Gideon - Jacquelyn Frank

Synopsis:

For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons--and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdalegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace. Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious--and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people--and Magdalegna nearly their victim--Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdalegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life...



My Thoughts:

I thought the story itself was a little slower than Jacob, but it was just as good. I really enjoyed the fact that this book really introduced the rest of the Nightwalkers races - vampires and the lycanthropes...and it seemed to open things up for future books. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I hope Frank writes more books in this series!!


Rating: A

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

Synopsis:
All is not well between demon-magnet Bella and Edward Cullen, her vampire Romeo. An innocent papercut at Edward's house puts Bella in grave danger when various members of the Cullen family can barely resist their hunger at the smell of blood. The Cullens promptly leave town, afraid of endangering Edward's beloved, and Bella sinks into an overwhelming depression. Months later, she finally emerges from her funk to rebuild her life, focusing on her friendship with besotted teen Jacob from the reservation. Bella's unhealthy enthrallment to Edward leads her into dangerous and self-destructive behavior despite her new friends, and supernatural complications are bound to reappear. Bella's being hunted by an evil vampire, and Jacob's adolescent male rage turns out to be incipient lycanthropy: It seems many Quileute Indians become werewolves in the presence of vampires, their natural enemies. Psychic miscommunications and angst-ridden dramatic gestures lead to an exciting page-turner of a conclusion drenched in the best of Gothic romantic excess. Despite Bella's flat and obsessive personality, this tale of tortured demon lovers entices.

My Thoughts:
Good news: I liked this book much better than Twilight. There was more going on in the story to keep me entertained, and I'm really glad that Jacob played a much bigger role in this book.
Bad news: I still cannot stand the character of Bella. She is so dramatic and at the same time flat and boring. She is so reckless, with no concerns to the consequences of her actions, as well as no concern for the people around her, except maybe Edward, with whom her life revolves around.
I'm still up in the air about whether or not to read the next book. If I do it will be awile, because I definitely need a break from Bella!

Rating: C+

Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward

Synopsis:
Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetite. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. When Mary Luce is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world, she must rely on Rhage's protection. Knowing that Mary feels the same intense animal attraction, Rhage must make her his alone...

My Thoughts:
I love this series! This second installment picks up right where the first one left off. This time, however, we learn more about Rhage and all of his inner demons (figuratively and mostly literally). I love this series because of the characters, and how with each book the plot becomes more complex and more of the pieces fit together.
It's a series I believe you don't have to absolutely read in order, but to get the most out of the books, I would recommend it :)

Rating: A

Changeling - Yasmine Galenorn

Synopsis:

Delilah, a were tabby cat by a twist of genetic fate, and her half-Fae, half-human sisters are on the front lines of a brewing war. Just recovering from a battle, and adjusting to a relationship with human cop Chase, Delilah is drawn into investigating the mysterious, gruesome deaths of the Rainier Were Puma Clan and becomes attracted to their leader, Zachary. As she fears, a new threat emerges, manipulated by an old enemy, and it will take all of their efforts, and acceptance of her fate, to bring them down.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the series, and even more bad things are happening to the D'Artigo sisters! I like how Galenorn mixes in a bunch of genres in this series: a little bit of humor, some mystery, some romance, a lot of paranormal and fantasy! I did find myself being a little frazzled at how much stuff was going on in this story, but it didn't make me enjoy it any less. I'm really enjoying the series so far, but they definitely need to be read in order to understand everything that is going on.

Rating: B+

Dark Desire - Christine Feehan

 

Synopsis:
The stranger silently summoned her from across the continents, across the seas. He whispered of eternal torment, of endless hunger . . . of dark, dangerous desires. And somehow American surgeon Shea O'Halloran could feel his anguish. Drawn to the far Carpathian mountains, Shea found a ravaged, raging man, and recognized the beloved stranger who'd already become part of her. But was she to be his healer . . . or his prey?

My Thoughts:
I found this book more enjoyable than the first, and it seemed to move at a faster pace. The story takes place 25 years after Dark Prince, and we are met again with human vampire hunters, hunting the Carpathians. These vampire hunters are hunting and torturing any vampires they can find, including Jacques, a Carpathian male, who is the center of this story. Jacques is buried alive, obviously left for dead, for seven years, until he is able to reach out and call someone near through his mind. Our leading lady of the story, Shea, is called to Jacques and rescues him.
Like I said, I did enjoy this story much more than Dark Prince, I think because it kind of jumps right into the story and there's not much explaining and world building as there was in the first book. I'm currently reading the third in the series and am still loving where Feehan is going with this :)

Rating: A-

Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis:
Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).
Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the blood-suckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved. There's just one condition: The vampires must promise to behave - and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

My Thoughts:
How much more danger and adventure can Sookie Stackhouse get into?? Apparently quite a bit! I'm not sure I enjoyed this book quite as much as the first one, Dead Until Dark, but it still was entertaining. The whole issue with the fanatical fellowship was really interesting, and was left a little open for further mention in other books. I did feel that the murder that occured in Bon Temps was wraped up too quickly and not really given much development. I also didn't think the introduction of the maenad was very developed as well, but hopefully that will be brought up in future books. Despite these flaws, I'm just loving Sookie and Bill and all the other characters and am looking foward to reading the rest of the series.

Rating: B

Stolen - Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis:
Elena Michaels, the only known female werewolf, cavorts on a more fully cultivated supernatural playing field in this sure-footed follow-up to Bitten (2001). While investigating a suspicious notice advertising information for sale about werewolves, Elena meets witches Paige and Ruth Winterbourne-and, to her misfortune, a team of mortal and supernatural commandos who abduct Elena and Ruth to a remote underground bunker in the wilds of Maine. There Ty Winsloe, "billionaire and computer geek extraordinaire," is collecting a menagerie representing all the supernatural species that coexist anonymously with humanity (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). While his scientists study such creatures in the hope of distilling their uncanny powers as salable commodities, Winsloe hunts those captives who have outlived their usefulness in cruel most-dangerous-game fashion. Elena's efforts to outsmart Winsloe long enough to apprise her Pack of her whereabouts are complicated by a werewolf wannabe among the captors. Though the tale is pretty much a prison-break story spiffed up with magic, Armstrong leavens the narrative with brisk action and intriguing dollops of werewolf culture that suggest a complex and richly imagined anthropologic backstory.


My Thoughts:
From only reading Bitten and Stolen, Kelley Armstrong has very quickly become one of my favorite paranormal authors, with the Women of the Otherworld being one of my favorite series. I'm not sure if it's Armstrong's writing or the story or a combination of both, but with each book I find myself completely drawn into the book and can't put it down. My favorite think about this story is that it not only focuses on the werewolves this time, although they are a big part of it. Armstrong sets up for future stories by introducing Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Sorcerers, ect. Stolen is a very intense and dark book, but I absolutely loved it!

Rating: A+

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

 

Originally reviewed June 9th, 2003:

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is another great hit in the Harry Potter series! I loved this book just as much as the first one. There are some new characters added, another mystery for Harry to solve, and some unexpected twists in the book.

"The Chamber of Secrets" kept my attention throughout the whole book, as did the last one. I couldn't put it down. I also found that Ms. Rowling gave enough details in the 2nd book to where one could read it without reading the 1st book and still be able to follow along; and it also wasn't too repetitive for the readers who have read the 1st one. Yet another great book for readers of all ages!

May 4th, 2009:

This is actually probably my least favorite of the series, but not at all saying it was bad. I love it just as much as the other books. While reading it, you can tell its a bit darker than the first book, but picks up nicely where the first one left off.

Rating: A