Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Trilogy #3

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

In this book, Katniss finds herself yet again as a pawn for someone else. District 13 wants to manipulate and use her to fuel the rebellion. Katniss has had about all that she can stand, but she knows a pawn is only as good as its usefulness. When she sets out to be the Mockingjay, she does it because she feels it is right, but as things go on, she starts to question everyone's motives. District 13 is nothing like she expected and their strict regime and rules are extremely oppressing. Is it really worth it to fight the capital to only pass the chains of bondage to another "master?"


It seems the previous events have finally caught up and we see a much more fragile version of Katniss in this book. When I first read it, I was slightly annoyed at the change in character, but now looking back I can only see it as realistic. The horrors she lived through are not something that you forget easily. They change you, shape you, and eventually break you. Many times Katniss did snap under the pressure, but somehow she still hung on by a thread to her sanity. 


I was glad to see more of Gale in this book, as I didn't feel a strong connection to him. By the way Katniss described him, he was always strong and rebellious. However, in this book, after seeing District 12 burn before his eyes, his anger becomes a wildfire. He turns into a calculating, detached soldier, who has lost most of his compassion. He truly believes in the phrase "All's fair in love and war."  Even Katniss who is a very calculating rather than emotional person doesn't have the ability to kill mindlessly.

There rarely is a happy ever after when it comes to war, and this book is no exception. I am glad I waited a few days to review this, my review would have been much different if I hadn't. When I first finished the book, all I felt was despair and anger for the shambles the characters were left in. Now, looking back, everything fits, it all has its purpose. War is not pretty, it is not kind, and it spares no one. Even the ones who survive will be irrevocably altered. 


I recommend this book, just don't read it expecting a happy ending. It really shows the gritty horrors of war and the knowledge of no matter the outcome, nothing will ever be the same. I would suggest reading the book and then waiting a day or two before making any opinions on it. You will probably find your feelings will change after the despair settles. It definitely did not take the direction I was expecting, but that does not in anyway diminish it. I have a feeling these books will be talked about for years to come.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Trilogy #2

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

After her defiance to play by the capital's rules in the last book, Katniss knows her days are numbered. So, when President Snow shows up in her house to threaten her, it doesn't come at a complete shock. She allows her puppet strings to be pulled in hopes of saving her family. However, whether she likes it or not, she has become the face of the rebellion. To make matters worse, Katniss and Peeta, as well as 22 other former victors are thrown back into the games. Katniss vows to do everything she possibly can to make sure Peeta survives. He of course has the opposite desire and it will take everything both of them have to survive.


The title is very fitting as this book is at root about the rebellion catching fire. In the beginning there were rumors of rebellion, but the actions of the capital throughout the book really started to add flame the fire. It is assumed that President Snow orchestrated for the victors to have to return to the games, something they were supposed to be safe from. Of course he claimed the creator of the games was the one who set this idea up, but even so he could have overruled it considering his power. I think this was a huge mistake, and only added fire to the rebellion he so very much wanted to squash. Not only did it infuriate the people in the districts, but it also upset the citizens of the capital, his pampered support. The citizens have a certain attachment to the victors, and the districts see them as symbols of hope. He decided to fight fire with fire, not such a wise choice in a situation like this. This mistake had the opposite effect of what he wanted causing the rebellion to gain ground.


The love triangle theme continues through this book even though Gale is absent yet again for most of it. I do wish there had been more time spent on her tie to him. As it was written, we are forced to just accept the history and feel his side even though we are continually bombarded by Peeta's love and determination. It was frustrating to feel so much for Peeta, but not really have enough ground to stand on to care for Gale. This made it really hard to feel Katniss's struggle between the two. For this reason, I am glad that the romance was only a small part of the plot.

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as I did the first one, as it would be almost impossible to live up to. The first game's horrors came at such a shock, but this time around I was left with a slight case of deja vu. Even so, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by 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!

My teaser is from Chosen by Jeanne C Stein.  This is the 6th book in the Anna Strong Series. The teaser comes from 2% of the way in according to my kindle. (Sorry, no page number, that's one of the very few downsides to the kindle)

"I can't take my jacket off. I've got a .38 clipped to my belt. Might make the natives restless. Or excited. Shit."

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Trilogy #1

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 



Set in a futuristic society, this book centers around a 16 year old girl named Katniss who lives in one of 12 districts surrounding a control obsessed capital named Pandem. Each district has a specialty in production, but most cannot reap any of the "fruits" of their labor as everything is claimed by the capital. Katniss keeps her family alive with the help of her friend Gale by hunting outside the district's fence, an offense that warrants an immediate death sentence if they are ever caught. The book starts on the day of reaping, the day where the capital chooses two of each district's children to fight to the death in an arena. By some cruel twist of fate, Katniss's little sister is chosen. Katniss immediately takes her sister's place and has no expectations of survival, as the games show no mercy.

Katniss has many flaws, but it is her underlying strength that captivated me. I admire her courage and determination to survive, which started long before she was thrust into the games. Her depth is amazing as she can be quite selfish at times, but the epitome of selflessness at others. I hated to see her make decisions always in a calculated manor rather than allow herself any emotion. However, this just shows one of the many consequences of survival in such a society. The will to survive at all costs can be such a nasty thing that twists and changes people. The phrase "kill or be killed" just doesn't seem to be quite accurate. Even if someone kills for their own survival some part of you dies anyway. It will irrevocably change them.

I wasn't going to review this series because the book blogger community is seriously overloaded with reviews on the series. However, after reading the books, I've decided that they really do warrant an opinion. I've always enjoyed dystopian books, with some of my favorites being George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and surprisingly considering the story centers around the burning of books, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Now, I'm not sure if I can really say if The Hunger Games is truly up to the caliber of these books as I have not read them in years, but it did remind me of them. That being said,  The Hunger Games is dystopia at its best, or worst depending on how you look at it. I'm not sure why these type of books suck so many people in, myself included, but dystopian books always seem to cause a stir. Perhaps it is that small part of ourselves that would wish for a utopia and these books show the more likely outcome of someone trying to create such a society.

This book was shocking, graphic and shows the cruel side of human nature.  It will suck you in almost from the first word, and is probably one of the most thought provoking books I have read in a very long time. You will find yourself rooting for the characters even though they are in a hopeless situation. It is definitely a must read!

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
The Hunger Games

Blood Magic

Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #6

Lily Yu’s world changed when she met Rule Turner, known to the human world as “that werewolf prince.”  It’s been eight months since everyone else’s world changed, too—when the Turning hit.  That shifting of the realms has magic seeping back into the world in quantities unseen since the hot news story concerned a pair of human babes raised by wolves who went on to found a new city:  Rome.

Lily is a homicide cop turned FBI agent.  She works for a special Unit within the MCD—that’s the Bureau’s Magical Crimes Division.   Lily became a cop to stop the monsters , though it was human monsters she had in mind at the time.  These days, the perps she tracks may be a lot more—or a lot less--than human.

In BLOOD MAGIC, Lily and Rule are faced with their most dangerous opponent yet, one the law can’t touch.  One who can’t be killed.  One whose like hasn’t been seen in our world since long before those wolves fostered Romulus and Remus.

Oh, one more thing about BLOOD MAGIC:  Grandmother is back.

Those of you who haven’t read the previous books in my World of the Lupi series may be scratching your head about now.  Someone’s grandmother shows up and you’re supposed to get all tingly?   You might be more interested in some of the other characters in BLOOD MAGIC, like the assassin.  Or the dragon.  Or the ancient, undying enemy willing to wait for centuries to achieve what really matters.

Revenge.

After the ending of the last book, I expected this book to be mostly about the consequences of Lily and Rule getting engaged since marriage is extremely forbidden to the Lupi. However, while that issue does cause tension, it really takes an extreme back seat when there is an almost successful assassination attempt on Cullen. It happens at his and Cynna's baby party of all times. Lily is the only one who saw the mysterious Asian. Since he was able to slip in and out undetected by anyone but her even though there were hundreds of Lupi present, Lily quickly realizes that this assassin must be very powerful, or at least supported by someone who is. She goes to Sam the dragon to beg his help in protecting Cullen. She gets more than she bargained for when she finds out things about herself that she never could have guessed, and finds out about a centuries long feud involving the assassin's powerful lover. and gets locked down by a magical geas. She must rely on Rule to be her "voice" if she is to have any hope at stopping the assassin and his lover from their revenge.

I was glad to have some more insight to the relationship between Lily's grandmother and the dragon, Sam. However, their revelations came as a complete shock to both Lily and me. The geas is one of the hardest things for Lily to deal with considering her personality. She always has to be in control, and she feels ultimately responsible to fix whatever crisis is currently happening. She isn't one to sit idly by while others make the hard decisions, so having to rely on Rule and let him make all the decisions is extremely hard for her. The fact that she was able to handle it at all shows just how much she has grown.

I really love the "love" between each of the two main couples. Both of them had rocky starts and there will still be many bumps along the road I'm sure, but they seem to finally have found some happiness in each other even if everything around them keeps falling apart. I love how Cullen continued to break all the rules when he married Cynna, becoming the only Lupi to ever get married. I thought it was going to be too much to ask for Rule and Lily to get married considering his status and duties to the Lupi, so you can imagine my excitement when he proposed at the end of the last book. Even if the Lupi find a way to prevent the marriage I will still be happy since he was willing to sacrifice everything for Lily.

I really enjoyed this book, and wound up staying up way too late to finish because I just could not put it down. This series has just gotten better and better with each book. The characters are really amazing, will just suck you in. I cannot wait for the upcoming nuptials and for the "little rider" to be born!

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Blood Magic (World of the Lupi, Book 6)

It's Monday, What are you Reading? (6)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.





Here's what I read this week:

Blood Lines by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Night Season by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks (Review)
Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (Review)
Ravenous by Sharon Ashwood
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This was a decent reading week, but no so much for reviews. I plan to write and hopefully post the review to Blood Magic today. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to post a review of The Hunter Games trilogy yet. These books have cause such a phenomenon lately and there are so many reviews floating around, I think it would be a little redundant to write yet another one. I'm also not sure how to put what I feel about the books into words. I'll probably wind up writing at least something about them, because the books definitely deserve it, I'm just not sure in what form it will take.


Here is my list for the upcoming week:

Chosen by Jeanne C Stein

Yeah, I know its a really short list, if one book can even be called a list. I have to write and prepare a speech this week for one of my classes. Eek! So, I really don't know how much reading I'm going to get in. Speeches are really not my strong suit, so I'll be too busy worrying about it to do much else. I may just re-read a series to give myself some breaks. I don't want to risk getting sucked into a new series, and make it even harder to concentrate on the speech because I want to find out what happens next.

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (6)

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Follow Fridays is hosted by Parajunkee's View, and is just Fridays.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books, and runs Friday to Monday. There are new rules for the hop, so make sure to check out Crazy for Books for the details.


This week's hop question is:  

Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

Well, I didn't use one at first, but then it seemed to get a little redundant saying over and over again that I "liked" a book. I figure a rating system helps say just how much I like/love a book. I use a 1-5 butterfly system, but I highly doubt I'll ever post a review of a book that I would give less than a 3 to. I just do not believe in trashing someone else's work. Just because I don't like something, doesn't mean someone else wouldn't. I would hate to be the reason for turning someone away from something they might have enjoyed. I also won't rate something worth a 1 or 2 in my eyes to upgrade it. I believe in honest opinions, you just won't see any bad ones ;)

My rating is posted up top in a tab, but here it is again to make it easier:  
1 Butterfly: Really did not like it, had to force myself to finish it.
2 Butterflies: It was okay, not my favorite, but not terrible either.
3 Butterflies: A decent read, slightly flawed, but still good.
4 Butterflies: A very good read, almost perfect
5 Butterflies: Amazing! RUN, don't walk to the bookstore and grab this book!
 

Don't forget to check out my 100 Followers Contest

Hunger (Early Review)

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Rider's Quartet #1

"Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world."

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

This book surprised me, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. However, I did enjoy it, and felt a strong connection with Lisa. It was very short, but there was a lot of material jammed packed into it. The plot centers around the destruction anorexia and other eating disorders cause, but with a little twist. I never would have pictured an anorexic person as Famine, but surprisingly it works. The characters were really well developed, and the trials Lisa goes through are very realistic. The emotions were such a roller coaster, and I can only guess what it would be like to be really experiencing them first hand, either on the side of the one with the disorder, or the ones who care for them.

I think this book would greatly appeal to anyone going through some of these issues, or anyone who cares for someone that has been damaged by an eating disorder. It really was a good look into the trials of an eating disorder, the constant nagging inner voice, and the terrible self-body image. Hopefully this book will be able to help people as the author intends it to. I know I now have a better understanding of the disorders after reading the book. I really admire the fact that some of the proceeds are going to be donated to the National Eating Disorders Association. Even if nothing like this has ever touched your life, I highly recommend this book.

(Received for review from Netgalley) 

Rating:

Pre-order from Amazon:
Hunger

Mortal Sins

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #5

FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate Rule Turner, lu nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan, where he is to take custody of his son from the boy’s grandmother. It’s a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investigation, and soon realizes that nothing adds up—not the motives, not even the accused killer, who’s behind bars when death strikes again.

But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the person of Rule’s son’s mother. Why is she challenging Rule’s long standing plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai?

But family must take a back seat when the violence escalates, and there’s no rhyme or reason for the killer’s next strike—a killer who may not even be of this world...

Lily and Rule are back in the forefront in this book. What started out as a trip to pick up Rule's son, Toby, quickly turns into a huge mess when Rule stumbles upon three bodies stinking of death magic. Of course Lily is assigned the case, but she quickly learns things are not as they seem. To complicate things further, Toby's mother is now trying to contest Rule gaining custody. Adding into the trouble is the mess with Rule holding both the Leidolf and Nokolai mantles, and all the politics that ensue. When Rule tries to handle some of his duties to Nokolai, the mate bond between Lily and Rule throws a wrench in those plans.

I really do not like the way people treat Lily in this book because of her relationship with Rule. Its a wonder to think that she hid her gift all those years to shield herself from such ridicule, but in the end it comes anyway for a different reason. It just goes to show that there will always be prejudices no matter the race or species for that matter. At least Lily has a tough skin, and it seems to bother me more than her, but perhaps I've just developed a major soft spot for her.

This book kept me guessing the entire time. The brief glimpses into the "killer's" mind were very intriguing and made only want to read faster to figure out who it was. In the end, the culprit turned out to be a really interesting and unexpected twist. To stop the killings some hard choices had to be made, but I think even with the consequences things will work out in the end for the better.

The ending of this book was by far the best so far of any books in The World of the Lupi series. However, while there was definite happiness, I think the ending events are going to reek major havoc in future books. I cannot wait to read the next book to see how things work out. Some series start to fizzle after a few books, but this one is the opposite. It is definitely getting better and better the further into I get.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Mortal Sins (World of the Lupi, Book 5)

Night Season

Night Season by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #4

A magic medallion . . .

A diplomatic envoy from another realm . . .

A dragon who doesn’t like to share. . .

. . . and a tester that turns the wrong color when she pees on it. FBI Agent Cynna Weaver’s life is a little too full right now. She’s pregnant--and lupus sorcerer Cullen Seabourne is the father. Cullen is thrilled. Cynna can barely utter the p-word. What does she know about kids? Her mother was a drunk. Her father abandoned them. Or so she’s always believed . . . .

But things could be worse. She might be snatched into another realm to meet her long-lost father--a world where humans are strictly second-class citizens. In Edge, magic is commonplace, lying is an artform, and night never ends.

And Cynna’s only way home means working with Cullen to find an ancient artifact sought by powerful beings who would do anything to claim it.

This book is mainly told from Cynna and Cullen's perspectives. Even though Cynna knows she is pregnant, she is still holding on to every shred of denial she can, including telling herself she can keep Cullen at an arms length. When she and Cullen get kidnapped into another realm called Edge, she must learn to trust him, for he seems to be the only one who cares at all if she lives or dies. She is forced on a search for a magical medallion that controls the seasons in Edge, but not everyone wants her to find it.

I have to say I love Cynna and Cullen's love hate relationship. You can really tell they both care for each other no matter how much either of them denies it. One minute they are fighting and the next.. well.. Ahem.. I have to say Cullen's commitment surprised me since the Lupi are extremely against monogamy. But, considering the Lupi's very low fertility this does make sense. Of course Cullen seems to make it a habit to break all the rules as much as possible.

I really enjoyed some of the sideline characters, especially Gan, the semi-former demon who has grown a soul. She is a very amusing character, so childlike, yet strong. I enjoyed seeing more of her transformation as she learns what it means to care for others, the main component of a soul. I also enjoyed the part, while small about Kai and Nathan. It appears there is a short story about them called, "Inhuman" from the Anthology, On the Prowl. The two of them really intrigued me, so I'll have to check out their short story.

I was a little gun shy at first about this book since Lily and Rule are not much of a focus in this book, but I'm really glad I decided to continue on with the series. This book was really fulfilling, and I actually didn't miss Lily and Rule too much. Cynna and Cullen's journey was more than enough to keep my attention, and made for a very good read.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Night Season (The World of the Lupi, Book 4)

Blood Lines

Blood Lines by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #3

Touch-sensitive FBI agent Lily Yu and her werewolf bond-mate are recruited by the Secret Service to help identify elected officials who have accepted demonic pacts. But Lily must turn to fellow agent Cynna Weaver for help when Cynna's former teacher, a demon master, emerges as the main suspect behind the pacts.

After a demon commits a gruesome murder, sorcerer Cullen Seabourne joins the team racing the clock to find the apprentice of evil who uses demons to kill. Cynna and Cullen must work together—a challenge indeed when each has good reason to ignore the desire simmering between them. But passion and events both spiral out of control as an ancient prophecy is fulfilled-and the lupi's greatest enemy sets her sights on total devastation...

Once again the Lupi are being attacked, with the source tracing back to an influence from the evil goddess with the unspeakable name. Demons are being used to target the heirs, a surefire way to destroy the Lupi quickly. To make matters worse, the goddess's current puppet seems to be Cynna's former teacher, Jiri. It will take the whole gang to defeat both the demons and their controller, even with all of them it may not be enough.

In this book we find out a bit more about Lily's mysterious Grandmother, Li Lei. I was glad to have a better picture of who/what she is, even if there still are many unanswered questions. The book also focuses more on Cynna and Cullen. To think I once found Lily and Rule's relationship to be frustrating, those two clashing was nothing compare to Cynna and Cullen. They could go from insanely mad at each other to tearing the others clothes off in less than two seconds. The two definitely have a major love hate relationship going. Somehow, though it works, and I feel the attraction between the two. I think their relationship will work well with them constantly clashing with the other because neither of them could be happy with something docile. Future books will only tell if they can work as a couple or not.

Things have gotten complicated in the Lupi world. Some nasty events occur that make the animosity between the Nokolai and the Leidof even higher. Because of these events, Rule is now stuck between the two clans with no way out in sight. I really never saw that coming, and should make for interesting events in future books, but only time will tell. Luckily, for now it does seem to be the calm before the storm. The characters have enough to handle with the demons that keep targeting Lupi heirs.

This book has a lot of things going on, and once it started, it just didn't stop. I enjoyed the addition of focus on Cynna and Cullen. Sometimes it is nice to have a new perspective in a series. I really love the cover as well. The tattoos are gorgeous! This series is definitely getting better as it goes on, and I cannot wait to read the next book.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Blood Lines (The World of the Lupi, Book 3)

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Don't forget to enter the 100 Followers Contest!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Last Sacrifice - Vampire Academy #6

by Richelle Mead

Publication Date: December 7, 2010

Amazon Pre-Order: Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6)

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.






I absolutely LOVE this series. Rose has been through so much, and I hope she gets some peace and happiness.. and well.. Dimitri ;) I will be sad to see Rose's story end, but at least there will be a spin off series. This is definitely a series to check out!

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Don't forget to enter the 100 Followers Contest!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by 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!

My teaser is from Night Season by Eileen Wilks.  This is the 4th book in the World of the Lupi Series. The teaser comes from 4% of the way in according to my kindle. (Sorry, no page number, that's one of the very few downsides to the kindle)

"Lily always looked right. But she was tiny and.. well, not cute. You wouldn't call a bullet cute, no matter how small and shapely it was. Bullets are also notoriously hard to stop, and that was like Lily too."

Mortal Danger

Mortal Danger by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #2

 Former homicide cop Lily Yu has a lot on her plate. There's her sister's wedding, a missing magical staff with unknown powers, and her grandmother's sudden decision to visit the old country just when Lily could use a little advice. Maybe she should turn to the man she's involved with, but for all the passion that flares between them, she doesn't really know Rule Turner. Yet she's tied to him for life, both of them caught in an unbreakable mate bond.

That Rule is a werewolf, prince of his people, only complicates matters.

Now an agent in a special unit of the FBI's Magical Crimes Division, Lily's job is to hunt down Harlowe, a charismatic cult leader bent on bringing an ancient evil into the world. But what Lily doesn't realize is that Harlowe has set a trap-for her. And then the unthinkable happens.

In the blink of any eye Lily's world divides and collides, and she is thrust into a new and frightening reality. Her only hope will be to trust Rule-and herself-or Lily will be lost forever...

After the events of the last book, it was inevitable that there would be repercussions for Lily. Harlowe, the leader of the cult serving the goddess whose name cannot be spoken, is out to destroy Lily. Since she is a sensitive and magic does not work on her, he uses the goddess to help form a plot to enable a demon to possess Lily. Things go wrong and Lily finds herself split in two with neither half knowing about the other.

While Lily has finally accepted that she is bound to Rule for life, she still is fighting him tooth and nail on pretty much everything. Sometimes it seems she is just refusing something for the sake of fighting. She refuses his help and protection. She is keeping him at an arms length as much as she possibly can. I keep hoping she will relax a little and let herself truly feel, but that may be an impossible wish.

Rule has the opposite problem as Lily. He wants to be with her at all times. If he had his way, Lily would live with him and quit her job so she would never be in danger. I do find him to be a little bit of a hypocrite because he wants her to completely open up to him, but there is so much he is still hiding from her.

The book was overall decent, but I find the impasse between Lily and Rule to be very frustrating. They both need to give a little and learn to accept the other one's nature. Hopefully in the future books, they will start to grow together, because as of right now I'm having a hard time feeling for them as a couple.

Rating:

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Mortal Danger (The World of the Lupi, Book 2)

100 Followers Contest!!

Well, I finally hit the 100 followers mark, so I think its time for my first giveaway. The giveaway is for one of the books listed bellow, which will ship from The book Depository. This part of the contest is open to international entries where The Book Depository ships. I picked out a variety of my favorite books. Hopefully at least one will be of interest. I know I love them all!

If I reach 200 followers, I'll give away a signed and personalized Hardcover book from Kim Harrison. I can get any of her already released books, except for Black magic Sanction. That's right SIGNED and PERSONALIZED! Unfortunately this special part of the giveaway is only open to US entries. Sorry!

For every 50 followers after 200, I'll add another winner for a choice of a book shipped from The Book Depository from the list above!

To enter, please enter the form below, as well as answer the question below in the comments section. You must fill out both the from and answer in the comments or you will not be entered. You can get extra entries by spreading the word about this contest, as well as posting the buttons from the bottom of this post on your blog. Also, if you purchase anything through the Amazon referral banner below, you get 10 extra entries. I plan to use ALL commissions from that for future giveaways. I love giveaways, and this will help me be able to do more of them.

This contest will end at 11:59PM September 6th. I will announce the winner(s) on September 7th. The winner(s) have three days to respond, or I will choose another one. Thanks for entering, and Good Luck!

Enter the Form Here

Here is the question to answer in the comments:

Who is your favorite book heroine and why?

Make a purchase through this banner to support future giveaways and get 10 extra entries!



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