Rosemary and Rue by: Seanan McGuire

Synopsis:

October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.

[from barnesandnoble.com]

I first heard of this book from a blogger I enjoy, BookLoveAffair, who reviewed it a while ago. I quickly added the book to my list, and I'm not disappointed.

Rosemary and Rue is a strong debut novel, and I hope the rest of the series lives up to it. October "Toby" Daye is a strong character, because she's not a strong character. She's vulnerable, weak, and can't always take care of herself. But she's also got a lot of mental strength locked within herself.

The supporting characters are well written. I love Sylvester, Luna, Dare, Manuel, and Tybalt. They're all amazing characters, in my opinion. And the atmosphere that this world is built around is also well written. She combines the San Fran streets with the Faerie world really well, so it was very believable.

I loved the little sayings they had, such as "oak and ash", I thought it was a great touch.

One thing I didn't really understand, persay, is why her family turned her away after she turned up fourteen years later. I'd think they'd be glad she was alive, so I was a bit confused on that part. I hope we learn more about the decision on Cliff's and Gilly's part to turn October away.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how the plot was going to wrap up at first, because there are many major fights in this novel. Toby's always getting her ass kicked, and I wasn't sure how it was all going to work in the end because the novel wasn't really moving. She'd get in a fight, get hurt, be healed, get in another fight, get hurt again, heal, repeat. However, in the end, I understood why McGuire wrote it that way.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequels, I'm sad the next novel doesn't come out until March! I'd definitely recommend this novel for all fans of UF.

My rating: 8/10

Dark Water by: Koji Suzuki

Anyone who has been following this blog knows that I adore Koji Suzuki. So, naturally, I picked up his short story collection from the library! Dark Water consists of seven stories, along with a prologue and epilogue. This review is going to be a bit different, I'm going to go through each short story and give my opinion on it.

Floating Water: This was a good short story. The Americanized movie of it sucks, I hated it. But it's much better written down. It's still not my favorite in the collection, but I do think it was suspenseful and I liked the gloomy atmoshpere.

Solitary Isle: This book was creepy. Downright weird. Which I love. However, I didn't really see what it had to do with the water aspect, aside from them being on an island. I also really couldn't get into the characters. In the end, it's a forgettable story.

The Hold: This was a really good story. I loved the premise of it, and I thought it was well written. The ending of this story is amazing. I thought it was a great twist, and that the character really deserved what came to him. One of my favorites of the collection.

Dream Cruise: This was a great, you get what's coming to you, story. Kind of creepy, kind of left the reader with some questions. I loved the image at the end, it was very dramatic and just in your face. This story would definitely make me rethink swimming in the ocean at night, where you can't see anything.

Adrift: I loved Adrift. I love the idea of a haunted ship, it's just always been one of my favorite ghost stories. A phantom ship looming through the fog. Another one of my favorites. The ending had a great twist, that I was definitely hoping would happen. Great story.

Watercolors: Watercolors was the weakest story of the bunch. I didn't really understand why it was in the story. It was written well, but I just don't think the plot was up to par with the others. Very much the odd story out.

Forest Under The Sea: All I could think of while reading this was the movie The Descent. In the end, I wasn't in love with this story, but I liked it. It wasn't so much the water aspect that scared me, it was being trapped in a cave. Very scary situation! I liked the ending and how it went twenty years ahead in time. Very cool aspect. The switch in perspectives was nice. Overall, it was a decent story.

Prologue and Epilogue: At first, I had no clue what the Prologue and Epilogue would have to do with the stories. And then, ended up being tied together with the ending story, which I thought was really cool, and very much a Koji Suzuki thing to do.

Overall: I liked the stories, and it's a must read for any Koji Suzuki fan. The Ring trilogy is far better, but I enjoyed Dark Water.

My rating: 6/10

Just found another awesome contest!

Head over to The Eclectic Reader and figure out how you can enter! Some of the awesome books include On The Edge by: Ilona Andrews and Intertwined by: Gena Showalter. She seems like a great blogger who I'm definitely following now. You guys should, too!

So, why are you still here reading this? Go check it out!!

New Contest!

There's an awesome contest happening over at Teens Read and Write! They're giving away some amazing books, like The Summoning by: Kelley Armstrong, Shiver by: Maggie Stiefvater, Hush Hush by: Becca Fitzpatrick, and more!

Head on over there to get all the information on how to enter! While you're there, be sure to click the option to follow the blog, they're awesome!

--Faith

Immortal: Love Stories With Bite

There's an awesome giveaway happening over at BookLoveAffair! One winner will receive a copy of Immortality: Love Stories With Bite, which features seven awesome stories (I'm sure XD) by seven awesome authors, like Richelle Mead!

Head on over to the site to learn how you can enter!!

Succubus Dreams by: Richelle Mead

Synopsis:


Some days, a girl just can't catch a break ... especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there's her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It's not just that they can't have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Seth's obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina's under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block.


Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused-especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge-rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again.
[from barnesandnobles.com]

Succubus Dreams is probably my favorite book of the series so far. Richelle definitely didn't make the relationship between Seth and Georgina perfect and just able to conquer anything. She made it realistic, she gave them problems, which I loved. In many supernatural/romance type books, you see the main couple kind of able to take on anything and survive. Richelle gives us the realistic point of view in her books.

I also loved the new characters she introduced, like Vincent, Yasmine, and Dante. I loved the relationship between Vincent and Yasmine, another realistic relationship, and Dante just made me laugh (:

The fact that we're starting to see more into Georgina's past is another thing I liked with this book.

It's well written, entertaining, and a very fast read.

My rating: 10/10

Succubus On Top by: Richelle Mead

Synopsis:

Georgina Kincaid's job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she's been dating, she'll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus-a demon who draws her power from other men's pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can't get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is.

It's not just her personal life that's in chaos. Doug, Georgina's co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star-and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one-and fast because soon, Doug's life won't be the only one on the line.

The sequel to Succubus Blues, titled Succubus On Top was an entertaining, easy to finish book. I loved the new character introduced, Bastien. Loved him. I'd love to see more of him and hope she brings him back. I also love Carter. He's my favorite (: Aside from Georgiana. I think she's a strong heroine, who battles with what she is and what she wishes should could be. Which is a battle I think everyone goes through.

Succubus On Top had not only the relationship struggles and aspects of Georgiana's life, but Mead also balanced that with her job as both a succubus and her job in the bookstore, and she also gave her some immortal foe she needs to challenge and find. So we have all these different things going on, which makes it easy not to get bored because we're getting only one aspect of the book.

I love this series, it's definitely one of my new favorites, and I'm already starting the third book, Succubus Dreams. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance stories with a hint of humor. I love Richelle Mead's humor. It's great.

And can I just say I love how Georgie's downfall are her white chocolate mochas? As a lover of the drink, I so know what she means when she says she can't live without them XD

My rating: 9/10

Nightwatch by: Sergei Lukyanenko

Synopsis:

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

I loved this book. I'm so glad I picked it up. It was entertaining, fast-paced, the dialogue was good, the characters were well developed (aside from a few minor characters that probably could've been eliminated from the story), and everything was well structured.

I loved the eerie, sort of chilly feeling he gave the city of Moscow. It really created a great backdrop for the story.

I also love how each part is kind of like it's own little novella, and they all tie together in the end, making an awesome story. It felt like I read three books, when in reality it was just the one!

It kept me on my toes, always guessing what was going on, it had a few twists and turns that left me dazed. I really enjoyed it. I can only hope I enjoy the following books in the series as much as I did this one. I'm sure I will, though.

So, if you're a fan of paranormal stories, fantasy stories, this is definitely one you should pick up. Sergei could easily become one of my favorite authors.

And I love the cover, it looks awesome!

My rating: 9.5/10