2016/06/29

Upcoming Books!

I'll post summaries and maybe some little tidbits for the books that are soon to be coming. Bear in mind that these are only for books that I am interested in or that are popular. This is the Adult edition, and I hope these summaries help you to find some more interesting books!

Defy the Dawn (Midnight Breed, #14)Defy the Dawn (Midnight Breed #14) by Lara Adrian
An immortal warrior must decide between loyalty to his people and desire for a beautiful Breed female determined to bring a powerful enemy to justice at any cost.




Guardian's Mate (Shifters Unbound #9) by Jennifer Ashley
She wasn’t ready to lead...
Chosen as the Guardian of her Montana Shiftertown, wolf Shifter Rae Lyall is facing opposition—for no woman has ever been selected for this powerful position. Still adjusting to the new authority thrust upon her, Rae travels to train with Zander Moncrieff, a Shifter healer, tasked with teaching her about her new role and its responsibilities.He wasn’t ready to love...
 A polar bear Shifter, Zander wears no Collar and follows no rules but his own. Rae finds him arrogant and demanding, yet compelling and intriguing. Zander has no wish to mate but the sassy Guardian is drawing him out of his shell, stirring feelings long suppressed. And when a new threat looms over Rae’s home, she and Zander must race to the rescue, forced closer to danger...and to each other.

Into the Fire (Night Prince #4) by Jeaniene Frost
In the wrong hands, love can be a deadly weapon.

For nearly six hundred years, Vlad Tepesh cared for nothing, so he had nothing to lose. His brutal reputation ensured that all but the most foolhardy stayed away. Now falling in love with Leila has put him at the mercy of his passions. And one adversary has found a devastating way to use Vlad’s new bride against him.

A powerful spell links Leila to the necromancer Mircea. If he suffers or dies, so does she. Magic is forbidden to vampires, so Vlad and Leila enlist an unlikely guide as they search for a way to break the spell. But an ancient enemy lies in wait, capable of turning Vlad and Leila’s closest friends against them…and finally tearing the lovers apart forever.

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews
Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy #2) by J.R. Ward
Trainees at the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center continue to prepare for the war against the Lessening Society, but fighting is the last thing on Axe’s mind. Still plagued with the guilt of his father’s death, the brooding loner finds himself battling an unlikely attraction to Peyton’s enticing, aristocratic cousin, Elise. Elise feels it, too – especially when the two are thrown together in unusual circumstances, and she must decide whether she can trust Axe as she uncovers the mystery surrounding her sister’s death.

Meanwhile, Mary and Rhage are fostering Bitty, a young pretrans orphan, and hope to adopt her… until the appearance of a young male claiming to be Bitty’s blooded uncle threatens to tear the new family apart.
The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #15) by J.R. Ward
Xcor Layla's book

The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showlater
Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn’t allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairytale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.

Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him—until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile...and seduce her into his bed.

As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they've forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever…

Upcoming Books!

I'll post summaries and maybe some little tidbits for the books that are soon to be coming. Bear in mind that these are only for books that I am interested in or that are popular. This is the Adult edition, and I hope these summaries help you to find some more interesting books!

Dragonmark (Dark-Hunter #27) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Centuries ago, Illarion was betrayed– a dragon made human against his will, then forced to serve humanity as a dragonmount in their army, and to fight for them in barbaric wars, even while he hated everything about them. Enslaved and separated from everyone he knew and from his own dragon brothers, he was forced into exile in a fey realm where he lost the only thing he ever really loved.

Now he has a chance to regain what’s been lost— to have the one thing he covets most. But only if he gives up his brothers and forsakes the oaths he holds most dear. Yet what terrifies him most isn’t the cost his happiness might incur, it’s the fact that there is just enough human in his dragon’s heart that he might actually be willing to pay it and betray everything and everyone– to see the entire world burn...

Born of Vengeance (The League #10) by Sherrilyn KenyonA fate worse than death . . .

Bastien Cabarro survived the brutal slaughter of his entire family only to have his wife pin their murders on him. Made Ravin by The League, he is now a target for their assassins-in-training to hunt and kill. The average life expectancy for such beings is six weeks. But defying the odds is what this Gyron Force officer does best, and Bastien won’t rest until he lays his betrayers in their graves.

Ten years later, he has one chance to balance the scales of justice, provided he relies on his former wingman— the very sister of the woman who testified against him.

Major Ember Wyldestarrin joined the outlaw Tavali the day Kirovar fell into the hands of a tyrant, and she and her team were left on an outpost to die under the barrage of enemy...

Dark Carousel (Dark #30) by Christine Feehan

The moment Charlotte Vintage walks into his club, Tariq Asenguard’s blood is set on fire. The ancient Carpathian had given up hope of finding his lifemate, but now he will do anything to make Charlotte his own. What Tariq doesn’t know is that Charlotte is using herself and her best friend as bait—to try to draw out the bloodthirsty killers who have already murdered Charlotte’s brother and mentor.

Charlotte is familiar with Tariq. Not only is he one of the richest and most eligible bachelors in the city, but he’s also a renowned collector of old carousel horses, which Charlotte restores. Their shared passion opens Charlotte up to trusting him with her life and with the desire she can no longer control. But it also makes her vulnerable to a centuries-old curse that will unite her and Tariq in a war against the enemies of humans and Carpathians alike...

Wild Embrace (Psy-Changeling #15.5) by Nalini Singh
Echo of Silence
In a deep-sea station, Tazia Nerif has found her life’s work as an engineer, keeping things running smoothly. But she wants nothing more than to break down the barrier of silence between her and her telekinetic Psy station commander...

Dorian

A changeling who can never shift lives a life of quiet frustration—until he learns how to let his leopard come out and play...

Partners in Persuasion
Still raw from being burned by a dominant female, wolf changeling Felix will never again risk being a plaything. But for dominant leopard Dezi, he’s the most fascinating man she’s ever met. She just has to convince this gun-shy wolf that he can trust the dangerous cat who wants to take a slow, sexy bite out of him…

Flirtation of Fate
Seven years ago, Kenji broke Garnet’s heart. Now the wolf packmates have to investigate the shocking murder of one of their own. And the more Kenji sees of the woman Garnet has become, the deeper he begins to fall once more. But even his primal instincts are no match for the dark secret he carries...

Archangel's Heart (Guild Hunter #9) by Nalini Singh

One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.

Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within—truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is…

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Rock Wedding (Rock Kiss #4) by Nalini Singh
After a lifetime of longing for a real family, Sarah Smith thought she’d finally found her home with rock star Abe Bellamy, even if she knew Abe didn’t love her the way she loved him. But their brief relationship, filled with tragedy and heartache, nearly destroyed her. Alone, emotions in turmoil, and already shaky self-esteem shattered, Sarah struggles to pick up the pieces in the wake of their divorce.

Abe knows he’s to blame for the end of his marriage. Caught in a web of painful memories, he pushed away the best thing in his life – the sexy, smart woman he adores – breaking them both in the process. Then fate throws him a second chance to get things right, to prove to Sarah that she means everything to him. Abe desperately wants that second chance at love...even if he knows he doesn’t deserve it.

But can he convince Sarah – now strong and independent without him – to risk her wounded heart one more time?

Devil in Spring (The Ravenels #3) by Lisa Kleypas
The story of Lady Pandora Ravenel and Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent

Website

I am updating this blog by moving into a website. I will keep this blog running but I will also be running the website as well. The posts will slowly be moving onto the website and I'm also fixing some of the HTML in my previous posts causing the reposting of some posts.

2016/06/27

Upcoming Books!

I'll post summaries and maybe some little tidbits for the books that are soon to be coming. Bear in mind that these are only for books that I am interested in or that are popular. Because of the number of books, I will be posting more than one post on this topic. This is the YA edition, and I hope these summaries help you to find some more interesting books!

Green Jack by Alyxandra Harvey:
What do Saffron, a scavenger from the Core, and Jane, an Oracle at the Collegium have in common?
The Directorate--and the dangerous magic of a Green Jack's leaf mask.

And the Directorate may control both science and magic, but they can't control everything.

Not anymore.

Flying by Carrie Jones
People have always treated seventeen-year-old Mana as someone in need of protection. She’s used to being coddled, being an only child, but it’s hard to imagine anything could ever happen in her small-town, normal life. As her mother’s babying gets more stifling than ever, she’s looking forward to cheering at the big game and getting out of the house for a while.

But that night, Mana’s life goes haywire.

First, the hot guy she’s been crushing on at school randomly flips out and starts spitting acid during the game. Then they get into a knockdown, drag-out fight in the locker room, during which Mana finds herself leaping around like a kangaroo on steroids. As a flyer on the cheerleading squad, she’s always been a good jumper, but this is a bit much. By the time she gets home and finds her house trashed and an alien in the garage, Mana starts to wonder if her mother had her reasons for being overprotective.

It turns out, Mana’s frumpy, timid mom is actually an alien hunter, and now she’s missing–taking a piece of technology with her that everyone wants their hands on, both human and alien. Now her supposed partner, a guy that Mana has never met or heard of (and who seems way too young and way too arrogant to be hunting aliens), has shown up, ordering Mana to come with him. Now, on her own for the first time, Mana will have to find a way to save her mother–and maybe the world–and hope she’s up to the challenge.

Witch's Pyre (The World Walker Trilogy #3)
Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.

Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers―to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian. But sometimes winning requires sacrifices . . . and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian's side, what price will Lily be willing to pay?

Dawn Study (Poison Study #6) by Maria V. Snyder
Despite the odds, Yelena and Valek have forged an irrevocable bond—and a family—that transcends borders. Now, when their two homelands stand on the brink of war, they must fight with magic and cunning to thwart an Ixian plot to invade Sitia.

Yelena seeks to break the hold of the insidious Theobroma that destroys a person's resistance to magical persuasion. But the Cartel is determined to keep influential citizens and Sitian diplomats in thrall—and Yelena at bay. With every bounty hunter after her, Yelena is forced to make a dangerous deal.

With might and magic, Valek peels back the layers of betrayal surrounding the Commander. At its rotten core lies a powerful magician…and his latest discovery. The fate of all rests upon two unlikely weapons. One may turn the tide. The other could spell the end of everything.

Like a River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy #2) by Rae Carson
After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The Crown (Selection #5)

The Crown (The Selection, #5)The Crown Summary:
When Eadlyn became the first princess of IllĂ©a to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

The Crown Review:
I will start off by saying that the covers in this series look VERY nice. The colors and dress make it look incredibly appealing. Sadly, the book fails to maintain this appeal. Don't worry though, there are parts that leave you with a good feeling!

“Need I remind you that this Selection was your idea?”
She sighed.
“Listen to your daughter,” Dad said. “Very smart girl. Gets it from me.”
“Don’t you want some more sleep?” she asked flatly.
“No, I’m feeling very refreshed,” he said. I wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to continue the conversation or if he felt he needed to keep his attention on Mom. Either way, he was clearly lying.
“Dad, you look like death punched you in the face.”
“You must get that from me, too.”
“Dad!”


and

“Grandma Singer was a fearsome creature. If we ever did have a war under my rule, my plan was to send her to the front lines. She’d come home holding the enemy by his ear within a week.”


This book, honestly, felt kinda like a fairy tale. Everything was really glossed over, happy endings everywhere and stuff that was solved too easily for Eadlyn. Yet, I was left feeling happy or at least warm inside. I got the same feeling when I read Ascend by Amanda Hocking. Happy that everyone got a happy ending, but slightly disgusted because it was waaay to cheesy.

“What about you? Full name?”
I sighed. “There was some debate over middle names, so it’s Eadlyn Helena Margarete Schreave.”
“That’s a mouthful,” he teased.
“It’s pretentious, too. My name literally means ‘princess shining pearl.’”
He tried to hide his smile. “Your parents named you Princess?”
“Yes. Yes, I am Queen Princess Schreave, thank you.”


Eadlyn, I am happy to say she has a matured a lot. She starts to realize how she self-centered she was before and is actively changing her behavior. She is a lot nicer and actually working to bond with the six left over boys. She is willing to take on the challenge of being Queen while America and Maxon are healing, and does it by taking into account the other opinions in Illea. Also, Eadlyn understands her role in the family and castle, and helps to fix the relationships. This does not mean that she was perfect or someone to truly rally behind.

“We definitely get the better end of the deal though,” he said, winking at my reflection.
I tilted my head. “I don’t know about that. The more I think about it, the sadder I get about having to send all but one of you away. I’ll miss having you here.”
“Have you considered a harem?” he said, deadpan.
I bent over in laughter and was rewarded with a pin stabbing my waist. “Ow!”
“Sorry! I shouldn’t joke when there are needles around.”


Like I said above, the problems were solved very quickly and didn't fully showcase Eadlyn's problem solving abilities. Obviously, there were moments that were surprising and posed a problem for Eadlyn. But yet again, there was no serious challenge for her to overcome. I'll go step by step below. Be warned there will be spoilers below this! Also, I won't talk about every single problem, I'll leave some for you to find on your own.

She became the Official Queen when Maxon and America stepped down. It doesn't make any sense because the couple is so young and the main problem has already been averted. Their excuse was saying that they needed some time to be just husband and wife. It's like saying that a parent would have kids and then leave them after a couple of years so that they can get time for themselves. They are the king and queen and that means that they understood the responsibility when they married. Obviously, this is bad for the ruling couple because they are forced into the role, but it is their responsibility. Not only that, instead of taking on the challenge, they gave it to their eighteen year old daughter. Eadlyn did step in the role of queen for a few weeks, but that doesn't mean that she has the proper training for it. In the previous book she complained about her roles as a princess, and suddenly in this book, only a few weeks later, is fully ready to be Queen. It doesn't make sense, and is barely explained.

“Mom let out a wistful sigh. “Finally out of the spotlight and into
the background,” she said. “I’ve missed it there.”
“People will still watch, my dear,” Dad said. “Just try to keep
your chin up tonight, and I’ll be right beside you if you need me.”
“So, same as always?”
He smiled. “Same as always.”


Second, was the how quickly and how she got rid of the other Selection boys. I won't go into how, but all of it was tied into a neat bow. She didn't have to throw a single one out. They all were willing to leave, and while that is very nice, it's incredibly unrealistic. No on fought to remain by her side nor did they actually prove that they can't be king. In the original Selection series, the girls had to face problems, challenges, projects that a normal Queen would have to do. These boys had to do no such thing, even the selected boy. That means, we can't see if he's going to be a good king. It obviously takes more than just good lucks and love to be the king.

The final problem is the decision making. Eadlyn no longer has to listen to her advisers or ask for feedback. No need to discuss with anyone or plan for any decisions she will make. At the end of the book she was just announced Queen and completely changes the form of government they have. Somehow her family cheered for it and everyone else was in states of OK. Doesn't make sense and once again completely realistic. Of course, the book soon ends after that decision so we don't see it come to fruition. Maybe that means there will be more books in the series to explain this. Hopefully not. Looking at the previous books, this series is getting worse. The biggest problem with the boys actually came from Marid (I think that's right). He posed the biggest problem and how quickly that was solved. Oh well, everyone needs a happy ending anyways.

These were not the only problems to the series. The failing love story, lack of development in the character and the romance, plot holes and lack of sufficient plot also helps to make this book bad. It is sad that this book the best out of Eadlyn's book, it shows how low the bar has fallen for me in the series.

Overall this book was a three star rating. It wasn't terrible and did make me smile at times. Most of the time, facts were glossed over leaving a sense of boredom with the whole novel. Once again, I hope that this is the last book in this series. Though, out of context, some quotes just made your heart stop!

“Maybe it's not the first kisses that are supposed to be special. Maybe it's the last ones.”

2016/06/24

The Heir (The Selection #4)

The Heir (The Selection, #4)The Heir Summary:
Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

The Heir Review:
It was a little surprising to see that there were going to be two more books in this series. It did make sense though, considering the upheaval of the caste system at the end of the One. Also, considering that some people did want to see the kids of Maxon and America. Me, I was interested in what happens after the One, but the One did end on a bad note for me. I wasn't expecting much of a good book, and it did live up.

To start off, the main character. America was incredibly annoying by the end of the series and the fluxes in her character made her that much more irritating. But America had nothing on Eadlyn. America from the beginning, stood up from female rights and basic human rights. She may have been irritating but she wasn't spoiled or self-righteous. America took every chance to help someone else even if it was stupid. Eadlyn was all those things and more. Every chance she got to help someone she didn't, instead used it as another way to complain about her situation.

And complain she did. She was incredibly self-righteous to the point that she thinks the world should fall at her feet without her doing anything. She was so obnoxious, I started to wonder whether she is actually the daughter of America and Maxon. Both having issues but had moments where they were likeable.

Eadlyn was supposed to be the first queen of Illea, thanks to a law passed by her parents. What did she have to say about this?

"Had I been born a generation earlier, it wouldn't have mattered. Ahren was the male, so Ahren would have been the heir.
Alas, Mom and Dad couldn't stand to watch their firstborn be stripped of a title by an unfortunate but rather lovely set of breasts. So they changed the law, and the people rejoiced, and I was trained day by day to become the next ruler of Illea.
What they didn't understand was that their attempts to make my life fair seemed rather unfair to me".


UNFAIR TO HER! America fought for her right to be Queen because she didn't want their to be only Kings. She wanted to give her daughter and all those after her, the chance to reign. She wanted them to be given the chance and to show support for equal female rights. On top of that, Eadlyn will become Queen in the future. She is only 16 or so. Her parents are still incredibly young considering America had her and Ahren before she was 20. Eadlyn shouldn't be getting on the throne for at least a decade. She has time to think what she wanted, figure out the responsibilities and who she is. So her whining that she can't be like other girls. Which, in fact, is not true. Most of this book is divided between her getting massages, tanning and other such activities. She has basically done no actual work. Of course she says she does but we never see her do anything.

Eadlyn is also incredibly self-righteous. She believes that no one is worthy of her time and her status gives her the right to judge others. If she's not judging her brother, it's her parents, or her country or a million other things.

She knows the caste system is broken and that gives no right to judge someone who works for her, yet she does this to her lady-in-waiting.

"Mark is a chemist. He's studying biochemistry, specifically."
My eyes widened. "Really? Such a range in your professions."
She frowned. "There's no caste system anymore, Your Highness. People can date and marry anyone they want to."
I turned away from the mirror to look at her directly. "That's not what I mean. It's simply intriguing to me the dynamic you must have. You have my laundry in your arms, and he might cure a disease. Those are two incredibly different roles in the world."


And then right after, she has the audacity to feel lonely because Neena was angry. And she doesn't realize that she treated her maid horribly, constantly putting her down and treating her like shit.

"Besides the simple giving and responding to orders, we hadn't spoken much lately, and I had to admit, it was hard on me".

She also insulted her Aspen and Lucy without realizing it. And pays no attention to what is going on around her, even to the people closest to her.

"What if you said you were already in love with somebody?"
I shook my head as I poked at my food. "I insulted my three most likely candidates right in front of them."
[...] "Perhaps a guard then? Happens to the maids often enough," she suggested with a giggle.
I scoffed. "That's fine for them, but I'm not that desperate."

And she's so caught up in her own world that she doesn't realize how important having children was to Lucy and Aspen. It took her years for her to figure it out.

I swallowed, daring to say what I'd been deliberating over for a very long time. "Look, Ahren, she's a great girl. There's no denying it. But maybe she's not the one."
His smile finally faltered. "What do you mean?"
"Just that you might want to consider other options. There are so many eligible girls in Illea that you've completely bypassed. Don't rush into something that you can't undo. If you and Camille broke up, it would be nothing. If you got divorced, we could lose our alliance to France."
Ahren stared at me. "Eadlyn, I know you're hesitant to fall in love, but I know how I feel about her. Just because you're scared--"
"I'm not scared!" I insisted. "I'm trying to help you. I love you maybe more than anyone. I'd do nearly anything for you, and I thought you'd do the same for me."

She says this without caring about Ahren's feelings. Only caring that she would feel lonely without her brother.

On top of that, she is incredibly mean to the Selection contestants...

"'Why were you so harsh? For a few you simply said 'no' or flicked your hand.'"
I tried not to let the worry show on my face. At the time those things had seemed kind of funny."

Marlee's daughter, Josie...

"Kile, could you please go talk to your sister?"
The contentment in his eyes quickly turned to frustration. "Why? What'd she do this time?"
"She's taken yet another one of my tiaras."
"Don't you have, like, a thousand of those?"
I huffed. "That's hardly the point. It's mine, and she shouldn't be wearing it. When she walks around like that, she gives the impression that she's royal when she's not. It's inappropriate."


and her own brother, Kaden.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't talk to me like that, Eadlyn. I'm fourteen, not four. I read all the papers, and I pay attention at the Reports. I speak more languages than you, and I'm learning all the things you have without anyone making me do it. Don't act like you're better than me. I'm a prince."
I sighed. "Yes, but I will be queen," I corrected, sipping my coffee. I really didn't need this right now.
"And your name will be in a history book one day, and some bored ten year old will memorize it for a test and then forget all about you. You have a job, just like everybody in the world. Stop acting like it makes you more or less than anyone else."


Without a thought she tries to ruin the work her parents had done. She does not try to enjoy or participate in the Selection. The Selection should have been an interesting event with the projects or stuff that the contestants had to do. Instead we are once again shown how selfish she is. So much so that she her own brother had to tell her that the people hated her.


Her character overshadowed the whole book. The plot was not there. There was no development in character and nothing interesting happening. The next is probably not going to be very good, but I will read it.

Sorry that this was a rant, but this was a terribly boring and irritating book. This book was a one star.

2016/06/08

Invision (Chronicles of Nick #6)

Invision (Chronicles of Nick, #7)Invision Summary:
Think your life is complicated and confusing? Nick Gautier was born to bring about the end of the world…It’s not easy being the heir of a demon overlord.

But Nick is determined to thwart his destiny and get into a good college. To be more than his genetics and prophecy foretell. No one is ever going to tell this stubborn Cajun who and what he really is. Or how to live his life.

Not even the Fates of the Universe. But now that he and his team of ancient gods and demons have claimed the Eye of Ananke and he sees the missteps of the future, he has to battle the demons within that are far deadlier and more treacherous than any he’s battled before. All the while his arch nemesis is back and determined to reclaim his place as the harbinger for Armageddon. Even if it means killing Nick and barbecuing everyone he loves to do so.

Invision Review:

So, I ready this book about four weeks ago and I needed some time to collect my thoughts. What I hoped would be another epic novel in this series, turned out to be kind of lacking. This book took one year to come out, and what could have been spectacular got ruined by main characters, info dumps and poor story telling. That is not to say that this book was horrible. It wasn't. It was much better than a lot of other books I've read and for die hard fans of the Dark Hunter world, it's a fascinating read. The main problem was that it was just too confusing and sometimes pushes too far.

I'm putting out a warning that there may be spoilers and some ranting. Parts of the book can't be discussed without mild spoilers.

So, as I said above, the biggest problem for this book was the confusion. That was because there was too many new character being introduced, too many flashbacks that kept showing up, and too many big reveals. Now you might be thinking, how can secrets being revealed be bad? Well if you have them on every other page that don't actually have any connection to the plot, it gets bad. On top of that, it's connected to characters that we barely know or it's connected to the last couple of books. That means that Ms. Kenyon is assuming that we can connect the dots and understand who is related to who with a couple of sentences. A great example of this was the beginning of the Malachai race, and surprise, surprise they were evil! So we figure this out and two new characters are shown along with two new groups/species. In a few pages we know have to figure out what all of this means. If you can, it's incredibly interesting. If you can't, well your going to banging your head against the wall for a while. Obviously, Ms. Kenyon needs to explain these big reveals in a lot more detail. Now, there was one reveal that was done extremely well. For any Dark-Hunter fans, you were probably screaming in joy at this point. It was discovering Caleb and Xev's parentage. There was buildup from the last couple of books, including the DH ones, and more than two chapters was taken to explain this. She did a wonderful job on that!

Another big problem was the characters, mainly Nick. I get that sarcasm is an important past of all her novels and it provides a lot of good comic relief. But there is line between using it for humor and using it to literally tell the story. Ms. Kenyon has stepped over the line, one to many times. In the earlier books, it made sense. Nick was 14 and he was growing into his skin. Nick is almost 18 now, still using sarcasm in every sentence and shown that he has not grown at all. He seems to mature in body and mind, yet he cannot let go of this. He does to the point that other characters will start to ignore him! On top of that it seems like he can't take life seriously, instead of the charming, young man that he is supposed to be. The sarcasm ends up rubbing off on the other characters. On top of that, we have WAY too much referencing to older books. In the first 5 chapters alone we have gone into the past plots more than 6 times. It comes off as lazy writing when there no substantial plot. Clearly, Ms. Kenyon could have taken that extra month to fix all of this writing, sadly it seemed to be overlooked.

This was a good on though! Couldn't keep from laughing!

“Holy crap, Caleb! You're my uncle." Nick
"No!" Caleb
"It's worse. He's the half-brother of your great-grandfather." Kody
"You're not helping." Caleb
"No, but I'm entertaining myself at your adorable expense." Kody
"Yeah, y'all are missing the important fact. To a Cajun, that makes him my uncle." Nick
"Great. I always wanted to be a monkey's uncle. Nice to know I finally succeeded." Caleb


This leads into my last problem which was the flashbacks. Game of Thrones does a good job of incorporating flashbacks by making a character interact in the flashback. It brings a sense of real emotions and isn't looked upon as a way to get some extra minutes or waste time. Ms. Kenyon clearly missed the memo on that. There were maybe two or three flashbacks that were relevant useful to Nick's development. The others? Not so much! One example was Kyrian's life. It was great! Really! He's one of my favourite characters in CoN and any tidbit of this life is interesting, especially with the depth of research done into the civilization. But this parts of this scene were described countless times throughout CoN and DH. Ms. Kenyon could have put up this scene as a freebie or a novella since in did not develop Nick at all. It didn't even help get more control with his powers.

One AMAZING flashback was of Caleb and Lilliana! I need more of these two. And it didn't develop the plot that much, it did make it easier to connect with secondary characters. She should just write a short story on the two.

“I sense in you a true heart. A faithful heart. And by your wounds and scars, I can tell that you are fearless. So I shall call you Caleb, the faithful, fearless warrior who defends what he believes with everything he has. That is what I see when I look upon you. Not a demon. An ever-courageous, noble warrior. One day, I suspect, you shall look into a mirror and see the same noble man I do."

The secondary characters in this series tend to bring up the book. Nick by himself is incredibly interesting especially with the secrets coming out now. But Ms. Kenyon does something really good. She connects the secrets of the secondary characters to Nick. And I know, lots of authors do this, yet it's different in this series. It brings us onto a more intimate level with the characters and gives us the ability to connect with them. You could actually be more connected to Caleb or Xev or Dagon than Nick at this point.

Following this, the genealogy is more like an info dump than anything else. What could be a great way to connect with character, ends up being a chore. You have to remember each and every name because it will come back and play a significant role. Then you have to remember their relations. I started doing one for CoN because it was getting way to confusing. It's much easier when it's on a piece of paper. Also, write down all the lore. That'll come to bite you in the butt later. This was a problem in the previous books as well. Readers enjoy discovering things themselves, for the most part. That's why there are cliff-hangers between chapters, breaking away from scenes and laying out all the clues. We want to understand what is happening at all times and see that the character follows the same journey. Have a magic jewel (?) that basically spells everything out isn't always right. There needs to be more showing than telling. It's kind of boring without it.

Now the juiciest bit of all! The Epilogue. This was, by far, the best part of this book, and I am not exaggerating it. Previously in the book, Nick time traveled and discovered some very mind blowing secrets. All of sudden, in the present we find that evil is back at it. You read it once not fully getting the implications. Then you read it again and your head just explodes. You're left feeling numb and in awe and then sadness overtakes because you have to wait another year for the secret to be revealed. If you want more information on the ending you can go onto darkhunter.com and go into Mikro Chasers. That will give you a bit of an explanation into the epilogue.

Overall, this book was below expectations. It was filled with lazy writing, yet interesting secrets. If there was more of a plot and explanation to new characters’ secrets this could have been amazing. With the epilogue, this was book was a four star read. It's sad to see this series get any less than a five-star rating. Hopefully the next book proves to be more entertaining and organized.