Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Review:

Shadow and Bone

With its interesting and original magical premise, realistically drawn characters, and a well-constructed yet cleverly divided world, SHADOW AND BONE was a very pleasant surprise that kept me entertained from page one to the very end, with nary a slow spot in between. 

On the surface, it may have occasionally seemed reminiscent of other books I've read in this genre, and even had a few ideas/tropes that are perhaps starting to become a bit too predictable within it—ordinary girl discovers she's a super special snowflake with gargantuan powers she knew nothing about, being the most obvious one, but there were others, too. But thankfully, there was just enough of a new spin on them, and, more importantly, the characters were interesting enough, that they suddenly seemed fresh and revitalized somehow. Even for someone who's, admittedly, read more than her fair share of this genre's offerings.

What I particularly enjoyed was the conflict regarding the magic users versus the non-magic users. The way they were either revered or feared, depending on which side you were on. Those without power covet it. Those with power just want yet more power. And of course, there's always some nutjob who just wants to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! It just wouldn't be the same without one, really, and this book is no different. The bad guy, though....he/she/they were the perfect kind of bad guy—my favourite kind. The kind that you find yourself wavering over and occasionally even agreeing with, despite your better instincts. The baddie with the slight chance of redemption is like the sweetest of temptations that this reader simply cannot resist. I just love me a good antihero. A villain you love to hate and hate to love. So I enjoyed that aspect a lot.

As well as personal conflicts on the small scale, the split kingdoms are also set up perfectly for future epicness and large scale battles, and the whole idea of the Shadow Fold and the Unsea captured my imagination wonderfully. I can't wait to see what Bardugo plans to do with it all. It's the perfect rough canvas to drop a young heroine with brand new powers on and say "Now fix it, missy!". So I'm sure there is a lot more to come because, as with most first books in a series, this one had a lot of character and world set-up to do, but the potential is huge.

So, as you can see there was a lot to enjoy, so why only 4 stars? Well, it really boils down to just one thing—my lack of connection with the main character.

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the heck out of Alina, and don't actually have anything negative to say about her at all (perhaps with the exception of some occasional childish stubbornness, but even that I can forgive). And, like I said up top, she is a well-written and realistic character (even with the super special snowflake aspect, she was still likeable). BUT , if I'm being totally honest, I felt ever so slightly detached from her. She was all things a nice heroine should be; brave, selfless, even self-deprecating and funny. But for whatever reason, I didn't find myself wanting to champion her like I have with other heroines from similar titles (Neryn from Shadowfell by Marillier being the first to come to mind—Egads, I loved that frickin' book!). For me, Alina was just "okay", but didn't inspire me further than that.

Still, if you normally like this kind of YA historical fantasy whatchamawhosit, or if you just enjoy a good old magical adventure with a sweet little dash of romance thrown in, you should definitely give SHADOW AND BONE a go. It has a lot going for it, and with more time I'm sure Alina could work her little wily way further into my heart to take this from a good read, to a really great one. The kind you finish and want to start right back at the beginning. That's what I'm hoping for when I continue with the next book, Siege and Storm, and I will of course let you know how I get on:)

My rating - 4 Stars ★★★★

The Man. The Mystery. The Madness.

Dex Foray has never been anyone’s fool – until he missed his chance for happiness with Perry Palomino. Broken and alone, Dex has no choice but to rise from the ashes Perry left behind and find his own path to redemption. But nothing in Dex’s life has ever come easily, especially when there’s a dark madness waiting in the wings.

Told from Dex’s POV, And With Madness Comes the Light is a short story/novella that spans the time period from the end of Lying Season (Book #4) until the end of On Demon Wings (Book #5). If you were ever wondering what really happened to Dex while Perry was gone - his journey to Dex 2.0 - now is your chance.

Original Title

The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing... for the worse.

While saving the world is important, it isn't Rachel's only motivation. There's also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It's also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He's already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn't give herself up soon, they'll die.

But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frightening skills of her own, and she isn't going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She's also got a surprise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she's going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones... and prevent an apocalypse before it's too late. Or, at least that's the plan...

Review:

Kim Harrison is the reigning Queen of Urban Fantasy!

One of the most highly anticipated reads of 2013 for many people, Ever After by Kim Harrison most certainly will not fall short of expectations. It will, in many areas, surpass them. It will also shock, it will thrill, and my goodness it will entertain. An outstanding instalment, easily replacing any and all past favourites as the new pinnacle of the series...so far.

As is usually the case, the story picks up a couple of months after the events of the last book, A Perfect Blood, and sees Rachel meeting up with Quen to discuss the prospect of becoming a part of Trent's workforce once again. Only voluntarily this time, and will no bodily threats involved. Which makes a nice change. Rachel's not too sure, though, and perhaps not for the reasons you might expect. It seems she puts more faith in Trent's abilities to protect himself than Quen does these days, and doesn't think he needs anyone else watching him. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, after a drastic and heartbreaking turn of events, the choice about working alongside Trent is taken out of her hands completely. It's now imperative, especially since she feels partly responsible for what's happened.

Fans of the series will recall Rachel's unfortunate experience with a ley line back in book nine, Pale Demon. For me, personally, those last few chapters of Pale Demon were where my appreciation of Kim Harrison's worldbuilding went from thinking she was simply fabulous, to thinking she might actually be some kind of supernatural creature herself. I mean, she must have been to the Ever After in person to be able to describe it so vividly. And not just visual descriptions, either, but the magic, the culture, the social structure, the history, the wars, the continual decline of the demons as a race. Which, incidentally, Rachel has managed to speed up exponentially by ripping a large hole in one of the ley lines. If only the demons thought it was so incidental. Strangely, they're rather annoyed about their impending doom, and in this book, they use one hell of a bargaining chip to make sure Rachel fixes her mistake, and fast. The clock is most definitely ticking.

I'm reticent to highlight too many other plot points as I think it's best to just experience it as it unfolds. And it was a real roller coaster, that's for sure. Totally unputdownable with near-perfect pacing. There are some big shocks in store, as I mentioned earlier, some controversial returning characters, plenty of conflicts—both internal and external—and a fair amount of introspection for our dear Rache, as well. There were a couple of instances where the plot moved a bit slower, but out of a 500-and-then-some page book, that's really not bad at all. Perhaps even a necessity. Overall, this instalment felt really meaty, with little filler and lots of massive plot twists and character progression that really change the game entirely for the last two books. And of course, being titled Ever After, you can expect to bask in yet more of Harrison's phenomenal worldbuilding for that setting, and also, get some fantastic insight into everyone's favourite demon, Algaliarept. Outstanding stuff!

For the Rachel and Trent shippers out there (much like myself), you'll be pleased with the amount of time spent together in this book. Gone are the days where Trent would make one, maybe two, brief appearances—usually managing to annoy the crap out of Rachel in the process—but it's clear now that, in whatever role, Trent is a part of Rachel's life. They make strange bedfellows in some respects, but in other's, they couldn't be more compatible. What's lovely to see as well is the developing trust between them; something we couldn't have ever imagined coming from Rachel even as little as three books ago. It's an amazing transformation and a fantastic journey Kim Harrison has taken us on. I'm sad to think there are just two teeny weeny little books left in this series, but judging by the ending of this book, they're gonna be good ones! Oh, yeah.

5 Stars ★★★★★
A special thanks to Harper Voyager for the ARC. I read many ARCs throughout the year, but to receive one for your favourite series is a special treat. Like Christmas come early!Original Title Ever After by Kim Harrison

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!

A Perfect Blood


Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She's faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

Review:

Wow! What a fantastic read!

A PERFECT BLOOD has absolutely everything you have come to expect from a Hollows novel: humour, mystery, magic, romantic elements, danger, adventure, friendships and so much more.

A lot of series would be losing steam and momentum by their tenth book. Not so for The Hollows. Instead, it feels more like Kim is finally getting to have a bit of fun by letting some of the seeds she's been sewing come into fruition and it marks some exciting changes on the horizon, as well as some potentially sad and poignant ones.

The characters in this series are some of the most diverse and interesting I have ever come across. And any writer that can make me go from hating a character in one book, to having me jumping up and down in fangirl excitement every time he steps on the page in recent books, has my utmost respect. Yes, of course, I am talking about the delectable, incorrigible, part-time businessman, part-time badass, all the time pain in the ass, Trenton Aloysius Kalamack. There is yet more development of his character in this book, as if the huge steps he made in the previous one, Pale Demon, weren't epic enough. This time we get to see Trent when he's relaxed, Trent when he's having fun, Trent when he's furious and many other Trent's that we haven't ever seen before because they were hidden underneath his professional façade of political bullshit. I loved every single one of his scenes in this book and I'm so excited to see what else Ms. Harrison has up her sleeve for the elf you love to hate and hate to love.

The rest of the supporting characters were excellent too, of course. We saw all the usual faces and returned to many familiar settings which was nice after the departure we took in Pale Demon. Rachel is back in her church trying to lay low and take some much needed me time after the hell she went through four months ago. She's also got a new bodyguard- a Were named Wayde, whom I thought was an okay addition to the cast, and who now lives in her belfry. We also saw quite a bit from David and, if anything, this is probably the character and relationship I understand the least. I think from what I've read on Kim Harrison's website, the werewolf angle was something she would have liked to have addressed in more detail, but decided against it when she plotted out the Demon/Elf/Witch story arc for the remaining books. So now David feels a bit surplus to requirements within the series. I was glad to see she got her werewolf tattoo sorted out, but it had a definite "tying up loose ends" feel to it.

Jenks has some great moments and one-liners as always. Still worshipping the almighty Tinkerbell in all of her red-thonged glory. There wasn't a great deal of Ivy and it's made clear that Rachel feels they might be drifting apart. I wish I could say that really, really bothers me, but to be brutally honest, their relationship has always seemed to have an unhealthy balance to me, so I'm glad Ivy is moving on a bit and isn't quite so focused on Rachel. That doesn't mean Rachel is happy about it, though. It's more like something that she has accepted as inevitable but still finds very sad.

There were a few more new characters introduced as well but I shall leave them for you to discover yourself. They were very intriguing, though. As was the mystery plot. There was truly not a dull moment throughout.

There may be a slight upset for Al fans as he has very little screen time in comparison to others, but for me, again, this wasn't so much of a problem because I'm all about the elf.

Altogether, a wonderful addition to the series. Easily Pale Demon's equal and one I look forward to re-reading again next year while I wait impatiently for "Ever after" to come out in early 2013.

5 Stars ★★★★★

Original Title
A Perfect Blood
ISBN
0062101021 (ISBN13: 9780062101020)
Edition Language
English
Series
The Hollows #10

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen.

Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.
So you think you like flawed characters, huh?

Well, do ya? Punk?

That there is the challenge Karina Halle lays down for you with this, the first of her new Artists Trilogy, Sins & Needles. And you will be challenged by it, make no mistake. I myself am a card-carrying member of the I Heart Flawed Characters Fan Club*, and yet still I was challenged. Almost to my limit. If you're familiar with Karina's other works, specifically her Experiment in Terror series, you'll know that unusual and quirky characters are something she excels at. They're layered, flawed and not always good, but they are always effective, engaging and real. I think she took that skill to a new level here with Ellie and Camden. There are times you may find yourself unsure if you like either of them, or at least, you probably won't like their actions. Some of which are extremely hard to reconcile. Halle pulls no punches, nor does she baby her readers with characters whose flaws are only puddle-deep and eclipsed by them being otherwise perfect in every conceivable way. Nope, with this book, you either take her characters as they are, or walk away now and we'll say no more about it.

Still here? Well alrighty then.

So, let's break it down a bit. Your main character is Ellie Watt, but that's only one identity of several she's lived under as part of her drifting, grifting, con artist lifestyle. But what's in a name, anyway? Well, when you're starting to lose sight of who you actually are because you've been playing someone else—or several someone else's—for so long, then quite a bit, actually. Reconnecting with her past, including reverting back to her real name and moving back to the town she considers home, the place where she spent her formative high school years, may have seemed like the first step on the straight and narrow road to going legit for Ellie. Instead, what she finds is a one-way ticket to Oh Crapsville, and, a rather interesting fellow by the name of Camden McQueen.

What to say about Camden... without spoilers, this will be difficult. Let's start with the basics. He's hot. He wears nerd glasses (*dies*). He's charming. He's confusing. He's a musician. He's a tattoo artist and is covered in them practically from head to toe (and all the yummy, muscular places in between). But really that's just scratching the surface. There's a ginormic plot twist in the first quarter of the book, and it's not until that point that you can really, truly get to know Camden. And when you do, I defy anyone not to be sympathetic to his character.

As well as being told in 1st Person from Ellie's POV, there are regular flashbacks in third person featuring "the girl." It's obvious straight away that "the girl" is our Ellie. I don't think she's called "the girl" to try and hide her identity from readers. I think it was done to show Ellie's disassociation of herself from the girl in the memories; as though she's just another one of her fake identities. When in truth, only through gradually reading "the girl's" flashback passages and combining those with the Ellie of today, can we finally start to understand and appreciate her character. And don't worry if you really don't like Ellie at first. It's supposed to be that way, I think. I mean, she's a con artist, which means she's deceitful, sneaky, dishonest, untrustworthy and an opportunist of the highest order. But the flashbacks will help explain why she is what she is, and the reasons for her behaviour. As well as her complicated and emotionally fraught relationship with Camden.

At several points during the read, I wasn't sure if Ellie was ever going fully win me over, but I can safely say that by the end, she definitely did. I'm also rooting hard for Ellie and Camden's romance, as intense and complex as it is. But be warned, as book one in a trilogy, the ending is left wide open and you'll be gasping and desperate for book two the second you're done. We do know book two is set to be called Shooting Scars, and that it's scheduled for Summer 2013. And before that, to stave off the withdrawals, there's a prequel novella called On Every Street coming in April. It may not be enough to completely dull the ache, but surely it will help.

To sum up, this book gets a full house from me. I stayed up till 2am both evenings I read it, and if that's not an indication of a good read, I don't know what is.

Now, someone pass me the matchsticks to help prop my eyes open...

5 Stars! ★★★★★
ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
* I make things up.

Original Title
Sins & Needles
ISBN
1479359084 (ISBN13: 9781479359080)
Edition Language
English
Series
The Artists Trilogy #1

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other twenty-something girls—with one tiny exception: They're the products of a curse that backfired and gave each of them unique powers that make them, well, a little weird…

The Wird sisters are content to avoid the local vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region—until one of them blows up a vampire in self-defense. Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders if the vampires of Tahoe are plague-ridden.

Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the area safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and—oh, yeah—not lose her heart to the wrong guy or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, he's coming for her and her sisters.

This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

Ama­teur ghost hunter Perry Palomino has bat­tled ghosts, fought off skin­walk­ers and skirted the fine line between life and death. But can she sur­vive bunk­ing down in Seat­tle for a week with her partner (and man she secretly loves) Dex and his perfect girl­friend, Jennifer? And can she do so while being tor­mented by a mali­cious spirit from Dex’s increas­ingly shady past? With love and life in the bal­ance, Perry must dis­cover the truth among the lies or risk los­ing every­thing she's ever cared about.Original Title

Perry Palomino has fought her demons - and won - but the battle is far from over. She's now left broken and on her own leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray - and the Experiment in Terror show - a second chance. But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies.

The snow-covered peaks and ravenous forests hide an urban legend too unbelievably frightening to be true and the only way the duo has a chance of surviving is if Perry can let in the very man who sent her to hell and back.

Review:

Aww, this was so good!

Into the Hollow picks up right where On Demon Wings left off and begins with a tough decision for our gal Perry Palomino. A decision I was silently squeeing over going "SAY YES, YOU NUMPTY!" It also shows us a side to Mr. Declan Foray we've never really seen before since he's always been in a relationship in the past. I think I rather like the free and single version of Dex. Again, SQUEE!

And there's not just the changes in Dex's behaviour to get used to, but you'll also recall he'd transformed a lot physically when he (eventually) showed up in On Demon Wings (he was all buff and stuff). And that's not the only difference we see in him over the course of this book.

If you'd asked me before I began Into the Hollow I'd have told you it wasn't possible for me to love Dex more than I already did, but it turns out that's total bumf because I found him even more irresistible in this book than ever before! He was just so patient but still determined, cheeky, badass, adorable, annoying and absolutely everything in between. I just love him!

The plot wasn't quite as creepy or scary this time but it was definitely action-packed and full of some great dramatic scenes (which I loved). In fact, I'd say this instalment was more Urban Fantasy than Horror—much like Red Fox was—and it was super duper fun and got the old adrenaline pumping nicely.

As well as dealing with the emotional fallout from the last couple of books, Dex and Perry are asked to investigate a potential "creature" sighting in the Canadian Rockies. But even with everything they've seen, they're unsure how much credence they can put in the testimony of one of its supposed victims, so the only solution is to go check it out for themselves.

There was also a moment or two of this book that made me very interested in things to come with regard to Dex and his past demons. Very interesting developments indeed.



My new favourite nickname for an animal (or vegetable, or mineral) ever has to go to Twatwaffle the llama. Pure unadulterated genius and my new favourite word of the week.

Sigh. Of course, the sad thing is now I've run out of books! I knew this would happen, obviously, but I didn't think it would feel quite this crappy. I've got the shakes, withdrawals, extreme lethargy (although I think I had that last one already) and just general uninterest in anything anybody whose name isn't Karina Halle has written. Ever.

What's a rabid fangirl to do?

5 Stars ★★★★★

Original Title

 

NEW GAME. SAME RULES. SHE FIGHTS. THEY DIE.

Max always does her job, no matter how brutal and bloody. That’s how it’s been ever since she was enslaved by a witch, turned into a supernatural warrior, and assigned to protect the coven of Horngate. But her job just got harder....

Waves of wild magic have returned much of the world to a time when fairy tales were real and danger now lurks behind every tree and bush. As winter descends and food, heat, and water are harder to come by, many have turned to Benjamin Sterling for protection. Leader of the Earth’s Last Stand cult, Sterling claims to be the Hand of God, but his power and charisma secretly come from a dark and terrible source. With devout followers eager to do his sadistic bidding, he has his eyes on Horngate and its magical inhabitants. To save those she loves, Max will knowingly walk into a trap. But when the cult strips Max’s soul bare for all to see, will even Alexander—her lover and her strength—remain? And if she were to lose him, what does it matter if she gains the whole world...

Review:

Five action-packed stars!

The Horngate Witches series is set in a post magical apocalyptic America and features badass sword-wielding, not quite human, warriors, mildly sociopathic witches, not very angelic angels, and all manner of other weird mythological creatures and beasties. With a splash of romance enough to make me grin like a weirdo, worldbuilding that knocks my socks off, and action by the bucket load, you can see why this series is right up their with my other Urban Fantasy favourites like Kate Daniels, The Hollows, Mercedes Thompson and all those other great female-led UF series. If you haven't started this series yet and you are a fan of any of the above, add this to your TBR today! You will not be sorry.

The warriors in this series—Shadowblades and Sunspears—act as guardians for the witches and are, in fact, the main focus of books, despite the slightly misleading series name. They're woven with spells that make them nearly indestructible, as well as faster, stronger, more resistant to extreme temperatures, etc. But the downside to all that is eternal servitude to the witch who turned them. Which wouldn't be so much of a problem unless, say for instance, that witch used to be your best friend and did it to you without your permission.

Yeah. That.

Our main character is Max (that's a girl, btw), but at this point in the series, it's fair to say that Alexander is just as much of a main character as it's told in alternating third person POVs between them. Max and Alexander not only have to fight all manner of nasty things in this book as part of their role as leaders of the Shadowblades, but they're also fighting some more personal demons, as well as their increasingly complicated feelings for each other.

Following on from the giant waves of magic that erupted a couple of books back, and then Max's trials in Shadow City, she and her fellow Blades are reunited once again and decide it's time they get out from behind the safety and insulation of Horngate's wards to check out the aftermath and find out what's happening with the humans still out there in the towns and cities. Which is nothing good, as it turns out. Food is in critical demand, people are reverting back to their baser natures, and where there's chaos and panic, there's always some douchecanoe wannabe dictator ready to lead them all up the creek without a paddle. Which loosely sums up the premise of this book, in a very crude and ineloquent way.

I thought the use of the split POVs proved really useful once again; allowing us to see the action from all sides at once. The awkwardness that's developed between Alexander and Max was showcased brilliantly, too. Max, being Max, isn't handling the new dynamic with Alexander very well. She's been acting like Jekyll and Hyde with him and he is both perplexed and annoyed by it. I fully expected Max to make some mistakes at the whole "relationship" thing, and she certainly didn't disappoint! I thought that entire situation was really well-written, and with a few unpredictable twists thrown in for good measure.

Overall, I thought the story was engaging, well-paced, amusing, emotional, exhilarating, intense...I mean, I could just go on and on. It was just superb urban fantasy.

So what are you waiting for, hmm? Go grab yourself a copy right now!

Happy reading:)

5 Stars! ★★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Original Title
Blood Winter
ISBN
1451613865 (ISBN13: 9781451613865)
Edition Language
English
Series
Horngate Witches #4