Review: Shadow Heir - Richelle Mead

The Otherworld, a mystic land inextricably linked to our own - and balanced precariously on one woman's desperate courage . . .

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld . . .

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape-shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't - or won't - reveal. And as a formidable force rises to threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon - and risk the ultimate sacrifice . . .

Dark Swan Series:
Storm Born
Thorn Queen
Iron Crowned
Shadow Heir

Visit Richelle Mead's website for more information

Review:
Shadow Heir is the fourth and final book in the Dark Swan series so this review will contain spoilers for the previous three books - if you haven't started the series yet you probably want to stop reading now! I'm a massive fan of Richelle Mead, I love her Georgina Kincaid series and her Vampire Academy books make up one of my favourite YA series. I really liked the first couple of books in the Dark Swan series but felt disappointed with Eugenie in the last book, Iron Crowned, I was irritated by her refusal to accept her duties to the Thorn land and the way she let her people suffer because of that. I was also extremely annoyed with the way she kept running back and forth between Dorian and Kiyo! So I'll admit that I was nervous before I picked up Shadow Heir, particularly after reading the blurb and seeing a mention of a truce between her and Kiyo - he tried to kill her and their unborn children in the last book so I couldn't see how there could possibly be any kind of truce between them!

Shadow Heir picks up the story a few months after Iron Crowned ends, Eugenie is five months pregnant, Kiyo and Maiwenn are still determined that her son needs to die before he can fulfil the prophecy about him and Dorian is protecting her as he promised to do but Eugenie is unsure if she can completely trust him after his previous betrayal. I can't really go into any more detail than that without giving spoilers so I'll just say that I was surprised at a couple of places where Richelle Mead took the story.

Since the last book I haven't been Eugenie's biggest fan, I've found her actions to be selfish and I think she has made some incredibly stupid decisions. I'm sad to say that this continued to be the trend in this book. Although I could understand why she made some of the choices she did because she was trying to protect her children I felt that she didn't think things through properly. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she had just trusted Dorian but then again he has done some pretty horrible things in the past so I was never particularly his biggest fan either. He did grow on me a lot in this book though and I think he is now my favourite character in the series. I don't think Eugenie deserves him though, especially after her actions at the end of the book (I can't say more because I don't want to give spoilers but I'm sure anyone who has read the book will know what I mean).

I spent most of the book wanting to punch Kiyo and was really surprised that Eugenie didn't take more of a stand against him and Maiwenn. His actions were despicable in the last book and he made no attempt to apologise in this one. I'm annoyed that he never really got what he deserved and I couldn't understand why he continued to support Maiwenn even after the things he admitted near the end of the book. The plot was quite slow moving during the first half of the book during the final months of Eugenie's pregnancy. I did enjoy reading about her reactions to the babies when they were born but that just made her actions after that point even harder to understand. There were two major twists that should have shocked the heck out of me but unfortunately I'd figured them both out in advance so they didn't have the expected wow factor.

Overall I find myself extremely disappointed with the way this series ended, if this hadn't been the last book or if we knew a spin off series was planned then I think I'd have felt more forgiving but we are left with so many questions and I just didn't find Eugenie's actions even slightly believable. I still love Richelle Mead as an author and will look forward to trying her next adult series but in all honesty I don't think I could recommend this series when it ended on such a low note. I would happily recommend her Georgina Kincaid series though or her Vampire Academy books for YA fans.

Source: Library

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Review: Iron Crowned - Richelle Mead

An embattled realm mystically entwined with her own, the Otherworld is at the mercy of one woman . . .

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm.  But as the Thorn Land's queen, she's fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom.  Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful fear . . .

But who can she trust to help her?  Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda.  And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her.  To control the Crown's all-consuming powers, Eugenie must confront an unimaginable temptation - one which puts her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal danger . . .

Dark Swan Series:
Storm Born
Thorn Queen
Iron Crowned
Shadow Heir

Visit Richelle Mead's website for more information

Review:
I really enjoyed the first two installments of the Dark Swan series but I found myself getting really frustrated as I was reading Iron Crowned.  Eugenie makes some seriously bad decisions and there were times I was about ready to strangle her!  I'm getting really annoyed that she refuses to accept her role as queen of the Thorn Land, her people are suffering because she won't step up to her responsibilities and it's about time she grew up and did the right thing.

I've also had enough of the love triangle and starting to wonder just how many times Eugenie will jump back and forth between Dorian and Kiyo.  Dorian behaves badly in Iron Crowned and while I don't blame her for being angry I didn't like the fact that she goes running straight back to Kiyo before even talking to him to get his side of the story.  I've gone from really loving Kiyo in the first book to completely despising him now, his actions in Iron Crowned made me want to punch him!  I don't think Dorian is much better though so at the moment I'm not routing for either one of them.  I'd rather see Eugenie on her own and learning to become a decent queen.

I am curious to see if Eugenie can redeem herself in the next installment though and although I saw the twist at the end coming it should make things interesting as the series progresses.  Unfortunately this wasn't my favourite book in the series but I'm hoping things will improve again from here onwards.

Source: Library

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Review: Demon Hunts - C.E. Murphy

Seattle police detective Joanne Walker started the year out mostly dead, and she's ending it trying not to be consumed by evil. Literally.

She's proven she can handle the gods and the walking dead. But a cannibalistic serial killer? That's more than even she bargained for. What's worse, the brutal demon leaves no tracks. So, if Joanne is to stop its campaign of terror, she'll have to hunt it where it lives: the Lower World, a shamanistic plane of magic and spirits. Trouble is, Joanne's skills are no match for the dangers she's about to face-and her on-the-job training could prove fatal to the people she's sworn to protect....


Walker Papers Series:
Urban Shaman
Thunderbird Falls
Coyote Dreams
Walking Dead
Demon Hunts
Spirit Dances (2011)

Visit C.E. Murphy's website for more information

Review:
Joanne Walker is a police officer but she is also a shaman and along with her partner Billy Holiday she investigates crimes that involve the supernatural.  Joanne isn't an expert Shaman though, she is new to her powers and is definitely having to learn on the job.  This time they are up against a serial killer who is eating part of their victims but leaving absolutely no evidence behind to give the police a clue to their identity.  Can Joanne track down the killer using her magical abilities before he claims any more victims?

Before I start this review I have a confession to make - when I started Demon Hunts I didn't realise it was book 5 in a series (which is very unlike me as I'm quite obsessive about reading series in order!) so I did find myself getting a little confused in places as I wasn't sure of the back story.  I still really enjoyed the book and am now planning on reading the other books but I have a feeling that I've probably picked up on some major spoilers for previous stories so I would strongly recommend reading this series in order.  Although this review won't include spoilers for Demon Hunts I can't guarantee it won't include spoilers for previous stories so you might want to skip reading if you're not up to date with the series.  If you're an urban fantasy fan and like an action packed story with a strong female heroine then I'd definitely recommend you give the first book Urban Shaman a try though.

I really do wish I'd read this series in the correct order, I have a feeling that Joanne has done a lot of growing to get to where she is today and I'd like to have seen that happening (I'm going to be checking that by reading the earlier books but am going to leave it a few months so that I can hopefully forget any spoilers I picked up by reading this one).  I thought she was a great main character, she is obviously still learning about her abilities and it appears that she has struggled to come to terms with the new supernatural world that she has found herself in but she is doing a great job of it.  Joanne was a very realistic character and I enjoyed listening to her voice as she tells the story.

There are also a lot of interesting side characters who I'm looking forward to getting to know more about.  Billy added a lot of comedy to the story and I enjoyed watching him & Joanne work together but it was also nice to see him with his wife and family too.  One of my favorite characters was Coyote, he seems to hold his cards quite close to his chest but I'm hoping to see more of him and find out some of his secrets in future books.  Gary and Morrison were both interesting characters and ones I'd have liked to have seen more of but I get the feeling that they've both played major roles in previous stories.  C.E. Murphy has created a detailed world but I felt like I was missing out on some important information by picking up the series so late in.  I'm looking forward to investigating the world more fully in the future and think I'm going to become a big fan of this series by the time I've caught up.

Source: Received for review from publisher via NetGalley

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Review: Winterborn - A.D. Roland

Plagued by vivid, violent hallucinations, a recovering drug addict desperately seeks the truth. Are her waking nightmares a product of her self-medicating, or dire supernatural warnings?

Tamsyn Hallert, an artist, exists in a vicious circle of addiction and recovery, fueled by her husband Sean’s long-time secret affair. The affair ended in his lover's bizarre suicide, but not before she left a surprise on Tam and Sean’s doorstep—Kevin, the son Sean never knew he had.

Sean moves them to the country, to his familial home near the crumbling Wraithborne Estate, the massive old house with a terrible mythos. The twisted attempt to save their marriage only makes matters worse as Sean’s obsession with his dead lover deepens, and Tam’s grip on reality grows more tenuous. A horrific plot to summon the dark spirits that possess the Estate comes to light, with Tam, Sean, and Kevin in the center of it all. Will Tam be able to save her family, or will the lure of the spirits’ promises be too strong to resist?

Winterborn is available for purchase from All Romance Ebooks

For more information visit A.D Roland's website

Review:
The story begins with 4 teenage friends sneaking into the local haunted house Wraithborne Estate.  What was supposed to be a fun evening ends takes a turn for the worse when they find the guard has been murdered and gets even scarier when they are attacked by some kind of strange monster.

Fastforward 18 years and the story continues with Tamsyn, a recovering drug addict who is struggling to deal with life since finding out her husband Sean was having an affair for the majority of their marriage with his high school sweetheart.  Even worse, when his mistress dies Tamsyn is expected to take in the other woman's son Kevin who she didn't even know existed. 

Sean convinces her to move back to his parents home - the caretakers cottage at Wraithborne Estate.  Struggling with her drug addiction and suffering withdrawal symptoms Tamsyn is unsure if the strange things that are happening to her are purely hallucinations or if something more sinister is going on.

Winterborn is a truely terrifying read that I had to stick to reading during the day for the sake of a good night's sleep!  I couldn't help but feel sorry for Tamsyn who is struggling to deal with Sean's betrayal and having his son Kevin move in with them.  Everything she is going through has pushed her right to the edge and sent her spiralling into a drug addiction that is only making things worse.  Plagued with horrible visions Tamsyn is unable to tell if it's all in her mind and is quickly losing her hold on sanity.

Sean was a character I struggled to feel any sympathy for - he's made Tamsyn's life hell and when he isn't apologising to her and promising to change he is back to obsessing over his dead ex-girlfriend.  He comes across as a very weak man and at times I was screaming at Tamsyn to just leave him and get the hell out of there.  Kevin is a very disturbed little boy, deeply affected by his upbringing in the care of his psychotic mother who he misses dreadfully now that she is gone.  His mother had promised that she would come back to him and they would be a family with Sean and Kevin would do anything it takes to make that happen.  He is resentful of Tamsyn's place in the family and wants her out of their lives.

The supernatural side of this story was scary to the extreme and it was impossible to know what would happen next.  I had strong feelings about how I wanted things to end but was completely surprised by how things turned out - it was even better than I'd hoped for.  This isn't the kind of book I read very often but I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to fans of supernatural thrillers or horror.

Source: Thanks to A.D Roland for sending me a review copy of this eBook

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ARC Review: Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

When sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer discovers she's a witch, she imagines life will be full of magic, fun and ... well ... broomsticks!  But her first attempt at a love spell goes disastrously wrong and, as punishment, Sophie is shipped off to Hectacte "Hex" Hall, a reform school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries.

By the end of her first day among her fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person on campus and the only vampire.

Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students and her only friend is the number-one suspect...

Hex Hall is being released in the UK on 1st April 2010
Rachel Hawkins is currently writing a sequel

For more information visit Rachel Hawkins' website

Review:
Sophie is a witch but being raised by a human mother means she's had no training and she doesn't know how to control her talents.  After an unfortunate incident at her school prom she is sent to Hex Hall to learn how to keep her powers secret from normal humans.  The last thing she wants is to be sent to boarding school but she doesn't have a choice in the matter so she's going to have to make the most of it.

Having struggled to fit in at any of her other schools (and she's been to a LOT of schools) Sophie secretly hopes that at Hex Hall she will finally find a place where she belongs.  However, by the end of her first day she has managed to make enemies of a coven of 3 dark witches, deveolped a crush on a cute warlock who just happens to be dating a member of the coven and found herself a ghostly stalker.  Not only that but she's also stuck with the most hated girl in the school (who also happens to be the school's only vampire) as her new roommate.  It isn't the greatest start and leaves Sophie wondering how she is going to survive the next 2 years.

I was really impressed with Rachel Hawkins' debut novel and can't wait to read future books in the series.  I really loved Sophie and her best friend Jenna - Rachel really brought their characters to life and their friendship comes across as very real.  There was plenty of action and there were some fantastic twists that I really didn't see coming.  The dialogue had me laughing out loud in places and I'm really looking forward to getting to know some of the other students better in the future.

Source: Recieved for review from publisher Simon & Schuster

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Katie's Book Blog
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The Story Siren
Nayu's Reading Corner
Girls Without a Bookshelf
He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him?
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The Bookshelf Sophisticate
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Review: Sex and the Single Vampire - Katie MacAlister

Allegra's Dictionary of the Paranormal

Dark One n. [Origin Czech, also known as vampire.]  A Moravian Dark One is doomed to spend his lifetime cruising the singles' scene in search of the one woman who can redeem his soul.  You think dating is hard?  Try it when you're nine hundred years old and you've used every pick-up line in the book.  Forming a lasting relationship is even more difficult when the woman who makes your heart sing sees dead people and likes to play with demons.

Summoner n. [Origin English.]  Someone who summons ghosts, poltergeists, and demon lords.  Summoners tend to hang around cities like London that are filled with portals to Hell, haunted inns, and other locations dishy vampires might be found lurking.  Most Summoners are female, which makes for difficulties when it comes to explaining to the man who haunts your dreams and fills your soul with love why your pet ghosts can be found hovering around even in the most romantic of circumstances.

Dark Ones Series:
A Girl's Guide to Vampires
Sex and the Single Vampire
Sex, Lies and Vampires
Even Vampires get the Blues
Bring out your Dead (Novella in the Just One Sip anthology)
The Last of the Red Hot Vampires
Cat got your Tongue? (Novella in the My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon anthology)
Zen and the Art of Vampires
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
Unleashed (Novella in the Cupid Cats anthology)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
In the Company of Vampires
Much Ado About Vampires
A Tale of Two Vampires

For more information visit Katie MacAlister's Website

Review:
I absolutely loved the first book in this series (A Girl's Guide To Vampires) but I have to say that Sex and the Single Vampire surpassed my expectations and was a fantastic read.  While you could probably get away with reading this as a stand alone book I would recommend reading the books in order as this continues very nicely from the first book & has guest appearances from previous characters.  Reading this book first would give you a big clue to the ending of the first book.

Allie is a Summoner but not a very successful one - in fact she is on a warning from her boss that unless she proves herself during this trip to London she won't have a job to come back to.  When she manages to Summon the ghost of a cat she is over the moon but before long she seems to be collecting ghosts left right & centre.  This may be fantastic for her career but unless she can work out a way to Release them into the afterlife it looks like she is going to be stuck with them. 

She is also seeing visions - naked & bleeding from multiple cuts the man she sees is telling her she is the only one who can save him.  She is surprised when she bumps into Christian and realises he is the man from her visions.  He is a Moravian Dark One and he believes she is his Beloved - the only one who can save his soul.  Allie has had a bad past with men - she has escaped from an abusive relationship and has no intention of ever letting a man have any kind of control over her again.  The last thing she is looking for is a relationship & she doesn't take kindly to Christian's attempts to protect her.  There is an instant attraction between them though which leads to fireworks between them.

This book had all the hilarity of A Girl's Guide to Vampires & more.  We get to see Joy & Roxy from the previous book and the addition of the ghosts just adds to the fun and games.  There is also plenty of action - Christian's friend is missing and Allie offers to join the search to help find him - they come across enemies that seem almost impossible to beat and it will take all their combined efforts to come through this.  Allie is strong, independent & the Queen of rants and witty one-liners and I couldn't help but fall in love with Christian.  This book kept me gripped from the very first page and I didn't want it to end.  I'm just pleased that there are more books in the series & I can't wait to continue reading them.  I really can't recommend this book enough.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Thorn Queen - Richelle Mead

Eugenie Markham is a shamen for hire.  She's paid to bind and banish creatures from the Other world...

But something happened after her last battle.  She became the queen of the Thorn Land.  That said, with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind, the job's really not all it's cracked up to be.

Now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld and no-one seems willing to find out why.  Or put a stop to it.  Not that Eugenie's fazed by spilling fey blood, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle and dangerous - and nursing a very personal grudge.

Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in a power she can barely control.  She may be a reluctant queen but she's vowed to do her duty, even if that means facing the darkest - and deadliest - side of her own nature...

Dark Swan Series:
Storm Born
Thorn Queen
Iron Crowned
Shadow Heir

Visit Richelle Mead's website for more information

Review:
This is the second book in Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series & although I won't give spoilers for this book in my review it is almost impossible not to give spoilers for the first book Storm Born.  If you are new to the series I highly recommend you don't read any further with this review - instead check my review of Storm Born.

I really enjoyed Storm Born so was excited about reading this book but Thorn Queen surpassed my expectations and was even better.  Life hasn't been easy for Eugenie recently - at the end of Storm Born she became a reluctant Queen of the Otherworld kingdom Thorn Land.  The land changed to reflect Eugenie's favorite place and is now a desert kingdom that her subjects have no idea how to survive in.  Her people are starving and she feels duty bound to help them.  On top of that young girls are disappearing, possibly being taken by a group of bandits who are causing trouble in some of Eugenie's villages.

Kiyo is spending more and more time with his very pregnant ex-girlfriend which is something Eugenie finds very hard to deal with.  She loves him and is happy for him but is also jealous that he is going to have a lifetime bond with Maiwenn and their child.  In Kiyo's absense it is Dorian who is there to help her with the problems her kingdom faces and she finds it hard to fight her growing attraction for him.

I know you can always expect plenty of action from a Richelle Mead novel but this book had twists and turns galore & was full of the unexpected.  Eugenie finds herself in a very vulnerable situation which I think Richelle handled excellently.  I didn't see that coming but I think it is going to lead to an important change to Eugenie's character.  This book was a lot darker than the Storm Born but it kept me gripped & I can't wait to read the next installment.  The only disappointment is that we've got to wait until 2011 for Iron Crowned.

Source: Library

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Review: Storm Born - Richelle Mead

Just typical.  No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get into your pants...

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world.  Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat.  Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite.  Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy - one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldly ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead.  Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she weilds a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this.  She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction.  But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her...

Dark Swan Series:
Storm Born
Thorn Queen
Iron Crowned
Shadow Heir

Visit Richelle Mead's website for more information

Review:
I'm already a big fan of Richelle Mead's succubus series so I was really looking forward to reading Storm Born and I wasn't disappointed. I loved Eugenie's character and the world that Richelle has created for her. Eugenie is a shamen, she was trained by her step-father to banish creatures from the Otherworld who have crossed over to the mortal realm and is very good at her job.

Everything starts to change when she is employed to find Jasmine, a  teenaged girl who was abducted by the Gentry (this is what Eugenie calls the Fey / Fairies) and taken to the Otherworld. Jasmine was abducted over a year ago and to find her Eugenie will have to physically cross into the Otherworld, something that she hasn't really done before because it is so dangerous. Unable to leave Jasmine to her fate Eugenie calls for assistance from her spirit minions - Volusian, Nandi and Finn - to help her on the journey. She is going to need more help than they can give her though and is forced to request assistance from Dorian, a fairy king.

Then there is Kiyo, a gorgeous guy she met at a bar, who is definitely more than what he seems. She is attracted to both Kiyo and Dorian but afraid of her feelings as neither of them are fully human. It is hard for her to reconcile her attraction to them with the fact that she belives that people from the Otherworld are all evil.

As I've come to expect from books by Richelle Mead this book had a fast paced story line and very strong characters. There is also a lot of humor which I enjoyed and the supporting characters are great. The book ends well although there are still a lot of unanswered questions and I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens next.  I'd thoroughly recommend this book to fans of Richelle Mead but also to anyone who enjoys reading urban fantasy.

Source: Library

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