From Hicklebee’s: As vampires from all over the world descend on the Drake farm for the Blood Moon gathering, security is ramped up. Lucy has been temporarily banned, for her own safety—and to allow Solange some time to adjust to her new existence. But their enemies realize how much Lucy means to the family, and plan to abduct her to use her for leverage against the new royal family. Instead, Lucy’s cousin Christabel is kidnapped by mistake—and Connor Drake immediately heads off in pursuit, but isn’t in time to prevent Christabel’s infection by the Hel Blar. He can’t save her human life, but he can still try to save her new vampire life, and is willing to put his own life on the line for the girl he has grown to care so much about. Can he save Christabel, the Blood Moon, and his mother’s newly forged Vampire Alliance?

Buy it now from Hicklebee’s.

I think I have reviewed every book Alyxandra Harvey has ever had published here on this blog. She has a style that I just adore to pieces and I can tear through one of her works in small time and be completely satisfied. Bleeding Hearts is classic Drake Chronicles through and through, I loved it to pieces.

Possibly the most fun part for me in this story was Cristabel. She is Lucy’s cousin and it was fun to read the stark differences between her and Lucy. While Lucy is full of pop culture and pizzaz, Christabel is more into dead poets and darkness. I loved her immediately.

Bleeding Hearts also gives us insight into a Drake brother we haven’t learned a whole lot about. Connor may not take the title of favorite Drake boy in my book but he is a close second. He’s techy and funny and completely loyal to his family and friends. All great traits.

The Drake’s lives haven’t calmed down at all, in fact their situation is probably more hectic than ever. There is a special vampire get together and Lucy is all but banned from being around the family. She’s training with Hunter and the Helios Ra and trying to hide all the crazy supernatural stuff from her cousin at the same time.

Solange in this book was strange. There wasn’t much on her but what we did see was her going through some major vamp-y crises and I am more than anxious to see what is up with her in the next book.

The romance between Connor and Christabel wasn’t the normal flowery Drake Bro kind. It developed in its own new way and I enjoyed watching them fall for each other quite a bit.

If you love The Drake Chronicles I urge you to pick this volume up and if you haven’t read any of the books start with Hearts at Stake which was an absolute riot.

From Hicklebee’s: In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

I feel very confident saying that Cassandra Clare is one of the most stunning fantasy authors in YA Literature. I have dutifully read each and every one of her books and I have found myself in love with each book for different reasons. Her Infernal Devices series is my favorite of her two. If you haven’t read Clockwork Angel this review will hold spoilers from that book. Also, if you haven’t read Clockwork Angel – get on that now. I promise you won’t regret it.

There are a great many things I loved about Clockwork Prince. The evolution of Jem from being pitiable and weak to a strong young man with a brilliant disposition on life. Jem was understanding, constantly there for Tessa and isn’t bitter with the lot he has been given. He is swiftly becoming my favorite character from Clare’s cannon.

Will on the other hand acted like an entitled ass through most of the novel. Yes, it is explained why he is an ass, and its sad tear-worthy even- especially when you learn the truth about him and Magnus Bane helps him solve his biggest life mystery. It was the last few pages of the book and his “Jem can take it” attitude that made me incredibly mad at him. I am in awe of Clare’s ability to elicit such strong emotions from me, especially related to the characters.

Tessa is still Tessa, smart, funny and well read. We are little closer to finding out what she really is at the end of the novel and the wait for book three where I hope we do find out is going to kill me. Tessa grows so much in this novel, she goes from proper American lady living in England to kick ass down and dirty I will do anything to save any of you and that was my favorite part of this novel.

The Lightwoods are introduced, Morty is still deliciously evil, there are still clockwork devices but they aren’t the main focus of the book. I did enjoy how the devices took a backseat here for plot and I have a feeling they will play a major part in book three.

The most important thing Henry is still awesome. Charlotte is going through a very hard time in Clockwork Prince and I hope everything works out and she and Henry become very happy together; they deserve it.

New characters, new hints and mysteries are introduced. The world building is superb and if I had the next book I would have dove into it immediately. If you haven’t had a chance to read Clare I highly suggest you drop everything and do that now.

For those who have read Clockwork Prince here is the balcony scene re-imagined by Vanya from VLC Photo:

From Goodreads: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life…

Some of the best fantastical worlds in recent history are penned by Maria V. Snyder. Whether we are following a prisoner turned food taster, or a pipe cleaner turned revolutionary Snyder brings top notch world building to the page.

In this latest series for the adult market Avry is a healer on the run. When the plague came to Avry’s world the healers were unable work their magic to make it go away. They became hated, and then they became the hunted. Avry heals a dying child and is turned into the authorities by the child’s father. She is broken out of prison by a strange man she learns that by going with him she escaped one death to faced with another.

She is the last of her kind. The only healer left and it has become her duty to heal a prince so that he can save the kingdom from civil unrest and utter destruction. Even under the threat of world war Avry is reluctant to heal the prince. When she tries to run away from the group who stole her way from the jail, she learns much about who they are and why she must do what is right.

Touch of Power is a dynamic fantasy with dystopian elements. It covers romance, genocide, and features compelling character interaction and friendships. I think the book crosses over well to the YA audience and should be on the ‘must read’ list of any fantasy lover.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the sequel.

From Goodreads: Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she’s the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous – not to mention unwelcome – attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that’s when life gets really interesting…

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Let me take a moment to start this review by asking you a question. How often have I waxed poetic about a contemporary novel? If you come around here a lot you know the answer, if you are new here (waves at new persons) the answer is very rarely. This is because I like very few contemporary themes. I rather enjoy the incredibly dark or the fantastically light.

Marni Bates hits all my LOL buttons with her debut Awkward. We start the book with Kenzie talking to the notable crowd about homework. Why else would the notables talk to an invisible? Kenzie is leaving the notable stairs when she turns around hitting a boy in the stomach with her backpack full of AP textbooks. He falls down the stairs and Kenzie runs after him giving him really bad and not needed CPR.

Someone filmed the incident and it hit Youtube branding Kenzie as The Most Awkward Girl in the World. Her new found fame brings her designer clothing, her high school crush is finally interested in her, and backstage passes to a rock concert. Kenzie is so blinded by the bling and being notable that she can’t see what is right in front of her.

I loved every moment reading Awkward. Kenzie is such a fun character and so very likable. Watching her life blow up exponentially bit by bit was hilarious. Another great thing about the book is that Kenzie had an amazing set of friends and a very supportive family. She learned to be comfortable in her own awkward skin with their full support.

Kenzie learns that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But once you get there you can spread some fertilizer and make it greener yourself.

I seriously urge you to make this your first book purchase of 2012. Marni Bates is a talent, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! You can thank me later.

From Hicklebee’s: The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

It is no secret that I go Geek for Greek. Armentrout has a swift and to-the-point writing style that I adore. We learn half blood and pure blood lore and everything is updated with a 21st century feel. Just as you would expect, the pure bloods hold the real power. They are rich, pretty, and make up the government. Half blood citizens are either drugged and sent into a life of slavery to the pure or train to kill daimons. The highest level a half can obtain is to be a sentinel, a daimon killer.

Alex’s mother wanted her out of the life, Alex never knew why but as a half blood she really never questioned pures, not even her mother. She lived in the mortal world for three years always moving – life in constant flux, until the day her mother is killed by a daimon. Alex runs straight back into the arms of The Covenant, more specifically into the arms of Pure Hottie McHotterson Aiden St. Delphi.

Most pure bloods wouldn’t dream of becoming a daimon killer. They were all too fragile for that, even though they can control the elements. It was too dangerous, only half bloods can see through a daimon’s magic, and only pure bloods can be turned into a daimon.

Alex is taken back to The Covenant by Aiden. The dean of the school threatens to drug her and put her into servitude. It seems that Alex traded one crap life for another until Aiden speaks up for her. He offers to train her in kickassery and get her caught up so that she can begin school and possibly realize her dream to become a sentinel.

Everything is going great, Alex is learning to be less of a hot head and her fighting style is getting better every day. Then her pure step-dad comes into the picture and the plot takes off on electrifying turn after turn to a stunning conclusion.

I adored Half-Blood for the mystery, the greek lore, the choices and problems that plagued the main character. I loved the side characters and the pretty demi-god boys. Half-Blood is out now, and if you also go geek for Greek I suggest buying and reading it. You won’t be sorry that you did.

From Hicklebee’s In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

I was very much looking forward to The Pledge. The idea of a fantasy with dystopic vibes based on an evil monarchy had my geek senses tingling. Derting – whose work I have appreciated in the past – has completely outdone herself with this very different and unique story.

As many of you know, my family is multi cultural, my husband and his family speak Dutch and I do not. So when that side of my family is here I am left out of the conversation quite a bit. It is something you really never get used to and it helped me connect with Charlie. Derting uses language as a caste system. The servants speak one language and that is it. Merchant class – like Charlie and her family – speak the servant language and a merchant language. The privileged speak both those and have their own fancy language as well that no one below them can understand. The problem is, Charlie has a very dangerous gift. She can understand all languages – even those she isn’t allowed to understand.

When Charlie hears, and understands, a language she has never heard spoken before she knows her life is about to change. War is coming, and Charlie may be the key to winning. Will Charlie be a beacon for the resistance or Royals? The crown prince is the most interesting boy she has ever met.

Charlie is pulled in so many different directions, she fears for her family, realizes her baby sister is also gifted and in danger from the crown. The Queen is old and dying slowly – she needs a new heir for only a queen can rule. Boy children are disregarded completely.

I love the feministic views in the book, the writing and heck who doesn’t want to be a queen? I do, and I would go dark side if need be.

The Pledge is a perfect blending of fantasy and dystopia. I can’t wait for book two! The book comes out tomorrow! Go grab it and tell me what you think.

From Hicklebee’s: Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped – and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.

I didn’t really know what to expect going into The Space Between I had bought but never gotten around to reading Yovanoff’s debut. Upon seeing the cover and synopsis of the review copy for this book I became incredibly excited. There are a lot of angels and demons stories out there now, but none quite like this.

The settings in the book were fantastical. Daphne lives in hell, but it isn’t all fire and torture and brimstone – at least not for a princess – daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. For several hours a day the fires burn and Daphne has to hide her earthly possessions that her brother Obie brings to her from the surface or they would burn up. Hell is made of metal, and Daphne lives in an interesting tower, with interesting sisters borne of Lilith and lesser demons who go topside to seduce unwary men. Daphne however doesn’t have the urge and she has never been to earth.

Then one day a boy is brought to hell and Daphne asks him to be returned to the surface. Obie takes the mysterious boy back and stays on the topside. Obie is Daphne’s everything, so she ventures forth from hell to find her brother and bring him back to hell before an avenging angel and his demon eating beast find and kill Obie.

The story sets off at a frantic but perfect pace and Daphne learns so much. She learns about life, really living – love, and infinite sadness. The plot is thick and syrupy and so much is going on in The Space Between it makes the novel wholly unputdownable.

I loved every second of reading time. Daphne’s world, her coming of age, and her dangerous bravado make Yovanoff an author to put on my watch list. I can’t see what her mind comes up with next.

The writing and pace was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for a more smooth ride through hell. This book comes out on the 15th – I ain’t saying you should be standing in line – but you should.

From Hicklebee’s: A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger

Lenzi hears voices and has visions – gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can’t help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she’s a reincarnated Speaker – someone who can talk to and help lost souls – and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn’t make a decision soon.

A new take on the classic medium vs ghost story. Lindsey delights the reader by adding her own flair and lore, breathing new life into an over told tale.

Lenzi is a great character, she is incredibly flawed and broken. Her father is dead, he heard voices and was treated for a mental disease. When Lenzi starts hearing voice she fears the worst. That she is like her dad, destined to a life of the crazy and eventual suicide. She has a boyfriend names Zak who seems like he really cares for her. At least until Alden shows up.

Alden swaggers onto the page with the confidence of a character who has known Lenzi for years; and he has – via all her reincarnations. He is her protector. Unlike her father what Lenzi hears is real. She is a speaker and it is her job to tag and bag ghosts so that they can move on to the next plane.

Unlike most protagonists of recent, Lenzi doesn’t want to accept her paranormal gifts. She wants to be normal. To hang out with Zak, not hear voices and play her dad’s old guitar. When a malevolent spirit latches on to Lenzi and begins to show her how many times he has killed her in previous lives, she takes charge of her destiny and agrees to battle with Alden and save her life.

Shattered Souls is fast paced, well written and wholly unputdownable. I adored Alden and the rest of the protectors we got to meet and enjoyed Lenzi’s spunk. If you are a fan of ghostly paranormal writing, Shattered Souls is the book for you.

From Hicklebee’s: Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

I love when historical meets fantasy and Claudia Gray did such an amazing job with Fateful. We all know the fated story of the ship Titanic, but Gray’s imaginative retelling of what really happened on the ship is masterfully told and incredibly fun to read.

Tess is a maid in a good family household. Like most servants she is treated horribly and hates every moment of it. When she finds out she is going on the Titanic to America, she devises an plan to leave service and start a new life on American soil.

Tessa is a hardworking, smart, and interesting character. While the family she is in service too isn’t very fleshed out, I think that most of the peerage were concerned with flippant things at this time period and Gray showed their lack of passion well.

When Tess meets two werewolves on board things get extremely interesting and steamy. Alec tries to protect Tess while protecting himself from the Brotherhood. A society of wolves that believe they are gods, they need Alec and his family money and influence on their side and they will stop at nothing to get it. They turn Alec on Tess, then on the general population while he is in wolf form. It seems he has no choice but to join the Brotherhood and leave Tess behind, even though they have began to have feelings for each other.

The book continues at a break neck pace, here’s a spoiler for you – the ship sinks – but who makes it off alive? Who makes it to American soil to start again, and who is lost to the tragedy?

While I think the ending of the book was way too easy, and far-fetching I did enjoy the other 95% of the novel. I understand that the ending was there to coax a possible sequel but it didn’t jive with the other part of the book. I was wholly disappointed by the conclusion, but wouldn’t be averse to picking up a second and seeing what trouble Tess can get herself into next time.

From Hicklebee’s: Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.
The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

I enjoy these types of books immensely. Kids with special abilities at camp learning how to kick some butt. The idea of secret societies as a whole interests me greatly. Who are we to know if there are not fancy meetings happening right now, where fairies or slayers or vampires are deciding the world’s fate while we are watching America’s Next Top Model? Having a fascination for dragons also doesn’t hurt when one is reading the book.

There are many characters in this book and while they are not fleshed out very deeply they still showcase unique traits that make it easy to distinguish one character from another. In Slayers there is hope, mystery, action and even a little espionage. I adored every minute of it.

The idea that dragons used to stalk the earth and alchemists devised two ways to deal with the species and those two ways are at war with each other is a unique and thrilling concept. One group of alchemists infused themselves with dragon DNA and can control dragons with their mind, this is your bad guy. The other drank a potion and created special abilities in order to kill dragons. Years went by with no dragons and the abilities were watered down in the blood over time, but when eggs are brought on a plane to DC several pregnant women gave birth to a new generation of slayers to combat the dragons when they hatch.

At camp the kids work to become ready for the dragon invasion. Circumstances push the group to act faster than they had originally thought and the book takes off at a break-neck pace to a great conclusion leaving room for a sequel.

If you like dragons, camp stories, or secret societies you will love Slayers.

Book Trailer: