Teaser Tuesday–The Never List & The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Since I’m usually reading one book on my Nook and listening to one audiobook, I’m going to start sharing two teasers. Today my first teaser comes from an audiobook that I’m listening to that has recently been released, the second from a NetGalley title that will soon be released. Both published by Pamela Dorman Group/Penguin.

The teaser:

“There were four of us down there for the first thirty-two months and eleven days of our captivity. And then, very suddenly and without warning, there were three. Even though the fourth person hadn't made any noise at all in several months, the room got very quiet when she was gone. For a long time after that, we sat in silence, in the dark, wondering which of us would be next in the box.”

The AudioBook

 

The Never List

By Koethi Zan

Narrated by- Kristen Sieh

Published by – Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Group

Pub. Date- August 1, 2013

Source- Penguin Audio

Genre – Thriller

Length – 9 Hours

 

 

Amazon | Goodreads

The most relentless, deeply disturbing thriller writer since Jeffery Deaver and Gillian Flynn

For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List”:  a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs.  But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism.

Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail.

Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the perverse world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.

A shocking, blazingly fast read, Koethi Zan’s debut is a must for fans of Karin Slaughter, Laura Lippman, and S.J. Watson

 

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The second teaser

“There were two Noras, one who was about to die, and one who would live and be happy, blissfully happy, because she had surrendered all pain and terror to someone who was stronger. She wanted frantically to be the second woman.”

The Book

 

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic

By: Emily Croy Barker

Published by – Pamela Dorman Books/Viking/Penguin Group

Pub. Date- August 1, 2013

Source- Net Galley

Genre – Fantasy

 

Amazon | Goodreads

 

An imaginative story of a woman caught in an alternate world—where she will need to learn the skills of magic to survive

Nora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to marry another woman. During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning beauty. Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be true.

Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker, a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her "real life" against the dangerous power of love and magic.

For lovers of Lev Grossman's The Magicians series (The Magicians and The Magician King) and Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night)

 

 

Be sure to leave a link to your teaser in a comment so I can check out what you’re reading!

Top 10 YA Crushes–Guest Post & Giveaway with Ebony McKenna

I am so excited that Ebony Mckenna agreed to visit The Happy Booker to share a guest post about her book crushes! Ebony is the author of the fun & magical series Ondine. I recently read the first in this series titled The Summer of Shambles, you can check out my review here.
I have a few book crushes of my own, like Sirus Black from Harry Potter and Raffe from Angelfall. What about you? Let Ebony know who your book crushes are and you’ll be entered to win one of two copies of The Summer of Shambles!

Giveaway is INT – 2 Winners

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Top 10 Young Adult Crushes

by Ebony McKenna

 

Sure, I read novels for the escapism, the writing, the plot and all that. But what makes a book truly memorable for me is when I fall in love with the characters. I adore believable characters who make me sigh and give me goofy grins. I love the emotional connection between my heart and a book.
It’s time to confess I’ve fallen in love with far too many fictional lads over the years. Here are my top 10 favorites of all time.

1: Dread Pirate Roberts (The Princess Bride by William Goldman)
I first fell in love with Cary Elwes who played him in the movie, which I saw in the 1980s. Later, I read the book and fell in love with him all over again. Don’t get me wrong, Westley the farm boy is all kinds of sweet, but when he becomes Dread Pirate Roberts, he is brave and strong and clever, utterly devoted and a lot bit wicked.

2: Gale Hawthorne (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
Katniss should have ended up with Gale, no question. He’s smart and strong and catches his own food. These are important qualities to consider when society is falling apart. Gale is a survivor. Usually I’m not a fan of the love triangle, but in this series it worked - only because I’d made my mind up very early on and didn’t budge from it. If only Katniss had listened to me.

3: Jon Snow (A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin).
Not a YA book per se, but the series A Game of Ice and Fire is filled with teens and tweens forging a new life in a kill-or-be-killed universe. One of the most intriguing characters (along with Tyrion Lannister) is Jon Snow, the bastard son of Ned Stark. Jon is an outcast who desperately wants to belong. He’s in constant battle with what he wants versus what the world wants of him. He’s understandably complicated without wallowing in melodrama. He’s a survivor. (Oh dear, I hope I haven’t spoken too soon.)
I was also partial to Robb Stark, Jon’s half-brother. Honorable, just like his father. Strong, brave and devoted to the cause, just like his father. Oh yeah, and dead, just like his father. Thanks for nothing George!

4: Bennett Cooper (Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone)
Oh Bennett is divine. This is a new crush for me but the time-traveling Bennett will stand the test of time, if you’ll forgive the pun. He’s so believable and well written. He’s complicated (as a good teenager ought to be) and has loads of secrets, but he has such a strong sense of devotion and the need to protect the people he loves that makes him so eminently crushable. Yikes, this list is getting way too revealing. Oh well, it’s cheaper than therapy!

5: Josh Abrams (I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter)
Reading the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter is pure fun, with added super cool gadgets and plot twists. Josh is both a love-interest and thorn-in-the side for Cammie. I’m a few books in to the series, which means I’m liking Josh all the more and yet trusting him even less. Is he a spy, a double-agent or something more dangerous?
Whatever the outcome (book 6 is out soon!) Josh is way too clever to forget.

6: Hamish McPhee (The Summer of Shambles by .... oh look, it’s me!) Yes, I am in love with my own creation. There is probably something deeply Freudian about this. Or it’s simply entertaining. But the thing is, I didn’t realize I was in love with him until a blogger interviewed me and said my face went all soft and silly whenever she said his name.

7: Étienne St Clair (Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins)
My husband is now reading these over my shoulder. I am in serious trouble. “But darling, it’s not like I’m some desiccated cougar, or whatever comes after cougar (Snow Leopard?) It’s me reading as my 15-year-old self, living vicariously though the protagonist. Honest!
Sure, I crushed on Étienne, but also, I grew very frustrated with his inability to ditch his current girlfriend and get with Anna. These situations play out very badly in real life. You do not want to be someone’s back-up plan, you want to be the centre of their world. But also, I’m a sucker for an accent.

8: The Man of Steel
No matter your orientation, if you’re not crushing on Henry Cavill in the rebooted Superman, check your pulse. OK, this is a movie not a book . . . but you can bet Henry is inspiring a great many writers all over the world right at this very minute. 
  
 

9:  Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery)
Yeah, I’m going old-school. I didn’t fall in love with him instantly. In later books, Anne gets wistful about her perfect husband. She says she couldn’t love a wicked man, but it would be nice if he ‘could be wicked’. At that point, it all fell into place. Gilbert is smart, easy on the eye and capable of being a big tease when the moment strikes. He’s also completely devoted to Anne. Ooooh, there’s that word devoted again. Sigh.

10: Ai Ling (Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon)
Yep, I’m crushing on a girl here, because Ai Ling is awesome without being arrogant. She’s also brave and daring while acknowledging how scared she is of the consequences. She’s so full of adventure and fighting spirit. And the girl loves her food. What’s not to love?

Honorable Mentions (because I can’t stop at 10)

 The Doctor (David Tennant’s incarnation).
OK, so not a book. But also, Dr Who, huge part of my youth spent behind the sofa being scared by Daleks, Cybermen and Bonnie Langford’s hair.
When the BBC brought it back to our screens with Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor, I was back to being a kid again. Then David Tennant stepped into the role and he took it to a whole new level. I am still crushing on him like crazy.

Michael Wagner (Forever by Judy Blume)
Notable because this book was my introduction to the topsy-turvy world of romantic love. First published in 1975, I would have been one of the ‘new’ audience reading it in the late 80s.  I read it because I was a perve and I wanted to know what I was in for, didn’t I?

Over to you.

Who are your favorite YA crushes?  Who should be on the list? I have two digital copies of The Summer of Shambles to give away in the comments below. I’ll choose one winner at random and the other winner will be someone who makes me giggle or grin or both.
 

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About the Author

Ebony McKenna lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and young son.

She has worked as a journalist, market researcher, website editor, and company director. She also waitressed, cleaned and prepared food in her family's restaurant when she was a teenager.

In high school McKenna excelled in English and Literature, earning herself a place in the journalism course at Melbourne's RMIT University.

In the 1990s she worked as a journalist on many leading Melbourne newspapers. She won many awards - including scooping first and second place in the one night for best news report. By day she wrote other people's stories, but by night she plotted epic adventures.
Now she writes novels for a living.

Connect with Ebony: Website | Twitter

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About the Book

This is a brilliantly witty story with a furry tail ending. One girl. One boy. One spell to be broken. Ondine de Groot is a normal fifteen-year-old who lives with her family in the European country of Brugel. She has a pet ferret called Shambles. But Shambles is no ordinary ferret...He's Hamish McPhee, a boy cursed by a witch. A witch who happens to be related to Ondine. When Shambles turns back into Hamish temporarily, Ondine knows that she has to help him break the spell. He is the most gorgeous boy she has ever met and her one true love! He just can't remain a ferret forever. Can he?

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Goodreads

Giveaway

Answer the authors questions from the guest post and comment with your email address to enter to win one of two digital copies of The Summer of Shambles. Giveaway is INT. and ends on 7/31.

Review–The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna

 

The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna Kindle Edition 304 Pages Published 2013 by Egmont, Hardie Grant, Bookbaby Genre – MG-YA Fantasy, fairy tale, romance Rating 4 of 5 stars

 

 

 

Links:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Goodreads
Author Links:  Website  |  Twitter

The Summer of Shambles was a riot of quirky fun. Full of energy and vivacious characters, it was everything that I could wish for in a light summertime read. I was first drawn to the book because of the fabulous cover which is such a great reflection of what the reader can expect to find inside.

Ondine is just an average teen off for a summer at psychic summer camp when her life suddenly turns topsy turvy by an impudent talking ferret who just happens to be a boy named Hamish, cursed to live as a ferret by a witch he annoyed. Hamish's antics kept me entertained. The writing highlights his thick Scottish brogue which, in my head, I read his character with Hagrid's voice (from Harry Potter). This made seeing him as a love interest a little difficult, but no less entertaining for me! The author said David Tennant from Dr. Who was the voice that inspired Shambles accent. I'm sure he's more relationship-able than Hagrid, but it was incredible fun to imagine that gruff voice coming from a ferret!

This book was just so entertaining to read! The Summer of Shambles is absolutely original but with a classic fairy tale feel. One of the high points of the writing was the snarky footnotes scattered throughout. While this could have been a distraction, it ended up being an enjoyable element that helped to set the tone and added to the world building.

Of course there was the romance which was sweet and pretty well done. I liked both of these characters so much that I couldn't help but root for them! Hamish kind of steals the show, but Ondine herself is a feisty lass that is every bit a match for that roguish ferret.

Ultimately, The Summer of Shambles is pure brain candy. The dialog is amusing and easy to follow, the pacing is energetic, and the overall tone is lighthearted and playful. There's romance, accents, witchery, magic curses, footnotes, and a nefarious plot to uncover. In short, a perfect summertime read. I think this would appeal particularly to middle grade to younger YA readers. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes to enjoy a feel-good story in between books with heavier themes.

Rating 4 of 5 stars

 

Be sure to stop by The Happy Booker on Monday 7/22 when the author, Ebony McKenna will tell us about her top 10 fictional crushes and you’ll have an opportunity to win a copy of The Summer of Shambles!

I received a Kindle copy of The Summer of Shambles from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

Review: Wind and Fire

Wind and Fire by Cheryl Landmark

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads.com synopsis: Zardonne, Master of the Dark Rift, has ripped a hole in the fabric of Tellaron and invaded with an army of hideous demons. Oblivious to the dangers and evil brewing beyond the borders of the quiet Ardis Valley where she lives, nineteen year old Tenya toils through a life of dreary loneliness and drudgery plagued by strange, disturbing visions, yearning desperately for the beautiful mother she had not seen since she was three. Her life is abruptly turned upside down when she is abducted in the middle of the night and sent on a perilous journey that will test her courage and the fledgling powers buried deep within her. For not only does she discover that her missing mother, Elea, is a powerful sorceress able to control the forces of the wind, Tenya also learns that she herself possesses a singing power that manifests itself as white fire throughout her body. Can she find her mother, and the strength to use her own powers, in time to save Tellaron from the evil Demon Master? Her world depends upon it.


I was contacted by the author, Cheryl Landmark, and agreed to review an e-book copy of her novel Wind and Fire.
This novel was surprisingly short considering the length of most epic fantasy books. However, this may have helped in keeping the plot moving along while maybe losing a little in actual world building. Wind and Fire is your standard epic/quest good vs evil type of fantasy that introduces us to Tenya, our 16 year old heroine, who missing her mother, is constantly bullied by her step-mother and dealing with an emotionally absent father. After Tenya is basically sold by her step-mother to a travelling hag who happens to be in the employ of the Demon Master himself, Tenya finds herself facing some pretty big obstacles and is surprised to find that she is up to the challenge. Helped along by the allies she meets during her quest, Tenya tries to use her budding powers and the visions that are her one connection to her mother to seek out and confront Zardonne, and help to free those who he has imprisoned. I would have liked to have been able to connect more with Tenya as a character, but I still very much enjoyed reading about her journey.
Overall, I think that this was an admirable effort from debut author Cheryl Landmark. Despite the rather uninspired cover and some clunky wording, the story itself was quite intriguing. I think with a little more word building and character development, Wind and Fire would have been amazing. As it is, I consider it a very good novel and would recommend it to any fan of epic fantasy who is looking for a quick read. And I truly look forward to seeing more of Landmark's future work.

Rated- 3 Frankies




View all my reviews

The Ranting Dragon book Giveaway

The Ranting Dragon is giving away 1 copy each of Warbreaker, Hunger Games, and the Adamantine Palace in celebration of their first week online. This seems to be a very well put together fantasy book review blog that I am happy to join as well as recommend to any other fans of the genre. Click here to enter this giveaway. 

Author Andrew E. Kaufman Interview and $50 Amazon GC Contest

Andrew E. Kaufman gave an interesting and informative interview about his book While the Savage Sleeps at Bitten by Books. There is also a contest offering a $50 Amazon gift card. Click here to enter.

Bitten by Books Contest!

Bitten by Books is offering 5 copies of VC Andrews' new release Daughter of Darkness!! Click here to enter the contest. 

A Glimpse of Darkness – YOU choose the adventure! � Del Rey and Spectra - Paranormal Books, Graphic Novels, and More

A Glimpse of Darkness – YOU choose the adventure! � Del Rey and Spectra - Paranormal Books, Graphic Novels, and More 

Lara Adrian, Harry Connolly, Kelly Meding, Stacia Kane, and Lucy A. Snyder! Some great authors writing the adventures you choose. Vote for the direction you want the story to go in and the next author will write the scenario that gets the largest votes. Click here to join the ADVENTURE!!

Sebastian by Anne Bishop

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Roc (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460960
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460967
• Goodreads.com synopsis: Long ago, to stop the onslaught of the Eater of the World, Ephemera was split into a dizzying number of strange and magical lands connected only by bridges that may take you where you truly belong, rather than where you had intended to go. Now, with the Eater contained and virtually forgotten, the shifting worlds of Ephemera have been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one such land, where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved - a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her. But a more devastating destiny awaits Sebastian, for in the quiet gardens of the Landscapers' School, evil is stirring. The prison of the Eater of the World has weakened - and Sebastian's realm may be the first to fall. 

I loved Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series and was looking forward to reading more of her work. I was certainly not disappointed with this first book of the Ephemera duology. 

I loved so many things about this book, my favorite being the world of Ephemera. Anne Bishop has done such an amazing job of bringing to life the magic of the world itself, Ephemera is created by the feelings and beliefs of the residents, and crossing a bridge will take you to the landscape that reflects the person you truly are inside. 

In order to stop the darkness of human feelings from overwhelming the world, landscapers shape the magic of Ephemera into building different types of landscapes, interweaving the light and the darkness into cities and farmland and everything in between. 

The conflict begins when "The Eater of the World" escapes from where its been confined for centuries and begins trying to influence the minds of everyone toward the darkness, tipping the balance and changing the face of Ephemera. Only one landscaper is powerful enough to stop this from happening, Belladonna, the cousin of Sebastian. Sebastian is a half wizard half incubus who has struggled to find a place where he belongs, that reflect those two very different sides of his nature. Along the way, he meets Lynnea, who is also searching for a place she can feel safe. The romance between them is not overdone, however, I didn't connect with them as much as I would have liked. 

Belladonna is a much more interesting character, escaped from being walled into her garden by the wizards at the landscapers school, Gloriana Belladonna learns what it means to be who she is.

The Den of Iniquity has a variety of fascinating characters, from the bulldemons to the demoncycles, to the pub owner who's specials include Stuffed Tits and Phallic Delights. What keeps me from rating this a 5 star is that I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. However, I still truly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the next.

Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life: Update #4! - 1027+ Followers & Bday Blow Out! {It’...

Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life: Update #4! - 1027+ Followers & Bday Blow Out! {It’...: "  Since I have just passed 1200 blog followers… There will be 9 winners! *more to come, see info bellow!   *Please read ALL the info care..."

Larissa's Bookish Life Huge Birthday giveaway!!

If you're a fan of fantasy, this is the giveaway celebration extravaganza for you! Larissa has an incredible array of  prize packs to have any fantasy-lover yearning to be chosen. Check it out for yourself!! Click here to be entered!

City Of Ghosts - Stacia Kane

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (July 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345515595
• ISBN-13: 978-0345515599
• Goodreads.com synopsis: IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.
  
  Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.
  
  Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.
  
  Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead. 
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• Not surprising, another 5 star rating from me for the 3rd book in this series. This is exactly what I'm looking for everytime I open a book by an author new to me, a story that grabs me and holds my attention, makes me laugh, cry, get angry, etc. The funny thing is, I don't always like the main character, Chess. She really makes some awful choices. But at the same time, her character is so believable and her story so compelling that I can't help but to root for her through all the ups and downs.

I can't say I love the world that Stacia Kane has created with this series. Actually, its a pretty scary place but again, very believable. The Church of Truth continues to fascinate me. Chess looks at the Church as a safe haven and something she can rely on but it strikes me as something a lot more sinister. I have so many questions about the Church Of Truth and hope some of them are answered in future books in this series.

This third book City of Ghosts finds Chess working with a member of the Church's Black Squad to look into another organization that has tried repeatedly in the past to seize control of the Church and is now active again. There is also some resolution to the Chess/Lex/Terrible love triangle.

This story is another powerful fast paced look at Downside, really an edge-of-your-seat read from start to finish. I can't sing Stacia Kane's praises enough and absolutely cannot wait to read more from her!

Unholy Magic - Stacia Kane

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (July 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345515587
• ISBN-13: 978-0345515582
• Goodreads.com synopsis: ENEMIES DON’T NEED TO BE ALIVE TO BE DEADLY.
  
  For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world’s unpleasant little poltergeist problem—humans filing false claims of hauntings—all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new “celebrity” assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes.
  
  Someone’s taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it’s the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they—along with their ruthless employers—are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.
• 
  
• This series is amazing. Unholy Magic finds Chess still struggling with addiction as well as overcoming her past. Its made very clear in this book how her drug use causes her no end of problems in her life. There is a powerful scene where she goes through a horrific withdrawal, also her addiction leads to her being blackmailed and used by various people for their own benefit. I love that Kane makes her characters so realistic and believable. 

Through all the personal issues and stuggles with her relationships, there is a fast paced plot as well as a closer look at the Church of Truth. Personally, I find it horrifying that the church is able to not only punish people in life but also in the afterlife. Just the thought of fallible human beings being able to punish people after death is a scary concept. 
The plot was great.  For the Church, Chess is working on a reported haunting for a movie star family, and for Bump and Slobag, she is looking into a string of prostitute murders. This book was action packed and hard to put down. I can't wait to see how the series continues. 
Stacia Kane has certainly found a place as one of my all time favorite authors with this series.

Unholy Ghosts - Stacia Kane

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; Original edition (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345515579
• ISBN-13: 978-0345515575
• Goodreads.com synopsis: THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.
  
  The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Wow, this was even better than what I was expecting. Chess works for the Church of Truth as a debunker, which means she investigates peoples claims of hauntings and either exorcises the ghost or proves it to be a false claim. 
Chess' character is very interesting, she uses drugs to block out the memories of a very traumatizing childhood as well as some of the horrors she has to face from her job each day. I thought she was very realistic in the way she had a hard time trusting people, isolated herself, stayed away from meaningful relationships, and found it hard to make friends. Even her drug use makes sense considering her background, I hope through the rest of the series, I get to see her grow even more and overcome that addiction. 
The Church of Truth was fascinating too and we get to find out how exactly this church came to be, and as the story progresses, we learn some of the rules and expectations for this society under the rule of this Church. 
I loved all of the characters in this story, so many of them stand out to me. Of course Terrible, the drug dealer Bump's hired thug, who is a mixture of scary, damaged, and endearing.
Bump himself who I mentally picture as a 60's pimp with permed hair, big hat, and fur coat. Bump is selfish, overconfident, and demanding, but apparently has a soft side as well. The downside street slang is great on the audio.
I can't wait to finish the rest of this series, I hope it continues with the same fast paced action as well as telling us more about some of the characters that we didn't get a lot of back story on.

Lord of the Fading Lands- CL Wilson

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062023020
• ISBN-13: 978-006202302
• Goodreads.com synopsis:Once he had scorched the world.
  
  Once he had driven back overwhelming darkness.
  
  Once he had loved with such passion, his name was legend...
  
  Tairen Soul
  
  Now a thousand years later, a new threat calls him from the Fading Lands, back into the world that had cost him so dearly. Now an ancient, familiar evil is regaining its strength, and a new voice beckons him - more compelling, more seductive, more maddening than any before.
  
  As the power of his most bitter enemy grows and ancient alliances crumble, the wildness in his blood will not be denied. The tairen must claim his truemate and embrace the destiny woven for him in the mists of time. 

This is a little outside of what I normally read, much more focused on romance. However, I loved it all the same. My complaint with the book would be that I dislike how it came to a rather abrupt end without any kind of resolution. Luckily, I do have the rest of the series here so I'll be able to continue right away.

In this story, Rain, the King and Tairen Soul of the Fey fears the end of his people and is looking for a way to save them, there are too few and most still carry shadows of the war of 1000 years ago within their own souls. As he searches for a solution, he hears a 'true mate' call from the city and finds himself in front of what appears to be a mortal girl, Ellie, who captures him heart and soul, binding him to her. Ellie who has been raised to be afraid of all things magic, has nonetheless always had a fascination for all things fey and for Rain Tairen soul in particular. So no one is more surprised than she when he claims her as his true mate.

This is a beautifully written story about how Rain and Ellie begin falling in love, with some very emotional touching scenes. At the same time they deal with a society that looks down on her for her common birth, and distrust of him because he is fey, as well as trying to convince everyone of the evil presence of the Eld mages that Rain feels becoming strong in the world again.

I look forward to finding out how this story continues in the rest of the series. I would have liked more plot and more resolution which keeps me from rating this a 5, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Graceling - Kristen Cashore

Audio CD, Retail Edition

Published June 1st 2009 by Full Cast Audio (first published October 1st 2008)

ISBN 1934180890 (ISBN13: 9781934180891)

Goodreads.com synopsis:If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?

Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.

Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be.

Graceling is the first book in a series, and Kristin Cashore’s first work of fiction. It sets up a vivid world with engaging characters that readers will certainly look forward to following beyond the last chapter of this book. 

I loved this story, despite my issues with the audio version that I'll get to at the end of this review.

It was fairly easy for me to sink into Katsa's world from early on in the book, her feelings regarding her grace and what she was made to do with it, and how she saw herself as a person. I loved how her feelings changed after she met Po, and she started seeing things a little differently.
The romance between Katsa and Po was believable and not overdone imo. A lot of the other reviews I read before starting this book talked a lot about Katsa being opposed to marriage and children. However, this made complete sense to me in the context of the story. Why would Katsa, raised as she was, find the concept of legally giving over her freedom to a man to be remotely attractive to her? She didn't really get into her reasons why she didn't want children but as I assume Katsa was fairly young in this book, I don't consider it a negative that she didn't feel her only path to happiness was as a wife and a mother.
Overall, I think this was a great book and I'm interested to see how she continues the series.

Now, as far as the audio version of this book, I have a lot more to say. I initially thought that the "full cast" audio would be off-putting for me, but it either grew on me or as I became more invested in the story, I no longer noticed. However, the music.... THE MUSIC!! That was the most annoying thing I've ever listened to in any audio book. It was constant, between every chapter, used to punctuate jokes, played during the sex scene, and most annoyingly during climactic scenes almost overpowering the narrators voice. I HATED it and strongly recommend that if you're going to read Graceling, get the actual book.

Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book

Goodreads.com synopsis:After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st ed edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060530928
• ISBN-13: 978-0060530921

The Graveyard Book was like a darker combination of Harry Potter and the Jungle Book. A coming of age story where a small boy Nobody Owens finds himself orphaned and being raised by a graveyard full of ghosts and 1 possible vampire (this is never really made clear) while being hunted by an assassin with a keen sense of smell. I was not a big fan of the way the book was written, meaning each chapter was in itself a short story that followed the same general timeline. Also, I wished he would have spent more time with the ghosts themselves, I would have liked to have learned more about each of them. Overall though, I loved the story and can't wait to dive into another of Gaiman's books