Dark Demons

Demon Eyes by Scott Tracey

 

* Read via NetGalley
* Book will be released October 8, 2012

5 out of 5 gnomes

This series is quickly growing into one of my favorites.  There's a great mix of paranormal creatures and powers (it's looking like just about any creature could show up, I for one am waiting for some kind of awesome demonic unicorn to appear.)

Braden still has a rather interesting set of friends.  Drew and Jade are probably my favorite side characters/potential couple that I enjoy reading about the most.  Braden and Drew are close friends even though that tends to piss of Trey.  Jade, Trey's sister, is kind of an enigma because she seems icy to everyone one moment and then the next she's helping Braden even though he's on the other side of the feud.

Braden's life isn't getting any easier now that he knows his father.  Jason's not exactly a nice guy and he doesn't want to end the feud between him and Catherine anytime soon.  The feud really explodes in this book so much so that I'm worried that the Romeo and Juliet-type relationship between Trey and Braden might end like the actual play does (I'm just crossing my fingers and toes hoping that doesn't happen.)

Braden has even more internal strife in this book trying to get over the actions of what he had to do at the end of the first book.  His witch eye power and character take quite the interesting turn in this story.

I thought I knew what was going to happen next but then a pretty much 180 happens at the end of the book.  The ending and all that happened was crazy good.  My spoiler free thoughts while reading the ending = TREY! G____! What just happened? EYES! Oh and some colorful curses and also the words oh noooo a lot.  I can't wait to see what happens next, I just really hope that it ends happily.


Favorite Quote:

"Face-punchably real?"

Sentence Sneak Peek - Demon Eyes

Demon Eyes by Scott Tracey

The first sentence from each chapter of Demon Eyes, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* ARC read via NetGalley

* Book will be released October 8, 2012
* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“Power is a problem,” a dead man said to me.”

“I don’t need to see another doctor.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“How are you?”

“It was a standoff, Greg and I standing ten feet away near the couch, and the little girl in the doorway.”

“It was barely noon when I walked back into my bedroom.”

“Jason was already seated at the country-style table when I walked into the dining room the next morning.”

“Jason wouldn’t let me leave until he’d smeared my face with some nasty grey-green paste.”

“Main Street was unusually quiet later that afternoon.”

“That night, Jason came home.”

“The hallways on Monday morning were tense.”

“That afternoon, I had a plan.”

“Drew dropped me off at the front gate, and I trekked up the long driveway to the house.”

“The idea of sleep never really crossed my mind.”

“I spent the next morning holed up in my room with the Hastings Treatise.”

“What did you say to my mother?”

“Uncle John was really here.”

“Even with my sunglasses on, I was blind the moment I walked out of the cemetery gate.”

“Through-traffic had been suspended, so Trey simply pulled to the side of the road.”

“There wasn’t a scene when Drew dropped me off, despite his very best effort.”

“The next morning, I didn’t go to school.”

“Trey didn’t just walk out of the room, he walked halfway down the hall before he stopped and whirled on me.”

“So.”

“Thursday was gray and unhappy.”

“Riley wasn’t exaggerating.”

“When I woke, the office was empty, and the lights were off, and the sun was going down.”

“I redialed Jade twice before we got to the bike, but she didn’t pick up.”

“Next time we save the day, we’re not waiting around for them to regroup,” Drew snarled, dropping into a defensive position.”

“The cavern was something between Prohibition hideout, storm cellar, and cultist’s dream vacation.”

“I barely remembered making it into the house and into my bed.”

“Storms raged the rest of the morning and into the afternoon.”

“My heart wouldn’t stop thudding in my chest—I was sure Drew could feel it hammering against his spine on the ride to school.”

“John came in from behind the demon, down one of the darkened side hallways that splintered off from the main.”

“Braden!”

“No!”

“I was six years old.”

“A staircase was set into the wall to my left.”

“I was still screaming when I hit the ground.”

“It took us some time to climb out of the basement.”

Monster Manglers

Nightlights by Chrysoula Tzavelas

* Book provided by the author for review

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book has quite the terrifying concept, where monsters that people can’t see are pretty much chewing on them and the people aren’t noticing.  The only people that can see these monsters and kill them are a special group of people called Nightlights.

This story has a lot of multiple perspectives but I found that it made the story work really well.  You’ll find yourself wanting to know everything about these characters and what their motivations are.  Let’s just say that there are some rather intense relationships between many of the characters.

Ajax is new to this world and is saved by a team of Nightlights.  Brother and sister Seth and Natalie are polar opposites in how they treat their jobs/world.  She’s the responsible one and he’s the always smiling guy who tries to thwart any kind of authority and causes plenty of trouble.

Jehane has one of the most intriguing character arcs because she changes so much.  She’s very much the odd one who's kind of known as the class screw up because she has so much potential but can’t even make a basic weapon or go long without crying.  It’s great to see her become stronger and more comfortable with herself and what she can do.  

These multiple perspectives really move the story right along.  You don’t linger long on anybody but you learn enough about everybody to be suitable intrigued with the world and all of its characters.  I like that I really want to know the background on every single character because they are all so unique.

The theme of balance as strong throughout because when Night Lights become unbalanced/go over the edge they usually create monsters which they call cambions.  These monsters are scary because they are made using a part of their creator’s soul.  If you have too many of these cambions then you run the risk of becoming very Voldermort-like (the lesson here is that splitting your soul = never a good idea.)   

This is an epic feeling story about redemption and the fight against evil/darkness.  They battle for themselves and to keep the world safe.  This is a must read if you love your fantasy books to have a touch of scary too.  The ending was great and I know I'll be eagerly awaiting the next book by this author.


Take a chance and read this unique book.

Sentence Sneak Peek - Nightlights

The first sentence from each chapter of Nightlights, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

* Book provided by the author for review

“We like our new recruits young—twelve or thirteen at most.”

“—damaged, selfish, conceited, obsessive thug.”

“Ajax stared at the monster tasting his spilled blood.”

“How can it be understood?”

“Ajax crouched down beside Leo, numbly checking for signs of life.”

“So, Ajax.”

“Natalie sat in a bed in the Tower infirmary, staring straight ahead.”

“The gymnasium where the afternoon session took place was almost normal.”

“After dinner and the dishes were done, Natalie sat at the dining room table with her head in her hands, staring at the homework on her tablet, seeing nothing of it.”

“Ajax,” Natalie called as he slouched into the afternoon session.”

“What we worried about with Ajax, we actually had to face with others.”

“Announcement: Nightfall commences in approximately three hours.”

“Ajax looked skeptically at the portal that Natalie and Jehane had already stepped through.”

“The Vancouver gate had been located in a tiny terraced park nestled between office buildings, set into the freestanding triple arch that dominated the park.”

“Can you help?”

“An then it all went to hell.”

“Ajax refused one of the beds in the infirmary when he was herded there by Laurel.”

“The mist crept in.”

“Jehane moved quietly through the corridors again.”

“Please hide,” said Kentigern.”

“Seth slouched into the Council chamber, yawning widely.”

“Jehane stretched across three of the seats in one of the media halls, ferociously concentrating on the novel displayed on her tablet.”

“Natalie threw herself at the closed portal where Aya had vanished, checked only by her father grabbing her arm.”

“Natalie drifted through the Tower, so lost in thought she barely noticed the other people in the corridors.”

“Partial Record of Persephone Squad’s Exploration of Tower Di, Carta Record 782356: Savannah the Prowler’s voice, over a black screen: “I’m almost certain nobody’s in there.”

“Their experiment feels like being drunk on adrenalin.”

“Watch out for the tail!”

“In the fight, Natalie tried to stay near Hatherly and Jehane.”

“Caught in a restless sleep he did not want, Ajax wandered through memories masquerading as dreams.”

“Seth’s room, always artistically chaotic, was a disaster area.”

“Ajax slouched along the corridor, head low.”

“Jehane trudged down the hall, thinking about Ajax’s meditations on blame.”

“Ajax and Jehane sat together in the dining hall.”

“We may have to get you plastic surgery before we let you out again,” said Elian.”

“Seth ambled along the corridor to the dining hall, keeping a sharp eye out for people he didn’t want to meet.”

“Only ten minutes before it turned back into gloop,” said Ajax, as he and Seth strolled along a corridor.”

“Jehane, I’ve found something,” said Elian, excitement threading through his voice.”

“To Jehane, everything was movement and stillness: flurries of snow, the cold air passing over her, the warmth that didn’t move, breath passing through her hair.”

“Seth tasted blood as he rolled with Ajax through the snow.”

“When the hands reached through the emergence point and yanked him through, Ajax discovered the hard way that weapons made from your own anima don’t like to go through the void between portals.”

“Ajax sat in the classroom with his arms crossed, glowering.”

“As soon as they were admitted back into the Tower, Elian spoke, his voice throbbing with sarcasm.”

“Guys!”

“Natalie wandered through a world of faces she didn’t recognize, under a sky that seemed too far away and too full of light.”

“Elian’s device was contained within a small, plain box made of the same polymer as the Tower itself.”

“Sleeping had been a privilege Natalie couldn’t let herself enjoy.”

“The soldiers didn’t want to chat, Seth found, even when he offered to tell them all sorts of interesting things about the Guardians.”

“When the Hellgate spoke, Jehane and Malachi were moving in the direction Jehane had last felt Hatherly’s presence.”

“Guys?”

Recommend A...Book With a Character Who Plays a Sport

Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit came up with this awesome feature for Mondays.

Shanyn says, "“Recommend A…” will have a new prompt every week, which I will have posted ahead of time on the Recommend A… page.   All you have to do is Recommend with me on Mondays, following the prompt, and link me so I (and everyone else) can see what you’ve recommended!"

This week I Recommend A...Book With a Character Who Plays a Sport

If by chance you haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, here's the description from Goodreads: 

"Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed for ever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard!"

As you can see from my choice of books, I usually prefer that the sports I read about are magical.  Sometimes I find that in books where the character plays a sport that it can be boring especially if the sport kind of takes over the whole story.  I want to care about the characters more than the sport, that's one reason that I love the Harry Potter series so much.  The sport of Quidditch is fascinating and it adds a lot of excitement and energy to the story whenever it's played.

Top 5 Sundays - Eternal TBR Books! (Books You Want to Read, But You Can't Seem To Get To)

This feature was thought up by the awesome Larissa's Bookish Life
Rules:

1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3 - Feel free to use the Features image

4 - After you've finished your post, add your link (of the post, not your
blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)   


Top 5 Sundays -  Eternal TBR Books! (Books You Want to Read, But You Can't Seem To Get To!)  

  

Can't wait to see how this series ends but this book is huge (and sometimes it's just easier to read shorter books first) and I've always had other books ahead of it.  

I really want to know how this series ends and I've had the book for awhile I think this is just one of those books where I don't want the series to end so I'm hesitant to read it.

I think this is another one of those books where the length stops me from picking it up.  I do plan to get to it eventually though because it seems that so many people have loved it.

This is another book that I've had in my TBR pile forever.  It sounds like a great series and since it's just about over I really should start the series soon.

I've heard nothing but good things about this book, I just haven't found the right time to start this series yet.

Seraphina - My Favorite Quotes/Lines

“I did not under-stand that I carried loneliness before me on a plate, and that music would be the light illuminating me from behind.” (pg. 5)

“I watched them disappear into the crowd, wishing that I could have reassured her: it was good to see a dragon’s teeth.  A dragon with his mouth closed was far more likely to be working up a flame.  That seemed completely obvious.” (pg. 38)

“For the merest moment I couldn’t breathe.  Something inside me quivered, some oud string plucked by his words, and if I breathed it would stop.” (pg. 174)

“He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived some-thing true about me that no one else had ever noticed.  And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—he believed me good, be-lieved me worth taking seriously, and his belief, for one vertigi-nous moment, made me want to be better than I was.” (pg. 174)

“I cannot perch among those who think that I am broken.” (pg. 206)

“Maybe lying is itself a kind of art.  I think about that more than I should.” (pg. 208)

“He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, exactly, but he did keep it in a place where I could see it.” (pg. 220)

“Everyone had the wrong idea about me now; they thought me brave and reckless.” (pg. 224)

“I—I value your continued existence.” (pg. 285)

“Can’t let a little thing like parentage stand in our way, can we?” (pg. 316)

“Whatever else may be true of you, you do things your own way, with a refreshingly self-assured pigheadedness.  I like that!” (pg. 375)

“Someone should.  Someone should love you.  I will bite him if he will not.” (pg. 432)

“We were all monsters and bastards, and we were all beautiful.” (pg. 450)

Spectacular Seraphina

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

5 out of 5 gnomes

This is one of those books that will stay with you long after you read it.  It's such an epic book and the world that it builds is infinitely intriguing. This book has catapulted into my top 5 books of the year and is definitely one of the best books I've read since I began blogging about my love of books.

STELLAR WORLD BUILDING √
The kingdom of Goredd and the surrounding areas are described beautifully.  It sounds like a normal Renaissance type world but then you find that dragons in this world can take human form.

CREATIVELY CHARASMATIC CHARACTERS √
Seraphina is a strong character who must hide who she is because the world would not at all understand.  Being different takes a tremendous toll out of her but she does have one love in life, music.  She's a tad bit prickly/grumpy at times but when she plays or sings music everyone stops to listen.

Orma is one heck of an interesting character.  Being a sar (dragon) he doesn't naturally show emotions.  It's great to see his conflict and imagine things from his point of view.

Lucian Kiggs, a royal bastard (literally) makes for a great slow burning love interest.  Also have to say how happy I am that there aren't two guys that the heroine is crazy over.  I love that the connection isn't instant and that they both know that in the end it might not work out for them.  He makes a great counterpoint to Seraphina because he's always looking for the truth.

I really like that there are a lot of shades of grey when it comes to these characters.  At least two characters that I could have swore were going to be bad guys, turned out to be good and rather vital to the story.

I also adore that Seraphina has a love interest but is not putting that above what she has to do.  She knows there are more important things to do first like staying alive and hoping that the kingdom survives.

This is such a great story and explores so many interesting themes.  It’s a story about fitting in that’s just told beautifully and from quite an interesting perspective.  I truly can’t wait to see what happens next in this medieval, magical, dragon filled world.