Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith

Sweet hallelujah! Hellraisers is the first book in The Devil's Engine series, there is a second book planned. Smith has lots of other books out, I do recommend his Escape From Furnace series, I have read the books but I do not have reviews up for them. I do, however, have The Fury by Smith reviewed. Warning: theory rant coming....  Here's the video for it too!



Making any wish you have come true sounds amazing. It is until the machine granting you the wishes, tries to kill you eventually. The Devil's Engine is a contraption that will grant any wish you have, you just put your life in its hold for the time being. Marlow Green is in the middle of a fight with monsters from nightmares. To top it all off, he's asthmatic. Stumbling upon a secret group that combats them, he ends up joining in on the fight. Now it's a matter of staying alive and fighting those monsters. Here's to hoping you don't die and end up in Hell for eternity!

Whelp. I loved Hellraisers. There was lots of action, it started with a bang and kept going. I really like the back story to the Engine and what it takes to get a wish to come true. However I don't like the time that is given to the person. I did like the characters Marlow was really likeable, along with Pan-for me. Though I really want more about her, I don't think everything was revealed about her. Smith's descriptions are very good. There are few authors that can make me visualize what I am reading, and Smith is one of them. I laughed a lot too, the airplane bathroom scene had me rolling in the breakroom of my work.

THEORY TIME. So I follow Smith on social media, and he is a huge fan of Darren Shan's. I have read Shan since elementary school starting with the Cirque du Freak series. In Shan's Cirque series there are two best friends: Darren and Steve. In Smith's book there are two best friends: Marlow and Charlie. If you have read Shan's series and Smith's book you may see where I am going with this. I feel like there is going to be more parallels between the books because there where a few spots in Smith's book that where similar to Shan's. I really, really can't wait to see where it goes!! Any other fans of the two feel the same or different?

There is only one dislike I would like to bring up. Cliffhanger. Give me the second book already! This is why I don't read recently published books. I want to read the series completely and not have to wait. Honestly, that is my only complaint.

Hellraisers was not what I expected and I wasn't disappointed. Smith definitely has me hooked and I can only hope the rest of the series is just as good. I do recommend this book to everyone even though it is a YA book. I do want to own this book, and I can see myself rereading it.Though I really want to know if anyone has the same theory as I after reading this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Page count: 342 pages (hardcover)

Price: $17.99

Next: Defying Destiny by Kylie Price

Thank you for reading!
~Jade



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Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano

As far as I can tell this is the first book published by Verano. There isn't much about him other than he is a professor in Idaho. I don't know if I will be reading anything else from him and I will get into why. If you didn't see, I have made a video of my thoughts on YouTube.



Paige moves from L.A. to Idaho with her mom and younger brother, after her parents divorce. The house that they move into is not right. Things happen and the house itself is infested with spiders, and flies. Little things happening become bigger things, and soon it's hell on wheels. But it is only just beginning and Paige has to dig deeper to find out the truth about things. Can she keep it together till then?

I don't have many things that I liked. I was not part of the people that enjoyed this book. I liked the diary format. It helped me finish this book because the entries were not long. I liked the ending but only because things got going finally. I also liked the editor's note and afterward. Verano tried to make the book seem like it was based on real events, I look for evidence but I didn't find anything. I also liked the front and back cover, but that's about it.

If you liked this book and do not want to see it torn up, please leave now. After a while I read the book to finish it and to see what happened. I wasn't excited, I read it to finish it. I wanted more ghostly action than there was. I think this was more of a possession then it was a haunting on Logan's part. Then just as everything started to get good, the book was over. I think that aggravated me the most. I was hooked at the end and then it was done. The book was dull for me. I didn't care to look deeply because I wasn't engaged to begin with. Verano has some serious making up to do for me to read anything else by him. I will give him one more chance but if I am not captured halfway through the book (which is being generous on my part) I will give up on him.

You either loved or hated this book, I feel, and I did not love this book. I was so excited for it and it didn't even come close. I do recommend this book to a younger audience. I don't see anything too bad in it that would make a more advanced reader in middle school cry. I definitely think it could have been a lot more better. I don't want to own this book and I for sure won't be rereading it.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Page Count: 313 pages (hardcover)

Price: $17.99

Next Book: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Thank you for reading!
~Jade


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Oblivion by Kelly Creagh

The third and final book in the Nevermore trilogy, Oblivion sure does go out with a bang. I do have reviews for the first two books Nevermore, and Enshadowed already up. I really do hope that Creagh starts mentioning something more coming from her. For the most part I enjoy her writing. To be honest I finished this book a little while ago but I haven't had enough time to even think about reviewing it. So I am making time now!



Varen's still in the dream world, and Isobel is starting to lose hope. She doesn't want to go back to the dream world where she had a near death experience last time. But the nightmares don't stop and they are starting to bleed even more into reality. She is faced with either going back and getting Varen or letting reality be destroyed. It won't be easy bringing him back if she can, a new loss and Lilith willing to do anything to keep him are all against her. It's all or nothing in this ending to the trilogy.

Oh my goodness there is finally some action! I was sorely disappointed with the last book because there wasn't much action. Oblivion made up for that. Varen was pretty much all throughout the book as was different aspects of Edgar Allen Poe. I really liked reading more about the dream world, it had me hooked all through the book. One of the last few chapters was very cruel when I thought someone was going to be dead. I loved that part once I got past it though. I did like to see that Isobel still had the determination to get Varen back, she was losing hope but she didn't completely. The ending was the best part of the book just because of  all the things that took place. I can't pinpoint one part that I liked more.

Now for the one thing I didn't like, there were only a few spots that dragged on a bit. Though once they were done there was action again. I am still more upset that the second book in the trilogy lacked so much. I definitely feel as though Creagh could have done something about it, but it's her book, she can do what she wants with it.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I finished it a some time ago and I want to reread it. I can for sure say that I would love to own this book, along with the first one. I recommend this book and this trilogy to everyone, young and "old". You definitely don't have to be a Poe lover to read these books. It is safe for a younger reader who is looking for something that is longer in length but not quite Harry Potter. I'm sorry it's been over a month since I last put a review up, I've been crazy busy. I have books to review, just no time to type the review out.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Page Count: 434 pages (hardcover)

Price: $18.99

Next book: Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks

Thank you so much, I hope no one is too mad at my disappearance
~Jade


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Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Most people know Westerfeld for his Uglies series, he does have quite a number of books published, Peeps also being one of them. As far as I can tell there is only two books that belong with the duology and no talk of a third. The second book doesn't follow the same characters as this first book but most do see it as the second book. Peeps was published back in 2005, right around the same time as Uglies. I have tried to read that series however, I could never get into it. I'll keep trying but don't expect anything any time soon.



A one night stand changes everything for Cal. The woman is mysterious and a carrier of a parasite. On the bright side Cal also becomes a carrier, on the downside he's given it to all of his ex-girlfriends. They've become Peeps, known more to the common folks as vampires. It's now up to Cal to track them down and stop them from killing or making more peeps. Thankfully with being a carrier you get all the extra strength, better vision and senses that the peeps do too. Cal's definitely going to need it with all the coming trouble.

I don't have very many likes for Peeps. I tried really hard to find more things but in the end I was more disappointed than anything. The first thing that I liked was the biology lessons. They made me laugh reading them, sadly enough  my nerd was showing and I understood everything that was going on. My favorite was the "Trematodes" chapter, that one had me cracking up (my sense of humor is weird, I know believe me I know). Also I laughed throughout the book, not just with the biology lessons and that helped my rating from being shit for this book. I loved most the different take on vampires or the peeps. I was kept interested the most by that, but eventually I realized that nothing special was going to happen so I just opted to finish the book.

I said I liked the biology lessons until they came every. Other. Chapter. Take them out and the actual story is not that big. I understand getting readers to know that things like the transmission of parasite to host is very common it can be detrimental, but can also be very positive for life. But come on! Every other chapter? It got old pretty quick for me, I felt like I was back in high school in sophomore year. Yeah this was way more interesting to read but I felt like Westerfeld needed something to lengthen the book. Also, the ending. Pardon me but WTF! One little blip with the main problem and then wham, bam done. And the "drama" with the Night Watch. Of course they are hiding things from you, Cal. They call you 'Kid' for a reason! (Okay I'm going to stop ranting now....)

I don't think I will be reading the second book, I would have to order it from another library and that could take quite a few weeks. Also with as disappointed as I was in the book, overall I want to hold off on the second book. I think younger kids could learn something from reading the book along with enjoying the plot. That being said I recommend this to the younger-ish ones. Not too young though, there is talk of sex but nothing to get upset over.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Page Count: 312 pages (paperback)

Price: $8.99

Next: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Thank you for putting up with my rant!
~Jade


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Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

This is the second book in the Nevermore trilogy. I do have the first book Nevermore reviewed, it's on the rougher side of a review but it's still mine. I plan on reading the third book Oblivion however, I don't know when I will be getting to it, I hope soon though. As far as I can find there hasn't been any talk of Creagh coming out with anything else since Oblivion was published. This could very well change at a moments notice and I sure hope it does!



Varen is still gone in the dreamworld, Isobel is in the real world where she is experiencing very real nightmares and visions. Her only hope comes from a grave in Baltimore, where Edgar Allen Poe is buried. On the morning of his birthday a mysterious person visits the grave, he is known as the "Poe Toaster". Whomever it is, they know how to get to the other world, and Isobel needs their help. Unfortunately there are other hurtles she must get over before she can get to him. Varen's being torn in two, toward an evil so powerful and also by Isobel. Though by time she gets to him, he is no longer the same Varen she knows.

Poe! Again, like the last book I loved that Poe's work was incorporated. I am a huge fan of Poe and as of thus far I do not think Creagh did a bad job with his work. I would've liked to have seen more, but this book was more about Isobel trying to figure out how to get to Varen, and get him back into the real world. I really loved the suspense leading up to Poe's birthdate in the first part of the book. I also liked the aspect of the dream world being more in the book. I like the features of that world and how things mirror the real, but at the same time changes within seconds. I did love two characters in particular, Gwen and Danny. Gwen because without her being sassy and sarcastic I don't think I would have read the book in it's entirety. Danny made me smile he knew something was wrong, didn't know how to approach it, but still made it known that he loved his sister. People don't think that kids understand what is going on around them, but some really do.

If you're looking for Varen to be in the book, well I have bad news for you. He really isn't at all. The ending is an excellent draw in for the final book however, if you are like me and wanted to get some action from Varen, you'll be disappointed. In general I was disappointed with the last half of the book. Things were built up to and I was expecting something so much more than the little stint in the other world. By time the ending of the book came I was left with the feeling of "that's it? That's all that this lead up to?" It was more of Isobel hemming and hawing until Poe's birthday. I definitely think that if I wouldn't have waited so long to read Enshadowed I would have seen a lot more of the book as dull. Dare I hint that this had Middle Book Syndrome...? I will highly unhappy if the final book is like this one, and everything built up to and then not properly executed.

I'm glad I didn't get to read this book right after the last one because I would have been more disappointed in the book. I definitely wouldn't rush out and buy this book, I want the first book more than this one. I hope that the last book is a lot better, I'm going to try and get to it a little quickly but I don't think I will be able to because I work a lot this week, and I am already reading another book. I still recommend this to people of all ages, even those who are on the younger side and like big books.

Rating: low 4 out of 5

Page Count: 429 pages (hardcover)

Price: $17.99

Next Book: Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Thank you for reading!
~Jade



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Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake

Nightwalker is the first book in the Dark Days series by Drake. There are six full length novels and a few novellas. Drake has another series out just in case Nightwalker isn't your type of book. I found this book in the fantasy section of my library. This was published back in 2008 and the last novella was published in 2012.


By now Mira is used to being a nightwalker, it's been a few centuries since she has been made. Her mysterious power over fire makes her different from the other nightwalkers and has made her an interest to others. So far it seems that her power is keeping her from meeting her end. A new enemy has arisen and his name is Danaus, a vampire hunter. He's killed many of Mira's kind and she now has to make a decision, either hunt or be hunted.

Again another book that had a lot of action and a few sub plots that could make or break the main one. I think so far they are making the main plot stronger because all the smaller plots are adding to the suspension of everything that is happening. I especially think the conflict between Mira and Jabari could be a great explosion and I hope that Drake explored it. I do like that there is a slightly more complex hierarchy of vampires. There are the ancients, the middle groups and then lower and newer vampires. I haven't heard the term naturi before, which is another name for the fey creatures. The fey are not small or pixie like with Drake. They are not always nice either and this was a great change of pace.

I only have a couple of dislikes and one of them really dropped my rating for the book. Some authors hang onto a phrase and just use it to death. Drake used so and so person "ran their hand through their hair" so many times that I quit reading the book for a few days. In one chapter alone it was used three times. I tried to keep count for the book as a whole but I quit counting after it was used the eight time. I don't know what Drake could have used in replace of that phrase but something else was needed to express their frustration. The second thing that annoyed the crap out of me was that Mira couldn't seem to wear the appropriate attire. Yes, lets wear leather high heel boots while knowing that I have a number of people on my ass. There is cool looking combat ready clothes that she could have considered, knowing that there are lots of people that want her dead.

Nightwalker was a great read, and I was kept interested throughout the book. If it weren't for the phrase "ran their hand through their hair" I would have given the book a higher rating. I don't know if I would reread Nightwalker any time soon. I would like to own the book however it is a book that I would be willing to pass up for another. Honestly, I do recommend this for young adults as well, there's a few PG-13 parts but they don't last but a few paragraphs at most.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Page Count: 370 pages (paperback)

Price: $7.99

Next book: Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Thank you so much for reading!
~Jade


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Racheal Awakened by Robin A. Dilks

To start I won this book free through a Goodreads giveaway*. This is the first book in the Daughters of Lilith series. There is a second book set to be published sometime soon.

(I like the way this book is summarized so I am going to use what is on the back.)
What if the stories of Lilith are wrong? What if she wasn't the demon legend portrays, but instead, she and her daughters were here to fight evil. Perhaps she was allowed to walk away. To fight for mankind. Racheal- much come to terms with who and what she is before she is ready. Taken prisoner and tortured, she is left broken, a shell of herself. Here to stop the Fallen, who want to put an end to humankind. Trapped by a life she didn't choose. Rafael- a dark-haired, golden-eyed Lycan, is ensnared by Racheal's spell from the moment they meet. He tumbles into her world. Sometimes patience can be a real pain in the behind, but despite it all, he can't walk away from the red-haired beauty who holds his heart. Lilith- a bargain can be a double-edged sword and the price of freedom steep, yet this dark beauty is the key to it all. From her first steps outside of Eden, she knows this life is going to be a bitch. Kamuel- is an angel, sent to keep Lilith in line-teach her, train her, show her how to fight- but if she crosses the line, he must not hesitate to kill her.

I genuinely enjoyed reading Racheal Awakened and I am not saying that because I won it, I mean it. I was worried about the size of this book but Dilks did a great job of keeping me interested between Rachael's, and Lilith's point of view. I'm not a huge religious person but I loved the twist with everything "religious" about this book, it really kept my attention and I wanted to see what else had a twist to it. As always, I did laugh a number of times especially at the end when Gunny the dog was introduced. I thought that was a really nice touch. Another thing that I liked was that Racheal overcame her attack (see the trigger warning just below my dislikes). She allowed herself time to grieve but she didn't allow it to take over her life completely. Yes, I know it is hard to cope with something super serious that happened but I believe that you are allowed to grieve, just try not to allow that grief to take over completely for a very long time.

I only have a couple of dislikes surprisingly and they really aren't dislikes. One being that it was so short, if someone really wanted to they could finish it in one day. Along with this whereas things where fast paced, I would have liked a little more. I won't knock it too much though because there are times when we all want a nice quick and interesting read and I definitely classify Racheal Awakened as a quick and interesting read.

I do have to put a trigger warning with Racheal Awakened. I did see it coming when I read Racheal's little blurb on the back of the book, but I don't know if others will catch it. The trigger warning is rape, it's about a page in length. It's not nearly as bad as some other books, it could be a great deal worse and it could have been a lot more detailed then it was. With that being said I do think that people who are more squeamish when it comes to rape can handle this book no problem.

I didn't know what to expect with Dilks book but I am really glad that I did get this. I'm very interested to see how the next book plays out especially between Lucifer and Lilith. I do think the book is a little on the short side but I don't have very many books that are small that are in my collection. Like I said though I do enjoy the shorter-ness of this book. I wouldn't exactly recommend this for a younger reader but a more mature audience. Even with my small amount of "dislikes" I still really enjoyed Racheal Awakened.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Page Count: 215 (paperback)

Price: ???

Next: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Thank you for reading!
~Jade

*Note: I am in no way being coerced into making a review. Leaving a review is happily welcome but not required thus if I don't like a book I will say so. This review is based upon my true feelings and thoughts about the book. I promise you I wouldn't let anything sway my opinion about a book.

Zomburbia by Adam Gallardo

Zomburbia is the first book in the Zombie Apocalypse...I don't know yet if it is going to be a series or just a duology. This is a fairly new book, being published in 2014, and the second book Zombified published this year in February. It caught my eye when I saw that it had something to do with zombies and I told myself this time around at the library that I wouldn't pick anything up. As usual, I did. I don't know when I will be reading and reviewing the second book, college is getting reallllly busy, but I will try my best to keep posting reviews when I can.

High school is hard enough, add zombies to the mix and it just makes it that much more awesome. Add another strike by being born in Salem, Oregon. Courtney has a plan though. Selling Vitamin Z while working at Bully Burger and saving the money to move to New York. What's Vitamin Z you might ask? Well, zombie brains. Courtney isn't your run of the mill drug seller though. She notices that things are getting worse. The zombie seem to be getting smarter and faster. No one else seems to notice this at all. If she can make it through high school, avoid being arrested and try to stay out of the line of fire from a stupid boy things should be some semblance of fine. Right?

Yes I do have more likes than THIS HAS ZOMBIES IN IT! There were subtle hints throughout the book that people may become a zombie through something other than a bite or scratch. It was the same hint every time which made it pretty easy to pick up. For me it wasn't overly thrown in your face, and it did make sense as to why this would happen. Also the sarcasm between Courtney and Sherri had me cracking up constantly through the book. There were some dull parts where I was waiting for the book to pick up a bit but they really didn't bother me because I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know what things where going to happen mainly between Courtney and Brandon. Speaking of those two, I liked that Courtney stayed true to herself even with a hot guy giving her attention. It took her a moment but she did stick to her guns. I think more younger girls need to know that even though a boy or girl likes you, you shouldn't change yourself to keep them interested. If they don't like you for who you are, they aren't worth your time and energy. Lastly I really liked the references to other books and movies. Grease, The Lost Boys, and even Lord of the Flies were mentioned. As someone knowing all three of these it was pretty cool to see how they were incorporated into the text.

For a young adult novel I'd say that even an adult could easily get into it and like it. Although I was able to predict a number of things, Willie and Sherri being one of them. It took me a little longer with Sherri but as soon as Brandon entered the picture, I knew what was going to happen with Willie. It was a dead ringer once Willie's mom was given a small voice too. *SPOILER-ALERT* Though really I don't think this is too big of one. The only other thing I had a problem with was when Courtney decided to aid her friends into trying Vitamin Z. Yes peer pressure is a bitch. Yes you are supposed to support your friends, but not when it comes to aiding your friends into trying a "hard core" drug. Don't do this kids. Just don't. *SPOILER-ENDED* Though I do appreciate Gallardo showing that bad things can happen and when it rains, it pours with the bad times.

I was really pleased while reading Zomburbia, I didn't want to put it down pretty much at all because I was kept interested. I did have a couple of problem but they really didn't deter me from finishing the book. I really hope that Gallardo continues to write, be it with this series or another. I find that his writing style really draws me in even when things are at a slower pace. I would most definitely reread this book, and I do think owning it would be nice. I would hold off to see how many more books are going to be added before really investing in them. Heck, for all I don't know the second book could be the end. I do recommend this book to people of all ages to read, and I don't see a problem with a kid in middle school reading this.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Page Count: 362 pages (paperback)

Price: $9.95

Next Book: Racheal Awakened by Robin A. Dilks

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Third book in the White Rabbit Chronicles I do have book one and book two reviewed, feel free to check them out if you want. Showalter was originally going to end the chronicles with The Queen of Zombie Hearts but things have changed and there will be another book. The next book will be called A Mad Zombie Party and as of now it is set to be released later this year. I don't think I will be reading that one as soon as it comes out, I will probably wait a while before I do. There is another book out that fits between book one and book two called Cole...Meet Ali. If you want to read that just click and it will take you to Showalter's site where you can read it.

The worst is behind the slayers, or so they think. Ali is ready to go a step further with her boyfriend Cole Holland. Who also happens to be the leader of the zombie slayers. Everything was going good until Anima Industries lands a sneak attack. They are the ones controlling the zombies, and they are the reason why four of Ali's friends get killed. Ali realizes that people can be the most dangerous things, sometimes worse than monsters themselves. What's even worse is that this is only the beginning. Trying to overcome what just happened the remaining slayers gear up for war, and Ali finds that she can control the zombies too. She learns that she isn't who she thinks she is, along with so much more. She's connected to the woman who killed, and turned Cole's mother. More and more secrets come out into the open, and a relationship can only endure so much. Ali will find that taking down Anima is going to be harder than she thought and she just might have to sacrifice herself to do it.

I didn't have too many likes this time around. Zombie Hearts was an okay book, but I really had more problems with it. What I did like however was the action that was all throughout the book. There where down moments, but they were not down for very long. Things got going almost right away, and it just kept going from there. I laughed almost the whole way through the book, between Ali, Kat, Gavin, and everyone else there was an abundance of sass everywhere. The fact that Showalter kept me laughing is about the only reason why I didn't put this book down and not finish. *SEMI-SPOILER-ALERT* I will commend Showalter, she knows that her fan base is mainly younger readers. Things get heated with Cole and Ali, and Showalter promoted safe sex. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Safe sex needs to be promoted, because teens are going to be teens (not saying all teens will be teens but you get it).*SEMI-SPOILER-ENDED*

I'm on the fence about this next point, if you are sensitive and have not a clue about what happens in this book skip this little blurb and go to my dislikes (the very next paragraph). As soon as I read that four people where going to die, I knew exactly who they where. Along with the other. It wasn't really a big surprise to me, the four weren't huge characters. I did feel a touch of heartache, but it was because I was hoping to get a little more from them.

I had a lot of annoyances with this book, but I will cut them down to the ones that bugged me the most. The first one was the hints throughout the book specifically the ones on page 63 and 76. *SPOILER-ALERT* I knew that Ali was adopted before anything happened because of these two hints. I do think there was hints in the first two books but I don't quite remember them being so prominent. I also knew that Kat was going to die, just not the way that she did.*SPOILER-ENDED* The next one that bugged me was Ali's constant "OMG Cole is so hot, OMG Cole is the best, OMG Cole this, OMG Cole that" on just about every other page. I literally felt like Ali was 12 with her first crush and not a young adult. If I could have reached into the book and shaken her I would have. I liked Cole before, but not anymore. After commending Showalter, I do have to say that personally I do not think it is okay to tattoo your boyfriend/girlfriends name on you. Especially at a very young age, things happen and people change. I have seen more often than not that after getting a persons name tattooed on them, they split. Now they have a constant reminder of the other person until they get enough money to cover it up. Tattoo's are permanent unless you want to shell out a lot of money. Lastly, if the slayers knew that Anima was planning something (but not necessarily when per say) I would have never gotten as relaxed as they did. That's a big no-no, you do not get all relaxed when you know the enemy is still very much alive and kicking.

If I wasn't kept laughing from the sassiness I would have not finished The Queen of Zombie Hearts. I really was disappointed with this book. I kept hoping that things would turn around but they didn't. I didn't even list everything that I had a problem with because no one would have bothered to read a huge whining post. I know my opinion is one of the less popular ones, but this is what I think nonetheless. I hope that I like the next book more. I do recommend this book, only because I know there are people out there who are going to love the book and that's great.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Page Count: 459 pages (hardcover)

Price: $18.99

Next Book: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

Note: I would still like to say that I am busy in college, this term is really packed with work to do. I don't have too much time to read, but I still do when I can. If reviews are further apart I'm sorry but you gotta do what you gotta do to live. If something happens and I cannot get reviews up for a while I will make a separate post saying so. Once again, thank you!

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

As far as it looks this is Alameda's first book. Is there a second book coming? I don't know, but I do know that there is a book called Pitch Dark in progress. It doesn't not appear to go along the lines of Shutter.

A tetrachromat is someone who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. Micheline Helsing just so happens to be able to do this. One of the last decedents of the Van Helsing family, she has trained from square one to be able to eradicate both corporeal and spiritual monsters. Corporeal get taken out by a bullet, while the spiritual by lens. Armed with an SLR camera and aided by her crew; Oliver, Jude, and Ryder they take down all they can. What should have been a "normal" hunt went wrong, and Micheline and the boys get cursed. One that is like a infection, it spreads through their bodies. Micheline has seven days to exorcise the monster or else she and her friends die. To add one more thing to her plate she's seen as a renegade to her also huge monster hunting father. She's ready to take on this crazy week.

Right away I noticed the Fatal Frame, Dracula, and Van Helsing subject of this book. I was really drawn in with the Fatal Frame feel, I played a little of Crimson Butterfly and I really enjoyed it. Plus it's really creepy to have to "hurt" the entity with a camera. My heart broke learning Micheline's back story, you can't say that that girl hasn't felt broken before. Shutter also started with a lot of action and ended the same way. It held my attention completely and I didn't find myself thinking about anything else in general. I probably should have seen a lot of the book coming, there were hints along the way but I just did not grasp them. The ending was very moving, almost to tears but not quite for me. There is potential for a second book, as a "killer" is on the loose and still unknown. How that will go is up to Alameda. I loved the descriptiveness that Alameda provided, I could really picture the way all the gory-bits looked like. What I loved most where the specialness of Micheline's tetrachromatic eyes, and the monsters in the Obscura. This is one of those books that if I were to try and get everything in, it would be a while.

I didn't have a problem with Shutter. The action was all the way through and I loved every minute of it. I wanted to read to the end. *SPOILER-ALERT* I was genuinely sad once the monster was revealed, I did have a feeling that it was going to be someone close to Micheline. I was just hoping that it wasn't going to be her.*SPOILER-ENDED*

This is another book I recommend for everyone, not just teens. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I think everyone could find something to like in it. I do hope there is a second book, I would really like to know who the other bad people are. I enjoyed Alameda's writing and I can see myself reading Shutter again, along with wanting to pick up another book by her. I would love to have this book in my collection.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 372 pages (hardcover)

Price: $17.99

Next Book: Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

Love is Murder edited by Sandra Brown

Before I jump into the review I want to say that I will be doing this review not like my other short story reviews. There are a lot of stories and to go one by one would make this post really long. To prevent that I will do this review like the full length novels.

Twenty-nine short stories of romance, suspense, mystery and more are beautifully put together in Love is Murder. The authors that are showcased are Roxanne St. Claire, Carla Neggers, Beverly Barton, Robert Browne, Andrea Kane, William Simon, Laura Griffin, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Patricia Rosemoor, Jon Land writing with Jeff Ayers, Heather Graham, Mariah Stewart, D.P. Lyle, Cindy Gerard, J.T. Ellison, Bill Floyd, William Bernhardt, Brenda Novak, Vicki Hinze, Julie Kenner, James Macomber, Alexandra Sokoloff, Pamela Callow, Debra Webb, Toni McGee Causey, Lori Armstrong, Allison Brennan, and last but not least Lee Child. I don't know about you all but I recognized quite a number of these names and got really excited to read a little from all of them.

I liked and even loved well over half of these stories, I'd say close to 95% of them. With the first story Diamond Drop by Roxanne St. Claire, I forgot that I was reading a book of anthologies and thought I was reading a full novel. A couple of stories later Speechless by Robert Browne had me raving. *SEMI-SPOILER ALERT* I was sincerely hoping that the boyfriend wasn't the bad guy, but when it became solid who was, part of me knew it and the other part of me said "well damn, that ain't right". *SEMI-SPOILER ENDED* After reading Deadly Fixation by Diana Love and Hot Note by Patricia Moore I could definitely see myself picking up a novel by each of them and know that I would love it. The mix of action and supernatural always draws me in, but the way that each wrote had me fixed to my seat and not moving. The same goes for Grave Danger by Heather Graham, I wasn't left disappointed at all, once I had finished I wanted more. With Dying to Score by Cindy Gerard, I normally wouldn't read something that is war driven but I think I might start thanks to Gerard. This would be a perfect series to get into because this short story is part of her Black Ops series.

I wasn't really disappointed about any of the stories. They all had their things about them that made them great. However, there are some that didn't strike my fancy. Spider's Tango by William Simon was one of them. It was more of run of the mill kidnapping story. I knew within a few pages who the real bad guy was and what his problem was. Last Shot by Jon Land and Jeff Ayers is a conflicting one for me. I love the plot and where things are set to go, if it where a novel I think I would like it more. The last anthology in particular was a let down for me. I was expecting a little more from Lee Child's I Heard a Romantic Story. I love the ending and everything, but just the way that it was led there I didn't particularly like. I was expecting more from Child, I know his work is very good. I was quite happy with how few stories I didn't like too well.

In the end I am so happy to be able to say I own this book. What stories I did mention are not all that are in the book, and I highly recommend Love is Murder to anyone who wants to read it. The only thing I would suggest is to get a hardcover copy. I have a paperback and it was killer not to break the spine and read all at once. There are some sexier scenes in this book, so anyone not wanting that or don't want their younger child to read it, don't pick it up. I do know I will be picking up a few books by some of the authors I was introduced to. It is a great little collection to sample some writings of others, and a great way to find some new authors.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 707 pages (paperback)

Price: $9.99

Next Book: Zom-B Mission by Darren Shan

Thank you for reading!
~Jade