I'll give it another try. 

I don't give ratings to books I haven't read through so this is a no-rating review.

Saven: Disclosure by Siobhan Davis - Cover Reveal!

Today is the cover reveal for Saven: Disclosure by Siobhan Davis. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Saven: Disclosure (Saven #2)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: April 21, 2016

Blurb:
THE TRUTH WON'T STAY HIDDEN FOREVER

To protect Logan, I've no choice but to betray his trust.
The stakes are high, and there are no guarantees.
But I'm not the only one hiding the truth.
Will our love survive all the secrets and lies?

Enemy alien ships crowd the skies over Earth while the world waits with bated breath. The Saven have been exposed, and where once they were abhorred, they are now championed as our greatest ally and our only possible savior.

Logan and Sadie have been separated, and the longer he is gone, the more their love is tested by duty, doubts, and deception.

Sadie and Jarod have infiltrated the highest levels of government, but they are playing a dangerous game. Surrounded by people with conflicting agendas--hell-bent on using her for their own aim--Sadie is confused when the lines between good and evil are blurred. It's impossible to tell friend from foe, and no one can be trusted.

When the full extent of the experiments taking place in Sector Twenty is disclosed, Sadie can no longer sit back and watch as the lower classes face a horrific fate. Racing to save her loved ones and mankind, she risks her own safety and the love she's waited a lifetime for to do the right thing.

But no one thought to save her from herself.

You can find Saven Disclosure on Goodreads

You can pre-order Saven Disclosure here:
- Amazon USA
- Amazon UK
- Amazon Canada
- Amazon Australia

Excerpt from Saven Disclosure:

I pad into the kitchen and hoist myself up onto a stool at the counter. Haydn slides two muffins and a home-made smoothie across to me. “You trying to fatten me up?” I inquire

“You need to eat more when you’re training.”

“I’m sure I read somewhere that you should eat more protein when in training. I doubt you’re supposed to be indulging in calorie-laden treats.”

“Watch your mouth!” Haydn swats me with a dish towel. “Those muffins are made with bran, yoghurt, honey, and fruit. All natural. And totally healthy. Now shut up and eat.”

“Ooh, get you! All right!” I hold my hands up in defeat. “But I doubt I’ll manage two.”

“You can give one to Jarod in work,” he suggests.

I snort. “As if he’d eat anything you prepared! I’d have to lie and tell him I baked it myself.”

Jarod isn’t over his aversion to aliens. And that’s putting it mildly. He absolutely refuses to go anywhere with me outside of work if any of my Saven friends is involved, and he hasn’t ever stepped foot in this apartment. It’s a constant source of tension between us; the cause of more than a few arguments. I understand he’s pissed over the whole memory-erase situation, and the fact that enemy alien ships still hover in our skies doesn’t do much to ease any human’s apprehension, but I’ve tried explaining, time and time again, that we have nothing to fear from Logan and Co., but he won’t hear a word of it.

While I’m grateful that Jarod managed to make it out of Thalassic City safely, and I’m thrilled to be working in the same building as him, sometimes I could happily bash his head against the wall.

Note from the author: This is from the unedited draft and the final version is subject to change.

Praise for Saven Deception (Saven #1):
"The heir to the Lux series." Natasha Anne. Dreamland Teenage Fantasy.

"The worldbuilding and characters leap off the page and come alive with flawless writing and a plot that had me engrossed and on the edge of my seat." Dali. TJ Loves to Read.

"Gripping Read. From the start I was drawn into the world and felt like I was experiencing everything right next to Sadie." Patricia Hamill. Author-Blogger Pure Textuality.

"This book had me hooked from the first chapter. An exhilarating ride with many twists and turns. Awesome." Karla. Goodreads Reviewer.

"Siobhan Davis has created yet another world of characters I became very invested in. The premise is an intriguing one ... and it's different enough to stand out from other YA books." Deirdre. Goodreads Reviewer.

"I am beyond excited for this series. Saven Deception was AMAZING and I couldn't put it down. Ms. Davis created an incredible world and I cannot wait to read the next installment." Michelle. Adventure in Bookland.

"Saven Deception was a freaking awesome read! The worldbuilding was fantastic and the romance between Logan and Sadie felt amazingly perfect to me." Poulami, Daydreaming Books.

"Another hidden gem from the treasure trove in Siobhan Davis' mind." Dianne. Tome Tender.

"If you like Jennifer L. Armentrout's books then you'll love Saven Deception." Amazon UK Reviewer.

About the Author:
Siobhan Davis writes young adult science fiction fantasy romance books, and she is the author of the Amazon bestselling True Calling series. The first book in her new Saven series was released in December 2015.

A self-professed teenager forever--at least when it comes to books, music, and films, Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. She loves baking, shoes, bags, makeup, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).

Before pursuing a full-time writing career, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in Human Resources over the last twenty years. She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.


You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google +
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Newsletter

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Saven: Disclosure. These are the prizes you can win:
- a 5$ amazon gift card
- an e-copy of Saven: Deception by Siobhan Davis and an ARC of Saven Disclosure by Siobhan Davis

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs - 4 stars

Book 1 in the Mylena Chronicles

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs
4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The original cover wasn't that great but I do like the new one.

This book is full of action, adventure, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. I found the world building quite interesting. Mylena is full of goblins, faeries, sprites, wraiths, gnomes, and many other fairy tale creatures. There are no humans. Humans are a hated race and killed instantly. Greta, a human, was found by a Sprite, Luke. He trained her to become a great bounty-hunter and taught her how to survive.

Greta isn't a perfect heroine with perfect abilities. She is capable of making mistakes while she's hunting for the Lost. The Lost are any creature who sub-comes to the pull of the Moons. They become rabid creatures who live to kill. We get a clear example of this right at the beginning. She is a human through and through. She has fears and flaws just like any teenage girl. Of course, her fears are legitimate as she always has to be on guard lest she be exposed.

There is a little bit of romance and the smallish love triangle. There's also a little bit of insta-love but it wasn't too much for me. I despise insta-love so there were points where I was irritated but it wasn't too bad. I liked how she cared for the boys she found, especially the youngest. She is compassionate and willing to do what she could to help them survive the cold, harsh world of Mylena.

The ending felt a little rushed but it was definitely a dramatic one. It set up book 2, Greta and the Glass Kingdom, quite well without having a horrible cliffhanger. Overall it was a great book. There are flaws but not enough to bother me. I definitely recommend it, especially to fantasy lovers.

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.