Review: Would Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

Title: Would Be Witch
Author: Kimberly Frost
Series: Southern Witch #1
Release Date: February 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Paperback Swap

The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets are a few untimely visits from long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket-an heirloom that happens to hold Edie's soul-is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it's time for Tammy to find her inner witch.

After a few experiences with her dysfunctional magic, Tammy turns to the only person in small-town Duval, Texas, who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers-and a 007savoir faire to boot-but the locket isn't the only heirloom passed down in Tammy's family. She also inherited a warning: stay away from Lyons


Would Be Witch is the story of Tammy Jo Trask and her lack of otherworldly powers. Or so she thought. Her mother and aunt have left her to her own devices because they figured she did not inherit the family's magical powers, but they were wrong. Now, when the town, and Edie, the smart assed family ghost, need her to use her powers to help the town, she has to turn to Bryn Lyons, a warlock from the family Tammy was told to stay away from. 


WORLD BUILDING: 4
The world Frost has thought up is typical to these types of books; small town, lots of intolerance, not many opportunities.  However, I enjoyed reading about sleepy Duvall, TX. Unlike other novels, I felt connected to the setting, even though I've never stepped foot in Texas. There are all the typical paranormal creatures: witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and ghosts. I would have liked to seen a few different creatures.


CHARACTER BUILDING: 3
I really don't like Tammy Jo. It seems like she cannot do anything without someone else telling her what to do.  She really needs some confidence. I enjoyed all the other characters, especially her pet ocelot, Mercutio. That is one feisty cat!


ROMANCE: 3
There wasn't a lot of romance in the novel, but its definitely brewing underneath. Tammy Jo is very attracted to Bryn Lyons, and vice versa, even though she was warned to stay away from the Lyons. Her ex husband wants her back, in a sweet but desperate way, but he can be an ass, so I don't see that happening anytime soon.


KICK-ASS: 3
There are some battles and fights, but they're not the focus of the book. This is more about Tammy Jo learning she has powers and how to handle them. She did hold her own though.


OVERALL: 13/20
This was an enjoyable, but infuriating at times, read.  There are 2 more books in the series and I have them all lined up and ready to read. Hopefully, Tammy Jo gets a little more bearable. 

Hiatus

I had surgery on my elbow and I'm just now feeling up to reviewing books. Stay tuned!

Review: Bitterroot Crossing By Tess Oliver

Title: Bitterroot Crossing
Author: Tess Oliver
Release Date: January 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: Kindle Lending Club

A love triangle that crosses centuries . . .

For Nick Crush, the only thing cool about his town, Bitterroot Crossing, is the gang of outlaw ghosts that rise occasionally from the town’s swamp. But when he finds himself competing with the most notorious spirit and his own ancestor, Zedekiah Crush, for the affections of Jessie Sterling, suddenly the whole ghost thing isn’t so cool.

Jessie Sterling inherited her great-great-grandma’s shorter left leg and incredible beauty, a beauty that a century and a half earlier sparked a love triangle that ended in tragedy. Now Jessie leaves the safety of her grandma’s farm to attend high school in town . . . and Bitterroot Crossing will never be the same.


Bitterroot Crossing is the story of a town, haunted by a group of outlaw ghosts involved in a scandal 100 years ago, and what happens when the descendants of the original scandal fall in love.

WORLD BUILDING: 4
This town reminds me a classic little town in the middle of no where. I loved the tragic love story between Rebecca and Zedekiah. What I didn't like is that the town just accepts the fact that the ghosts haunt their town and never do anything to remedy it. In fact, when it is revealed what will stop the ghosts from haunting, its is so ridiculous to believe no one though of it before hand.

CHARACTER BUILDING: 4
All of the characters are well written and developed. I really Zedekiah, who turned out to be different than what legend said. Even the most insignificant characters had their own personalities and were not cookie cutter.

ROMANCE: 4
This is more of a sweet love story than a passionate one. I really enjoyed that and thought it was a good chance of pace. Jessie never loses her personality because she loves Nick, which is a refreshing change from some other YA literature.

KICK-ASS: 3
There are some altercations, but its not the focus of the book. It balanced the romance nicely.

OVERALL: 15/20
I really enjoyed this book, even if I couldn't tell where it was going at first. Oliver's writing style is different, and each chapter alternates between Nick and Jessie, but it doesn't tell you who is who so you have to figure it out for yourself. It was a nice, short, sweet, read.

Review: The Machine of Death by Ryan North et al.

Title: The Machine of Death
Author: Ryan North et al.
Release Date: October 2010
Genre: Anthology
Source: Kindle

"The machine had been invented a few years ago: a machine that could tell, from just a sample of your blood, how you were going to die. It didn't give you the date and it didn't give you specifics. It just spat out a sliver of paper upon which were printed, in careful block letters, the words DROWNED or CANCER or OLD AGE or CHOKED ON A HANDFUL OF POPCORN. It let people know how they were going to die."
MACHINE OF DEATH tells thirty-four different stories about people who know how they will die. Prepare to have your tears jerked, your spine tingled, your funny bone tickled, your mind blown, your pulse quickened, or your heart warmed. Or better yet, simply prepare to be surprised. Because even when people do have perfect knowledge of the future, there's no telling exactly how things will turn out.


I am not a fan of anthologies at all. This collection of stories is quite possibly my favorite anthology ever written. I love the idea that there is a death machine and all the stigma that comes along with it. The stories range from hilarious to heart wrenching, long to short, spanned across different cultures and times. It made me question that if there really was a death machine, would I find out how I died? I like to say no, that I'd be strong and resist, but the truth is, I'd find out in a heartbeat. And I hope it would be something exciting, but painless.

My favorite death from the anthology has to be death by Joy. That was not what I was expecting.

Review: Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Hunter by Maureen McGowan

Title: Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Hunter
Author: Maureen McGowan
Release Date: April 2011
Series: Twisted Tales #2
Genre: Young Adult
Source: NetGalley

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

The idea behind this pick your own adventure is that Lucette, or Sleeping Beauty, is cursed by Natasha, the queen of the Sanguinia, a kingdom of Vampires. At the age of 16, as soon as she pricks her finger, she will sleep during the day and at night will be the only one awake while the kingdom sleeps around her. Her parents spend the first 16 years of her life trying to protect her life, and you, the reader, gets to choose how they protect her. At the end of each section, you're offered 2 choices, both which lead her to being a Vampire Hunter and finding her true love to lift the curse.

WORLD BUILDING: 4
I like the idea of different Kingdoms, especially Sanguinia. I would have liked to learn the history behind them and how they became Vampires.

CHARACTER BUILDING: 4
The characters were all well written. They all had depth and growth.

ROMANCE: 3
There was obviously going to be a fairy-tale romance involved, but I like how for awhile it was a love triangle. I truly did not know whether she was going to pick Alex or Tristian

KICK-ASS: 4
Lucy became a really great Vampire hunter. The scene where she gets up in the middle of the night to practice the kicks made me laugh a little bit

OVERALL: 15/20
This is definitely a good pick your own adventure for girls. I like the idea of the adapted fairy tale into something that is popular today.

Review: Ascend by Amanda Hocking

Title: Ascend
Author: Amanda Hocking
Release Date: Jan 2011
Series: Trylle #3
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Source: Kindle Lending Club

With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy’s fate seems sealed. But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can’t save the ones she loves. Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it’s all coming to an end.

'Ascend' is the 3rd and last novel in Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy. This novel deals with Wendy being crowned queen and the war that erupts as a result of it. As the war against the Vittra rages on, Wendy has to deal with the war inside her heart, between her loyalty to Tove, her love to Finn, and her passion to Loki.

WORLD BUILDING: 3
At this point, the majority of the Trylle world has been built. You do get a short inside look into another Trylle compound, Oslinna, and there is now mention of 3 other Troll species besides the Trylle and the Vittra.

CHARACTER BUILDING: 3
Hocking could have done so much more with Wendy and Loki. Especially Loki. You never really learned about his personality, other than his stubbornness. I would have enjoyed if he was more like his namesake, Loki the Trickster. Finn, Elora, Tove, Duncan, Matt, Rhys and Willa were all written beautifully.

ROMANCE: 3
The final scene between Finn and Wendy was heart wrenching and well written. However, the romance between Wendy and Loki was rushed. It wasn't like she fell in love with him over the course of the trilogy. He showed up book 2 and she was instantly in love. I hope Matt and Willa ultimately have a happy ending

KICK-ASS: 3
Okay, what Wendy did to Oren at the end of the novel was awesome, but there wasn't anything in the rest of the novel to make it kick ass.

OVERALL: 12/20
This novel was a lot better than the other 2, just from the fact that it was edited pretty well. However, I thought it cleaned up the loose ends too neatly. In the epilogue, everything was tidy, right down to Wendy being with Loki and getting pregnant. I would have preferred a few loose ends, even if Hocking never plans on writing another novel in this world.

Review: Ascension by Sable Grace

Title: Ascension: A Dark Breeds Novel

Author: Sable Grace

Release Date: April 2011

Series: Dark Breeds #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Source: NetGalley

The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed -- vampyre, demons, shape shifters -- and mankind fight their last battle for survival.

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen... and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission -- to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity -- Kyana has no choice but to accept.

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort... Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both...

'Ascension' is the debut novel of writing team Heather Waters and Laura Barone, under the pen name Sable Grace. Kyana is a Dark Breed, more specifically a half Vampyre, half Lychen, who is a member of the Order of the Ancients; a group of Dark Breeds run by the Greek Gods to protect humanity.

The Gods are losing their powers and the humans they chose to follow in their footsteps, the Chosen, are being murdered. Chronos has supposedly broken out of Tartarus, and if he takes over, then you can kiss humanity goodbye. Humans are being attacked and killed by the Dark Breeds who were imprisoned in Tartarus. And its all up to Kyana, vampyre Geoffry, demi-god Ryker, and witch Haven, to figure out how to seal the gate to Tartarus for good.

WORLD BUILDING: 5
I love the way Grace has masterfully spun traditional paranormal creatures with ancient Greek mythology.

CHARACTER BUILDING: 4
The characters are beautifully written. They're somewhat cliche, but they work. Kyana is strong but troubled, Ryker is the brooding male who wants the unattainable woman, Geoffry is the happy go lucky friend, and Haven is the voice of reason. I even love the way the Gods and the Fates were written.

ROMANCE: 3
This story is not about romance. Yes, there is a budding relationship between Kyana and Ryker, and yes, they have sex, but this story is more about action.

KICK-ASS: 5
This novel kicks ass. There is a lot of world building, but its not thrusted upon you. There is a lot of action, a lot of fighting, and a lot of bickering between the characters.

OVERALL: 17/20
Sable Grace is going to find a lot of fans after this book comes out. Urban fantasy lovers will fall for the world, the plot, and the characters. I cannot wait until the second book comes out.